Creating a consistent online voice and identity

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I have recently been running a series of social media workshops for retailers in a franchise chain.

The workshop starts with a big picture view and then runs through detailed guidance on establishing a presence, building engagement, and driving success, interspersed with group exercises to set objectives, think through stratgies, and set action plans.

One of the exercises I take the participants through in the workshops is thinking through their online voice and identity.

One of the hardest things to do in getting going on social media is to find your voice.

In the exercise I get participants to find 3 or 4 words or phrases that describe how they want to be seen online.

Depending on the person and their industry, these descriptions could be Expert, Insightful, Entertaining, Generous, Quirky, Fashionable, Ethical, or any number of other possible terms.

It can be very useful to have the list of those words as a reference point whenever posting to a company Facebook page or other social media platform. It can guide not just the tone of any posts, but also what content is found and shared with followers.

Over time the words chosen can evolve, but all times they can provide a guide to how to engage. This simple exercise can help people and companies to create a consistent online voice and identity.