You probably know that keeping a consistent brand voice across all your platforms, website and social included, is super important. You may also not know where to start if you are a company of one or if you have not had the time or inclination to make sure you’re being represented in the best possible way in the places you have control over. If you are looking for a starting point to cover the basics, I have a checklist for you so that you can perform a self-audit and start to tighten up your brand reputation in the places you can control- your website and social media channels.
The easiest place to start is with your graphical elements. Do you have a company logo or a graphic you use to represent your company? You should make sure that all your social channels have the same logo for brand uniformity. Different platforms have different requirements, so you might need a circular version of your logo for Instagram while needing a square version for your LinkedIn page. Make sure you have the logo optimized for each channel.
You should also have the same or similar header images across your platforms. Sizes are different for each one, so you will need to make versions for each social channel. If you have the same logo and header on all your social channels, this will give you brand consistency. You will also be recognizable no matter the platform.
Even the most basic of websites needs to have a few things to keep your branding solid. All social channels should be listed at the top of the page. You are missing out on free promotion if you don’t list everywhere you are. I have personally seen company websites that only list a few social channels when I know they are on multiple platforms. If I am like most people surfing the net, I am not going to take the time to see if a company is on Instagram if they don’t list it on their website.
You should have a blog, even if it’s reposts of other people’s articles. Blogs should be easily accessible from the main menu. Blogs can be shared onto your social channels and direct people back to your website so that they can get more information.
Make the Contact Us page easy to find and on the main menu. Sometimes when I go to a company’s website, I just want to find a phone number or email and am not interested in browsing or searching.
Finally, make sure your copyright date at the bottom is current. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten to the bottom of a company website and see that the date is something like 2013 or 2019. It’s a small thing, but it gives the impression that you are also out of date and/or don’t care enough to make sure your website is updated. Many website templates automatically do this, but double-check to make sure you’re covered.
Auditing your social channels is very similar to what I was saying in the beginning about making sure profiles and headers and text are all optimized and matching. There are opportunities to cross-promote your social channels depending on what platform you are on. For instance, on YouTube you can add links to your header to your website and social channels. Again, list them all out here. Failing to mention everywhere you are on social is a missed free promotional opportunity.
Once you have reviewed your website and social channels for brand consistency, you can start to make a plan for implementing any changes needed to get your branding back on track.
You can head over to my Downloads page to get the ‘Brand Management Checklist’ and do that self-audit you’ve been meaning to do, but wasn’t quite sure where to start! And if you are looking for somebody to do it for you, drop me an email and I’d be happy to chat further about your needs. Not only do I audit your website and social media channels, but I provide an action plan that can be put into place to manage your brand and strengthen your marketing. I also do the work, so if you need someone to just go ahead and make the action plan a reality, I’m your guy.
Tai Freligh offers digital marketing and social media services through his company Tai Freligh Consulting, as well as tips, exclusive entertainment interviews and the occasional dog and cat picture. Catch me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn on my Tai Freligh Consulting company page. You can also drop a connection request to me on my LinkedIn profile.
