The other day I was speaking at a conference & someone asked me about the importance of keeping all social media platforms consistent.
For some reason I immediately felt compelled to write a blog post about this specific topic.
BECAUSE MAN THIS IS OVERLOOKED.
Think of it like this: YOU ARE A HOUSE. Or a building- whatever you prefer here. Each room should be cohesive with the other rooms. I mean unless you are Disneyland where there’s a new brand behind every door, keep your shit consistent. No one wants a modern house with a Western guest room, cartoon bedroom, bright pink bathroom, rainbow themed kids room, & antique kitchen.
I mean maybe some people do? But personally I like the story to flow. I like a good brand.
Let me explain further.
Say you’re a blogger.
On your blog all your photos are super dark & kind of mysterious, let’s say even fashion-y…loving it. Your writing is kind of guarded too. So then I head over to your Instagram to follow you because I’m loving it & all your photos are light, bright, airy, feminine & your captions are super open with a bunch of food pictures. Ok. Hmmm. AND then I decide to check out your Snapchat & it’s all about makeup. Instead of doing the font in your typical black & white, your fonts are yellow & red. Lastly, I go to Pinterest & it’s all Pins of the Kardashians.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
It’s all over the fucking place.
If you’re going to go for the dark, mysterious, fashion-y feel have it reflect on all mediums.
To create a brand, a platform, a community, a strong foundation- the brand needs to shine through on each medium.
And this is why it is so IMPORTANT on social media to do you. Not do anyone else but you. Because here’s the thing, if you’re doing someone else- it comes across as confusing. It’s almost like an awkward identity crisis.
Ok so now I’m going to speak from my experience here. And just because this is my experience doesn’t mean it’s yours. Everyone is different.
I built The Skinny Confidential carefully.
Before I launched the blog 6 years ago I literally took a huge-ass poster board from Rite-Aid and wrote 6 million words of how I wanted the site to “feel.” Feel meaning how I wanted you, the reader, to feel when they left the site. Like what was YOUR EXPERIENCE.
I picked a FEW ( a FEW guys out of 6 million ) of these to represent the brand of TSC.
Words like: inspirational, feminine, FUNNY, casual, easy-going, & even a phrase: “leave feeling like they can live life on their own terms by being the best version of themselves” or “beat to the tune of your own drum.”
I mean I certainly didn’t want you guys to leave the site feeling shitty or bad about yourself. In fact, I wanted the opposite. For you to feel empowered & inspired. For you to feel like you YOU WANT TO GO DO YOU in every way. FOR YOU TO LIVE ENTIRELY ON YOUR TERMS. To not listen to your parents, your friends, your live-in BF ( who may or may not be a loser? ), or even to me.
I wanted you to leave the site feeling like you- yes you, can be the best damn version of yourself. And you can start today…Or maybe tomorrow- because you might need a glass of wine first?
So everything I do with each medium needs to portray that very TSC message.
Simply sharing my outfit & my lunch with you day after day is not enough. It’s just not.
For the record: beautiful fashion & lunch shots work for a lot of people’s blog & brand. It didn’t for mine. Know your audience. Know your brand.
I wanted you guys to leave with tips, tricks, hacks, any kind of value that revs your engine.
Ok so that was kind of a tangent but you get the drift.
The point is every medium, whether it’s the podcast, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or the blog needs to reflect my message.
To take it a step further it also needs to represent my brand.
My pictures are bright, white, light, with a pop of color. I want them crisp & clear always. Also it’s important that they’re cool, I hate a warm tones. SO every single platform has the same airy feel.
The goal is when you see a TSC picture anywhere, you will recognize it.
As for something like Snapchat, I’m not going to start using colors like red & blue because it’s just not the brand’s colors. You know? This may sound stupid. You may think “who cares it’s Snapchat?” But no. Snapchat is a huge extension of the brand.
Little, small steps everyday create success.
Fonts & colors are little but they matter.
Another extension? Captions. I want my Instagram captions to feel like you’re talking to me. If you meet me in person & I’m different from this exact voice on my blog & my Instagram, then I haven’t done my job properly. Because the way I write is the way I talk.
Overall my job is keep the brand going in the most cohesive way.
Ok wait though, let’s talk about the podcast. The podcast needed to GO WITH THE FLOW OF TSC. Of course I was bringing on masculine energy when Michael decided to be my co-host. That was thought out though. It wasn’t some random decision I made in the shower while dry-brushing. The decision to bring masculine energy into the brand was meticulous. There’s something Michael brings to the table that I can’t bring. I think it gives the brand a dynamic.
And if you know me, you know I LIVE for a good dynamic.
Make sure when you pick your branding elements that you’re also evolving the elements simultaneously on all platforms. For instance you don’t want your Instagram to have professional, bright photos & your blog to have iPhone bright photos because you’re too lazy to take professional photos for the blog. Keep evolving while the brand grows while keeping the feel, experience, colors, shapes the same.
A smart woman told me a while ago: ALWAYS GROW. ALWAYS EVOLVE. ALWAYS GET BETTER.
My hope is that in 5 years from now I look back on this post, even on my Instagram with where it’s at now, & I have evolved. Evolved in a way that is cohesive to the overall brand.
If you guys like posts like this PLEASE let me know because subjects like this get me going. I’m happy to answer any & all questions too.
On that note I am eating alone ( sushi & egg fried rice ) at a restaurant & I feel like they’re about to play Semisonic’s song CLOSING TIME. Like I gotta go. HA.
See ya tomorrow, lauryn x
+ be sure to listen to the latest episode of the podcast because IT’S OUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY & we did call-ins.
+ how to start a blog | blogging tips.
{ photos }
SHOP THE POST: jewelled top ( similar ) | FAVORITE jeans | shoes | sunglasses
THE BLACK ON BLACK LOOK:
I absolutely love this post. It’s amazing how authentic you are across all your social media platforms and I always leave your blog in a better mood than before I read it. Keep doing you!
PS. the photos in this blog post are beyond chic, your haircut looks amaze!
That means so much to me! Thanks Emily! xx
I love this! As a new blogger, I’m finding the hardest part to be getting the pictures to be consistent. You have a great perspective on what that means and it’s so helpful to hear. 🙂
I’m glad it was helpful! Thanks Elizabeth! xx
Love posts about branding!
So glad you enjoy them Autumn! xx
I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEE this post! Your tips on wellness, fashion, makeup, and skincare ARE SO AMAZING but I think I enjoy your blogging/branding tips the most! I think there’s a certain way you break it down that is SO HELPFUL. You basically spell it out, and for some reason it’s so much easier to understand. Most ppl don’t explain business like they are talking to their friend, and I think that’s a mistake. They try to sugarcoat it, or add too much fluff. Just break it down, keep it simple, and casual. It’s not that I have a hard time understanding with added fluff, it’s just so refreshing and more interesting to read without it! This post is a great read as always Lauryn, bravo!!??
Thanks so much for the support Monique! It means so much! xx
Such a great post! Maybe I’m just a little biased because I’m super into marketing lately, but I love your emphasis on visual and content coherence between platforms, and you do it SO WELL. You make it look so easy, but it’s challenging, because of course there are elements of you that maybe don’t fit with your brand. Maybe you have an obsession with The Legend of Zelda; a post on all the secrets of the game wouldn’t really fit here, would it?
https://bybreannamarie.com/
Thanks so much Breanna! Lol no probably not! xx
Alright. Loved this. Need more posts like this.
You may or may not have posted about this before, butttt… when building a brand, how do you decide whether to build the brand around yourself (in your case, Lauryn Evarts) or your company/blog/etc. (The Skinny Confidential)? How do you mesh the two? Should you? Specifically in the case of blogging?
HELP!
xo – K
I’ll definitely do some more! It depends on if you are your brand or if you have a company that you want to brand. For most people, a blog is about them and their life. So you would be the brand in that case! xx
I love this SO MUCH. It can be challenge to keep everything consistent, but once you have found a routine it is much easier to stick to. I totally agree with writing how you speak as well. There is nothing worse than reading a post that feels so FORCED! I always appreciate your authenticity and the information you share on TSC 🙂
Yes it really can! But writing as if you were speaking to your audience is key! xx
I loved this post! It was a bit of a departure but at the same time didn’t feel like it because you kept your voice consistent throughout which is exactly the point you were making. It’s all very smart and well executed. Side note: love the top.
http://littlewhytebook.com/
Thanks Lex! xx
Lauryn, I LOVED this post. It is so helpful. The number one thing I love about your brand is how consistent it is and how you really do write everything in your own voice. I’ve been working over the past several months to try to define my own brand and this post is incredibly supportive in that goal. Thanks so much. -Kate
Thanks so much Kate! xx
LOVE THIS POST and would love to see more like it! I struggle with being consistent, just on my Instagram alone. I struggle to create a cohesive theme, so I love reading tips on things like this!
Yes I definitely will! xx
Holy Smokes Your Hair Looks Amazing Lauryn!!!
Thanks so much babe! xx
YES! More posts about branding!
Glad you guys seem to enjoy them! xx
Loved this post – seriously SO helpful! These kind of posts are my absolute favourite of yours!
Yay so glad to hear that! Thanks Angela! xx
This was so helpful, thank you so much for sharing! It’s amazing how social media influences on your blog and it totally has to be consistent if you want it to actually work it out.
Kisses | Live. Laugh. Love. & Make Up
Yes definitely! Glad you enjoyed it! xx
Love this post and I totally agree! I’m not a fan of when people’s photos/content are all over the place, HOWEVER, I’m also not a huge fan of when people are super super niche. Like if all they post about is makeup, or just clothes… I feel like makeup/beauty/skin care etc go together so it’s ok to ebb and flow, but if it’s all 100% the same topic… I get bored. New makeup review every month? No thank you!!
Keep doing what you’re doing, I’m loving the content!
http://thedianaedition.com
Yeah me too! Thanks so much Diana! xx
“Little small steps each day create success.” Amen. Thank you for the reminder, and for this fabulous post (as always).
Huge inspiration 🙂 x jen
You have to chip away daily! Thanks for all of the support Jen : ) xx
Obsessed with this. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject, Lauryn!! So so important and such a great reminder!
xo, Anna
I appreciate the support Anna! Thanks for reading <3 xx
Hey lauryn, I love your blog and totally value a well thought out brand. As you know Gary vee often says things like “document don’t create” and “more more more”. I’ll take quality over quantity any day but what about when you’re just starting out with building a following? Do you think it’s just better to pump out as much as you can or still keep putting out quality posts once a day? With instagram stories and snap obv it’s more about quantity. Curious what you think about insta and blog posts though.
Thanks!
Hi Alisha! Quality is still the most important aspect no matter the platform! If you’re creating a bunch of content but it’s all shit you won’t have people following you for long. Stay authentic & chip away. It takes time to build a genuine following. I launched TSC 6 years ago & work at it everyday. With IG & Snap you still need to provide value not just a bunch of random footage. No one wants a 20 minute story that doesn’t actually tell them anything useful. Hope this helps! xx
LOVE LOVE LOVE. For real. So obsessed I could like pull this post out of the computer and hang it on my wall. UGH. Your branding posts are spot on girlfriend.
Aw thanks so much Krissy! SO flattered <3 xx
Yes I love this post! I am a blogger that loves the mix of health, wellness, lifestyle, and a bit of biz tips mixed in!
I’d say you nailed that vibe you were going for 6 years ago.. 😉
My style is still evolving. Still figuring it out.
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http://www.telleapp.com
Wow, I LOVED this post! Feeling super inspired and motivated to really work harder on my own brand! xx
I definitely agree, consistency is so important for branding. I love your theme! ♥
Amy // Snippets of Amy
LOVE this topic and your insight. Just one question…I launched my blog just one month ago and have mapped out in my head what I want my brand to be, etc, etc. However, making sure all of my photos cohesive in a specific aesthetic has been challenging and something I am still playing around with (only 1 month old over here!) How long did it take you to really get into a groove to know EXACTLY what a TSC photo should look like? As always, thank you for the tips and tricks!
I NEED posts like this. I started my blog about a month ago and honestly have ONLY been focused on getting content up. That’s it. You really just made me realize that I haven’t really thought out exactly how I want to be portrayed yet and where I want this to go. I actually ordered the epicblog planner book you recommended the other day and got it last night and am planning on spending my weekend really going through it and brainstorming/implementing who I am into my blog/brand and coming up with a clear vision of why I am doing this.
So thank you. A lot. You were a huge catalyst in inspiring me to start something that I’ve wanted to do forever, and you really make me just want to do better so I can finally be happy in my career. <3
I love posts like these! You give great advice when it comes to marketing and branding and I always look forward to hearing what you have to say! I can also always spot your posts while scrolling through insta or watching my snaps! They’re the best xoxo
I appreciate the advice, Lauryn! I’ve been trying to make all of my social accounts cohesive with my blog. It’s hard at first, deciding what your individual “look” is, but now that I’ve got an idea, it’s much easier.
This was so helpful! Getting to know your audience is key! I have to admit though, keeping images in the same filter and lightening is SO hard
God I’m still fangirling so hard over your haircut! As for this post, I love the house idea. Picking a few colours and vibes is definitely an awesome starting place.
xx, Pia
http://gymbagsandjetlags.com
This was extremely helpful! I never really thought about the aesthetics of my pictures as part of my brand, but I definitely will going forward!
Funny you mention the cool photo colors. I recently launched my website for my online fitness/nutrition coaching business, and showed your IG account to my boyfriend being like, “look at this chicks photos, see how they all have the same hue and it flows together nicely? It matches with her website, and this is what we need to figure out how to do.” (I said we because let’s be real, he’s now become my web developer, photographer, copy editor, and marketing consultant, even though neither of us have an proper training in any of this…) But I appreciate you confirming what I anecdotally knew, shit needs to match, and I know I need to work on this. I’ve followed you for years btw and it’s been fun watching you evolve. 🙂
Love this post – always love when you break it down. Keep it coming! Xo
I actually loved how you and Michael pointed out in your latest podcast how irritating it might be when bloggers have different social media handles (I think it was when this girl Pri called in?!) And it’s so so true! When I started my blog and Instagram and whatnot came around, it was a no brainer for me to use the same handle everywhere. Even on Snapchat, even though I don’t snap myself but you gotta secure that name! I actually unfollowed people because they weren’t cohesive. One actually put out a good ole rant about how much she hates a specific term, let’s say it was “bitch” and then I found out that her email address had the word in it, I mean?!?!
Loving the content lately, you’re freakin’ killing it 🙂
xo
I’d love to see more of these! I value any blogger tips you have : )
loved this post. i’ve been trying to figure out my brand and having been feeling like i’m kinda all over the place on my instagram. after reading this i’m gonna take a few days and try to really refine what i’m trying to define myself as. thanks lauryn!!!!!
Adore this post! I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately and I’m so glad I discovered your blog today because you give me a pep me up. Totally agree on needing to follow consistency between platforms — I also say that counts when it comes to the number of posts. SO OFTEN I discover a brand, click through to follow them on their social channels and realize oh – they have an Instagram they regularly use, but also a Facebook that hasn’t been updated in 5 months and a Twitter that has no organic tweets but only regulated tweets of their Instagram posts. I feel like if you’re not going to use each platform for what it was made for, you shouldn’t have that platform.
xoxo – Kelly
http://www.dreaminlace.com
You are an inspiration ! Please check out my instagram @QueenBeeT. I think you will love it x
Loved this post, Lauryn! : )
First of all, you look absolutely gorgeous in these photos! I mean you always do! Killin it babe seriously I love! Second, thank you for this post. I mean, it definitely motivates me and makes me think about my own ‘brand’ but I’m not gonna lie also makes me feel overwhelmed and anxious because I’m so far from where I want to be but I just gotta keep going… and posts like these always inspire me and keep me motivated. So thank you again! Love following you !!! So real always and I love that!
Xo, Steph | http://www.sassandsun.com
Lauryn, you always have the best tips and I absolutely love reading about what you have to say! As a new blogger, I value your advice and definitely try and apply it to my blog and other platforms.
And you look fucking amazing in these pics!
Totally agree with you! I’m currently trying to work on my brand design across all my platforms and your post has given me some great ideas! Thank you x
I love looking at your instagram as a whole! You always incorporate black and white and when possible a touch a pink! There is never any differences between brands! Best example I can think of… your wedding totally black and white but your bm robes were pink! Loved it and how on brand all of your content is!
thanks for sharing! i REALLY love these tips! and you look amazing!
have a great day!
Aw thanks so much Grace. I appreciate the support : ) xx
Hay! I so agree with everything you said and it’s something I’m cautiously looking to work at! Thanks for the tips and you’ve done well at your cohesive brand. No one can deny that girl.
All the best.
Love this post! Your advice is amazing! Thank you for sharing it! Please more like this!! My blog needs a big overhall – I feel it’s all over the place, a lot of thinking needs doing, lol!
Heather xx
http://www.suncreamandsparkles.com
I used this article as a source for a research paper on our desired career field!!
so well done, honey bunny, you are doing an awesome job, you are totally on brand!!!!!
e v e r y t h i n g
your friends, your co-workers, the way you talk, the way you write, the way you snapchat, write on insta, emojisss…. you are so you and super recognizable – probably also because I am a huge fan of the brand.
I can see you even in the books you guys recommend !!!!!
god bless tsc fam !!!! hahaa
Obsessed with this post! Thanks for sharing all the thought that goes into building a brand.
Love all posts with blogging and branding tips and advice!! thank you for sharing your insight!
This was a great post! I read every word.
Thanks for sharing the tips on social media marketing. These are very useful.
Thanks for sharing your article which was very excitement to read. It’s amazing how authentic you are across all your social media platforms anf I totally agree with writing how you speak as well but only the problem i saw was font and size which makes me little difficult to read though your article was good but due to font and size it makes me little difficult to go through your website. Likewise I have some website for font size and color we may go through the website which is mentioned below
Useful info. Fortunate me I found your site accidentally, aand I’m stunned why this coincidence didn’t happened in advance!
I bookmarked it.
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Thanks for sharing!
thank you for reading!
Hi there! I know this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask.
Does operating a well-established blog like yours take a large amount of work?
I’m brand new to running a blog however I do write in my diary on a daily basis.
I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my experience and thoughts online.
Please let me know if you have any ideas or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners.
Thankyou!
It’s hard to come by experienced people about this subject, however,
you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
Thank you, Stephania!