This Chalk Talk is all about how to give your brand a consistent, captivating voice online using various social media channels. Tune in as Allie uses solar terms to define a facet of social media strategy.

1. connect the dots
with social media
how to create an online constellation for your brand

2. presented by:
allie merrick
& engagemeant

3. So, you have this
whole UNIVERSE online
that contains
these social media STARS.
To carve out your place
in the universe,
you need to form
a CONSTELLATION for your brand
(using these stars).

4. Each star
(i.e. social media platform)
needs to be part
of your constellation
(i.e. your brand).

5. So, how do we create
a constellation for our brand?
How do we connect the dots?

6. Step 1
IDENTIFY each star
& EMBED your brand within it.
Each star (i.e. social media platform) that you use
must represent you brand well.
You don’t have to use ALL of them.
But for the ones that you use,
use them well.

7. Step 2
ALIGN each star’s messaging
with your brand.
If your messaging isn’t consistent & aligned,
your constellation will become difficult to recognize.
Your brand will it’s shape and identity.

8. Step 3
NOW, it’s time
to connect the dots.
Once you know which stars are part of your constellation
& you’ve positioned them with your aligned messaging,
it’s time to connect the dots.

9. SITE -> SOCIAL MEDIA -> CONNECT
FIRST, start with your site.
Your brand has a permanent residence online
in the form of your website.
Dorothy was right in saying, “There’s no place like home.”
So, start there & find something to share with others.
Whether it’s the latest bit of news, a blog post,
a service you offer or a product you have to sell,
find a link to something that you can start a conversation with.

10. SITE -> SOCIAL MEDIA -> CONNECT
SECOND, pick a channel.
But don’t pick just ANY channel.
Choose a social media channel that makes sense for your message.
If the info/link you share will start conversation,
a FACEBOOK post is ideal for facilitating that.
TWITTER posts are great for short & sweet messages
that offer information in exchange for the user’s click.
Now, if you have a video to share, YOUTUBE is ideal, of course.

11. SITE -> SOCIAL MEDIA -> CONNECT
THIRD, connect the dots.
FINALLY, the connecting begins.
Your brand’s constellation starts to take shape.
Take elements you’ve embedded in one platform
& reshape them to repost in the next one.
Here are two examples:
1) Take the YOUTUBE video.
Repost that same video on Facebook
(with a permanent link to your website).
2) Take a link to the conversation on your FACEBOOK page.
Repost the link on TWITTER with a teaser of “What do you think?”.
Then, so on & so forth.

12. Use ALL of your
online assets & messaging
in a way that connects all the dots,
drawing lines connecting each.
By doing so,
a constellation for your brand
will be formed.

13. Get it? Got it?
(Good.)

14. brought to you by:
engagemeant