Many elements combine to help create your brand. It’s not just a logo or image of you. It’s not even a tagline or catchphrase.
Your brand is a combination of all the above and so much more. In its simplest form, your brand is how others perceive you.
Your brand is the way you carry yourself, how you treat others, the words you use, and the way you present yourself to the world. If you have employees, even they are a part of your brand.
Ensuring that your brand represents you the way you want it to on Social Media is critical because sites like Facebook and Twitter are often the first place people find you. Your pages and profiles on these platforms are responsible for that all too important first impression.
Here are some ways to make sure that you are putting your best Facebook foot forward when it comes to your brand:
1. Imagery – Make sure you are using images and graphics that represent your company. Logos, colors, etc. should be consistent so that it is easy to recognize you. Have a profile picture that is actually YOU (not your logo) and don’t share inappropriate images that you wouldn’t want customers to see. (My rule is, if I wouldn’t want my Mom to see it, I don’t share it!)
2. Words – You know that words are powerful things and that’s never been more true than in today’s world of instant online communication. The most important thing to remember is that once it’s out there, you can never take it back. You may be able to delete or hide something but you can pretty much bet that someone, somewhere saw it and it will come back to haunt you. Leave personal things like politics and religion (unless they are a direct part of your business) for personal conversations and not on Facebook. Using correct grammar and spelling also goes a long way to creating a professional look.
3. KEYwords – Just as important as words which tell about who you are, these words tell what you do. Using the right keywords in your posts will drive your Facebook page up in search engine ranks and begin to create the social proof you need to become an expert in your field online.
4. Friends – They say that there’s one in every family or friendship circle. It could be your old roommate from college, your cousin, even a brother or sister. You know the one I’m talking about. The person who just doesn’t seem to have a filter when it comes to speaking in public forums. They are the ones who will post a crude image or inappropriate comment to your page or profile for the whole world (including your customers) to see. This affects how others perceive you so make sure you keep these things off your page and profile. Utilize your privacy settings or just block them completely. Check out this Shop Talk Video to learn how to do that.
5. Employees – Your employees are as vital to the brand of your business as you are because your customers and prospects will find them linked to your business and seek them out online to learn more about you. They will friend them, follow them, and view their profiles to see what kind of people you have working in your business. While I get that a personal Facebook profile is just that, “personal”, it is also a reflection of the person it represents and if it shows drunken photos, inappropriate comments, etc. – it will look bad for your business. Have a discussion with your employees about how they present themselves online and make sure it’s within the parameters of what you want representing you and your brand.
6. Your “Likes” – Pages you have liked on Facebook can really tell a story about you. The music you listen to, television shows you watch, books you read, celebrities or other businesses you follow are all telling visitors to your profile who you are. Be strategic when choosing pages you want to like because that’s one of the first things a customer or prospect will look at.
How do you make sure that what your customers find on Facebook is a good representation of you? Please share in the comments below.
