It’s a fact of life that consistency is key to any goal. The same is true for your social media strategy. In order to achieve your desired outcome it’s crucial to be consistent.
When posting on social media it’s important to remember the four C’s (it’s easy enough to remember, they all stand for consistent!)
- Consistent posting
- Consistent content
- Consistent voice
- Consistent branding
Consistent posting
Social media is very fast-paced with high content turnover, so it isn’t long before a piece of content becomes irrelevant. Developing a social media schedule and posting regularly will keep your content at the top of your audience’s feeds. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true and posting too much can have an overwhelming and alienating impact on your audience. Posting several times a week, across multiple channels will keep your content fresh and in front of your audience without them feeling bombarded.
It’s also worth considering the platform’s algorithm when creating your social media schedule. You’ve probably seen a lot of content about how to beat the Instagram algorithm, usually shared on Instagram itself, but the truth is you can’t. The algorithm is designed for a reason and Instagram, in particular, rewards those using the algorithm correctly. So while you can’t beat the algorithm, respecting it will get you a lot further.
Consistent content
Audiences most value content they find informative and relevant to them, which is why it’s so important to know who you’re posting for and why.
It’s also important to make sure that your content is consistent with your brand’s message, goals and values, as well as being visually cohesive. For example a hairdressers sharing before and after posts about hair transformations will perform better than a competitor posting pictures of their pets. While we all love to see other people’s dogs, it’s not the best strategy to grow your online following.
Brands who share seemingly unconnected and random ‘filler’ content are outperformed by those sharing well thought out and consistent content. Before posting it’s important to ask yourself two questions:
- What is the point of the post?
- What value does it give to my followers?
If you can’t answer those questions it’s better to not post at all.
Another crucial element is the spread of misinformation. It’s vital to ensure that anything you re-share, particularly if it’s news-based, comes from a verified, ethical and credible source. If your audience can see that the content you’re re-sharing is trustworthy then, by default, you and your brand are also trustworthy. Taking the extra time to verify information safeguards your business and reputation.
Consistent voice
Having a consistent brand voice is crucial to building a trusting and engaged audience, as it makes you immediately more recognisable to your followers.
The goal is to hit the right balance between your brand identity and resonating with your audience.
Here are some tips to develop your brand voice:
Understand your audience
When creating your brand voice you need to consider:
- Who your customers are
- Their age
- Gender identity
- Location
- Interests
- Aspirations
- What problems they have
- How can you meet these needs
A deep understanding of your following will inform the way you speak to them, the language you use and the tone of the message. The more specific you are the better as a one-size-fits-all approach will lead to follower loss and a disengaged audience.
Stay ‘on message’
It’s important to keep your brand’s message, vision and values at the front of your mind when developing your brand voice and your content. It’s vital to communicate who you are, what you do and why it matters in an authentic and relatable way. The goal is to hit the right balance between staying true to your brand and resonating with your audience.
Audit your existing content
Looking back through your existing social media content and evaluating how posts have performed will give you an idea of how well your audience responds to certain things and can provide a roadmap of pitfalls to avoid going forward.
Consistent branding
A potential customer should be able to take one look at your social media channels and understand who you are as a brand and why they want to buy from you.
Things to consider:
Post length
While longer posts, also known as micro-blogs, certainly have their place in social media strategy, it’s important to consider how they look in relation to the rest of your content. If your typical posts are shorter in length then a longer post will look ungainly and visually unappealling.
Hashtag use
Similarly, excessive use of hashtags can make your feed look clumsy and cluttered. Hashtags are a vital social media tool, allowing you to engage with trending topics and current events and opening up your audience reach, but when used incorrectly can actually hinder your progress. Keeping hashtags short, concise, relevant and specific will optimise your reach and keep your social media looking streamlined.
Visual appeal
Followers are drawn to social media accounts that are both aesthetically pleasing and have a consistent brand design. Theming your profile, sticking to a colour scheme and using the same filter on your photos will ensure that your posts are consistent, visually pleasing and more impactful.
“By keeping up a consistent social media presence, you’re also increasing your brand awareness and credibility. Your business will become more memorable, more relevant, and more accessible to your followers (and potential customers!),” said social media manager Chloe Hales.