Today, many businesses refer to their identity as “their brand.” Although a company’s  identity is in essence the companies brand, the word “brand” or “branding” gets misunderstood and under developed. It is not enough to have a logo created and a style guide made and call that your brand. The identity of a company is their logo, website and any other marketing materials that get used to either sell a product or define a presence in an ad or publication, but it is only part of the branding process.

I advise my clients that branding is a three-step process. It starts with brand discovery and research, followed by development of messaging and lastly, marketing material design. Once a company has gone through this process they then have to educate the staff of this “brand identity” so that the messaging not only is executed through the actual creative work but is supported and understood by the brand’s most important ambassadors – its staff.

Becoming a manager of the brand is ongoing work. Once you have invested time and efforts into the brand strategy it is time to manage it and own the brand. Your customer’s ideas of your brand are formed from his or her experience with it. Every customer interaction with your brand is a chance for you to make your mark and expand recognition in the marketplace. It is crucial that you represent and market your brand in a manner that specifically reflects how you want your customers to view it and with a message they can understand and retain.

With a new brand strategy in place, a business can begin integrating it into all of your  marketing and communications materials. It is time to track and monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of your strategy and creative materials. You will now be in position to be remembered for the product or service your offer.  Managing and marketing your brand will be a continuous effort and will evolve as your company grows.  From traditional marketing and creative design through social media platforms, the brand lives.

There is a big difference between Social Marketing for business and having general “social in nature” posts through forums such as Twitter and Facebook. If a business is going to join a social network then you need to understand that you will be using these forums as tools to network and grow awareness about your business and what it has to offer. That being said you must always have the mindset that you are typing feeds to potential clients and not just to friends and family.

Promoting your business is great to build a following through social networks but be careful that you are not being pretentious and overbearing.  It is important to talk about what your company offers that solves a pain point for someone else. Be engaging with your posts/comments as social networks are about conversations that build relationships.

Now on the social side, if you are a business and just want to post updates of company functions or interesting photos and videos of events…that’s great. This shows that you are a living, breathing business that has a voice and is involved. Showing that your business is social is a great way to create a following. People and other groups want to be involved with active companies that are engaged with employees and clients.

So as a business, post only what you want your clients and potential clients to see and remember they may want to be your friend or follow you on twitter!

I read this and liked it so I will share it: “LinkedIn is your business suit, Facebook is business casual, and Twitter is the 24/7 ongoing cocktail party.”

One last note: As a business, you may want to have an internal meeting to get a social marketing strategy in place for employees. Remember they are an extension of your brand too!