Recently, I was talking with an acquaintance about her social media presence. She’s on LinkedIn, has a Twitter handle, and is launching a Facebook business page for her brand new small business. She was chomping at the bit to start posting. Her fingers were itching to tweet. And her voice was breathless with anticipation as she spoke about her first Facebook Live event.

“I’ve been doing social for years,” she assured me. “I’m comfortable.”

The clue was right there. She’d been “doing social for years.” In fact, a quick look at her profiles affirmed it. And what she called “comfortable” was actually the potential stumbling block to the success of her new venture.

You see, she had set up her profile in LinkedIn a long time ago and hadn’t refreshed it since then. Why does that matter? Her profile wasn’t positioned to support her new venture. What’s more, her Twitter account was personal, and her handle didn’t complement her LinkedIn profile or her new business. And, while her Facebook page was the most up-to-date and focused of her social elements, its power would have been diluted by the drag of her irrelevant LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.

She had comfort, all right, but no plan.

What a shame! Because she doesn’t have to shoot herself in the foot. She can do a little planning and implement a consistent brand across her social platforms.

What I’m saying isn’t new. I happen to like this article–a quick read and to the point:

How to Keep Your Branding Consistent Across Social Media Platforms

Whatever brand you’re deploying–employment brand or small business brand–be sure to consider your approach across all your platforms. Because consistency is key.