Building an audience and gaining maximum reach always takes center stage when it comes to social media strategies. With so many social media platforms available today, it’s easier than ever for a company to reach an audience. However, if your messaging is not clear and consistent then your reach is much less meaningful.
Social media platforms give companies the potential to reinforce their brand with their target market and at the same time grow their audience. Reinforcing your brand in order to build and maintain your audience requires consistency through each social media platform that your company chooses to utilize. This consistency needs to parallel every aspect of your brand’s message. From print to visual to hashtags, your company should be streamlining its messages with a focus on consistency. Anyone interested in your company should be able to navigate to your social media sites and immediately understand what your company is about. Your audience also needs to be able to navigate to and from your company website and other social media platforms. Make sure your hotspots and hyperlinks are clear and visible.
When launching a new product or campaign, make sure that the images and information are represented on all of your social media sites. If your company is utilizing social media platforms that limit the amount and type of information you can provide (Twitter or Instagram), make sure that your audience can link back to your company website with ease. Keeping your company’s messaging consistent on all social media platforms reinforces your brand and gives new and existing customers confidence in your company. This allows you to not only broaden your reach but to make it meaningful and impactful for your audience and your company as well.
— Sarah Rafferty is university advancement/relations writer and editor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha.
