They say nobody’s perfect, though I think most of us strive towards that goal, whether we admit it or not. As an individual and a business owner, I know I do. In my business I want to create a brand awareness. I strive for a brand that is memorable, on trend, and respected for quality work. Need Someone To Blog celebrates five years this summer. As a company we’ve done much to create a trusted brand, one that clients refer with confidence.
When I started Need Someone To Blog in 2013, blogging and social media branding were considered website accents. They were nice, if you could afford the time or money to maintain them. Five years later, in 2018, blogging and social media posting are essential components of website and brand awareness. You don’t have to “like” or participate in social media to recognize this truth. You also don’t have to be a marketing genius to realize that every five years it makes sense to audit your brand.
This morning I consulted with my business coach and we evaluated a few of my web properties to make sure they were still accomplishing company goals. We discussed web traffic, sources of lead generation and evaluated existing calls to action. We talked about the look and feel of each of these elements. I was excited to see the following:
- Our lead generation website easily generates leads.
- My wiki site is still valued as an information source.
- The corporate site portrays a general message of what my team does and who we are.
However the process got me thinking on brand awareness. Where else could we improve?
Immediately I realized social media was an area that needed more attention on my personal and business profiles. I’m a strong believer in keeping social media organic, yet I haven’t worked very hard to build a following. I post as I have time and occasionally take breaks from being social. I’m pretty good at responding as questions and comments. I love the conversation. As a company we use MeetEdgar or IFTTT as promotion tools. We share thoughts, posts, and pages to make sure content is consistently posted, but our strategy is far from ideal.
Luckily I have a social media expert on speed dial and was able to schedule a same-day consult with Bridget Willard. I requested a Twitter audit in an effort to expand brand awareness.
Bridget went right to work, taking me to task for not having enough lists, using images that were not to current brand standards, and I think she even accused my Twitter profile of being arrogant (could it be true?). She also gave praise for the things I was doing right. Bridget Willard offered solid suggestions on how to make my Twitter account more valuable and engaging.
She gave excellent, actionable advice and called me out for not having correctly sized featured images on all of our web properties. She even included a link on her blog to educate me on the correct ways to retweet. I’m sure all my Twitter friends will appreciate the newfound knowledge and I’m willing to admit that I don’t have all the answers. In business sometimes the best skill is knowing when and where to turn for help.
Where to Begin?
So, this week, I’ll start with Twitter. It’s time to the implement strategies and methods which better build our brand. We will aim for more consistency in messaging. All images and their accompanying open graph tags require evaluation.
- What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this week?
- Who do you turn to when evaluating your professional image or company brand?
- Are you setting and reaching your goals?
I’d love to spend some time strategizing with you, sharing my resources and insight. If that sounds like something you’d find valuable, book time on my calendar or send a comment through this post. I look forward to our brainstorming session!
Jen Miller has been writing since she was a child and spent her early career years soaking up all the information she could discover as a journalist of newspapers and magazines. Getting out the message and spreading truth has always been a high priority for Jen. Jen began writing website content for clients in 1996 and started blogging in 2008 for Today.com. That experience created a love for the blog and she has been an avid blogger ever since. Today she writes for her clients on a variety of topics as a ghostwriter/ghostblogger and connects their messages with personality through social media to deliver the most impact possible.
