Proper Branding Through Social Media, Part 1: Twitter - readyBUZZ

Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking that branding is just a matter of slapping some consistent logos and colors on business cards, flyers, and maybe a sign or two along a major highway. Believe it or not, there is still a huge percentage of small business owners that fail to implement their branding practices into their online presence.

This is obviously important for your website or blog, but it can be equally as important for your social media platforms. In the realm of social media, there are basically two juggernauts right now (and for the last few years): Facebook and Twitter.

Today, let’s take a look at how you can effectively promote and/or your company on Twitter.

First of all, hope that it isn’t too late to use your actual company name and that it has not yet been snatched up by someone else. If you run into this unfortunate event, it’s time to get clever with new ways to abbreviate your company name.
Decide right away if you will be branding on a personal level or if you will be leading with your company. That is, on Twitter, are you Bob Smith, the president of Awesome Company A or are you just Awesome Company A? This is a big decision and one that can actually confused your followers more than you may think.
Incorporate your company colors into your header and background. Make everything uniform, from business cards to Twitter backgrounds.
Consider mutual branding. If you have employees that also have a Twitter account, ask them if they would be willing to be a representative of the company rather than just posting personal links to their interests. This makes your company look more like a family and you also get a lot of connections through their networks.
Perhaps most importantly, remain professional and try to keep personal opinions about politics or even popular culture to yourself.

Social media is one of the largest areas in which you can brand your company. Make sure you do it right and your brand stands the chance of becoming one of the most followed within your social media circle.