Establishing Your Brand and Social Image (Summary) #SocialCafe 2.12

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#SocialCafe Chat Topic: Establishing Your Brand and Social Image

View the announcement for this #SocialCafe Chat..

  1. What are some determining factors in establishing your brand?

Pretty consistently, we agree that knowing where we are going is helpful, first, in defining our brand and social image. Much of that has to do with understanding what our objective is and who we are targeting. As @TheBlogWorkshop said, preparing a mission statement.

Also, on the topic of branding, the concept of being authentic came up. Being authentic as a means of standing out, but more importantly, as being connected to your community.

  1. How are you reflecting your brand message in your social space?

Just like with relationships, there is an element of consistency that is needed with our branding and social image, with the message, theme, logo, colors, and images being consistent throughout our social profiles. And, with that, let's not forget offline items and merchandising, as well.

  1. How do you you separate your brand image from your personal image?

In some cases, like those brought out this evening in our chat, there isn't a separation between the business and the personal, when it comes to branding. This may be true of branding yourself as a celebrity, speaker, or even sole proprietor. There are also those people who want to keep their personal separate from the business image and may desire to create a buffer, even if the brand itself pertains to both the person and the "business." Social platforms like Facebook make it trickier to have "just business," but they do have a business account available, if you want to use that in lieu of a personal profile. There are options for whichever path we choose, as long as we understand how to implement the options to meet our personal (and business) needs. Got questions on how to do that? Just ask :)

  1. In what ways are you branding yourself online and offline?

Consistency is key, online and offline, in the branding image that we present, as well as our "message," whether it is written or spoken.

Like @Lydsrich suggests, even the IPhone case. Great idea!

Final Thoughts and Action Steps

The term "authentic" is quite meaningful and popped up in our Twitter Chat this evening. Yes, we agree, people are smart and know the difference. Let's be authentic together, shall we?


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