4 Ways to Maintain Your “Social Brand”

Posted by Armando at 1:21 pm 0 Comments

Based on the statistics, 9 out of 10 of the you that are reading this post are probably using either one or more than one of the following: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Friend Feed or MySpace. What you may not realize is that within those services rests the integrity of something that we call your “social brand”. Just like a corporate brand, your social brand is a public representation of who you are. Whether you like it or not, you live in a glass house when it comes to your online identity.

The outside world will always judge a brand, corporate or social, based on available information. Think about how you research online. If you’re like most of us you will go to Google and type a simple search phrase. If your looking for reviews it probably takes only two or three negative reviews to sway your decision. What happens if you use that same principle on yourself? What will a buyer see if they’re shopping for YOU? If you’re a business person or someone who is associated with a business, then the answer to that question could have a huge impact on the effectiveness of your corporate brand.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of 4 simple rules that can set a foundation for your social brand:

1. Stay positive – Social networks are an easy place to make your voice heard. However, if you’ve got something negative or critical to say about someone or something, put some serious thought into whether or not a private/direct message may suite the situation better.
2. Stay balanced – All work and no play, in your social brand, will make you look like a robot and unapproachable. Maintain a sense of reality within your social networks and be yourself. However, if all people ever see of you is your Farmville updates then THAT will become your identity. Be sure that EVERYTHING you do in your social networks is geared to showing the world best of who you really are.
3. Keep it clean – Make sure that your language and images are professional and fitting to your industry. No matter what you do as a profession, foul language and even slightly explicit imagery can ruin your value within the social space.
4. Be selective – Every connection you make within your social networks is a direct reflection upon your social brand. The people in your circle should be people that you would want to be associated with in the real world. There are differing opinions, but as a general rule the QUALITY of your connections are more important that the QUANTITY.

That’s it! Follow through with those four principles and you may be surprised at the results.

Any thoughts or questions? Let me know in the comments section.