Finding Your Social Media Identity

With social media evolving nearly everyday, it’s become tough for marketing experts to say what is the right and wrong way to strategize, execute and measure the effectiveness of your campaign. Every company, person and product has different goals, and social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter were designed to celebrate individuality. Here are some pointers to help you decide how to brand yourself and your company in the social media space.

Step 1: Start with yourself. What kind of social media user are you? An August article on CNN.com categorized “annoying types” of Facebook users, and there is truth to author Brandon Griggs’ complaints. For example, I classify myself as somewhere between a “Self Promoter” and a “Lurker,” as I am comfortable mixing my personal and professional worlds on Facebook, Twitter and this blog. My Facebook status might one day congratulate my sister on her new job or it could state how excited I am about a new client PR initiative. I believe that only through developing your own personal brand on social media can you truly understand how to utilize it to promote a company or product.

Step 2: Find a prototype. At this point, marketing and PR professionals are relying heavily on case studies and success stories of their peers to determine what works and what doesn’t. The good news is social media success is achievable whether you are a local dentist or a major airline.

Step 3: What’s Your Name? To promote a company, professional service or a product, there are a few things to determine right off the bat. First, what name will you use to identify yourself? For some social media sites, this is obvious—Acme Widget Company would naturally have a Facebook Fan page called Acme Widget Company. Twitter and other industry-specific social networking sites might prove to be more difficult to find something short and clearly identifiable.

Step 4: What do you want to say? In setting up this blog, CMA decided we would provide useful marketing information and showcase our in-house expertise in a conversational, but still professional tone.

It’s an exciting time for social media development. Check back on this blog for more information or email us with your questions. We’d be happy to help you determine how to approach this exciting new medium.

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com