Whether you are maintaining an existing brand or creating a new one it is important to have a consistent image in social media. More people than ever before have an opportunity to see your brand because of the many social media sites that are available such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It is important that you know how to utilize these sites appropriately.   A few of these golden rules are as follows:

1. The Name Game – Keep your name the same.  You may not have complete control over what usernames are available on each site you use, but you can come up with a unique username for your brand.  You can also check availability here or here.
2. Make sure your branding images are the same – Use the same logo/font/images to brand your business.  Sight recognition plays a very important place in branding and small changes can be a big business decision.  Click here to see how to maximize your Facebook brand image.
3. Business and Pleasure – There are two schools of thought here: separated vs combined.  Social media is all about interaction, you may attract customers through shared interests and similar backgrounds – but you may alienate them as well.  While there are good cases to be made on both sides only you can answer this based upon your business.
4. Keep a consistent message – Social media is about interacting with people, your customers, your vendors, your clientele.  Portraying a consistent message with your posts, updates, and Tweets – whether these are about industry updates or weekly specials – an unswerving message strengthens your brand.  If you have a blog and are participating in several different social media sites you may want to consider (insert combined social media app of choice).

There is much, much more to branding than can be covered in a simple blog article.  The point of this here is to create awareness of maintaining a consistent brand across the various social media outlets.  Following a few simple golden rules will create less confusion and solidify your brand with your target audience.

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