If you own a small business, your business is not your brand. You are your brand. People are coming to you for advice and support because of who you are and what you have done, not because of the product itself. Most services are sold by more than just you, so make sure that you are able to stand out above the noise and work to build conversations, not just talk. Your brand should be more than just a what your business is but who you are, and what you bring to the table. People do not want to be part of a fly-by-night company; they want history, experience and the trust that the product is effective and worthwhile. During all conversations, you need to focus on the facts, not speculations. We only promise what we can deliver, and we create a consistent message through all channels. By using this method, your followers, fans and readers will trust that they can come to you for help and advice.

When you create your profiles on each social media site, make sure to always use the same name, same picture, same url and same details. You want people to be able to find you easily, and making them consistent will help with searches, as well as strengthen your brand. Also, on sites that allow you to pick colors/designs, try to stick with the same theme as your main website. Visitors like consistency and when they see the same things on all sites, they will feel more comfortable and willing to connect with you. Finally, make it easy to contact you. The largest part of your brand is what you do after people have used social media to find you. If they can’t figure out how to call or email you easily, they won’t. Don’t give away all the time you’ve spent building relationships by not giving them the opportunity to take it offline.

Do you have a brand or just a business?