With social media sites like Twitter, You Tube and Facebook growing every day, brands are scrambling to take advantage of this aspect of the shift to digital. Before you jump on the bandwagon, consider the impression your social media identity is making. Make sure your sites look professional, are well organized and are properly integrated.

PWR has recently introduced a social media makeover package to help you do just that. We will work with you to organize your assets, design professional and appealing backgrounds, and customize your social media pages to match your branding initiatives. We’ll also make sure your pages all point to each other, integrating your social media efforts, and design a social media footprint you can use across your digital collateral, inviting views to join and befriend you.

We’re happy to chat with you about how we do it, but if you’re attempting it on your own, here are a few starter tips to consider.

First, your approach to all social media platforms should be grounded in, and reflective of, your established branding and communications practices and beliefs. You’re not reinventing the wheel, simply using new tools to accomplish and promote long-held objectives. Make sure sites match your branding initiatives and the content you’re generating and sharing is consistent with your traditional messaging—each tweet, for example, should advance your set goals and provide value to your friends and followers.

Second, consider what you’re hoping to accomplish with your social media identity before you jump in. Perhaps you want to improve your relationships with current customers or reach out to a whole new audience. Or maybe you’re attempting to establish yourself as an expert in a given field or simply promote and upcoming event. Your voice, messaging, imagery, graphics and even colors across social media platforms should consistently promote these identified goals.

Finally, think about each platform’s strengths and weaknesses: Facebook, for example, is adept at improving existing relationships whereas Twitter is more about new contacts and speed. Then think about what assets you have to share, which platforms are most appropriate for each asset, and how to organize the information so that each site is both brand and platform appropriate. For example, Facebook pages change quickly so if you have evergreen content you want to remain visible, you need to use an application and the left sidebar to highlight that evergreen content.

Keep in mind, the keys to social media success include: be authentic, share good content, focus on the value you provide, think about the relationships you’re developing, and integrate all of your digital platforms for maximum effectiveness. And, have patience. Building your on-line presence takes time and effort but can be highly rewarding so hang in there.

Get in touch anytime to learn more and, for more tips on getting started (and some twitter-specific do’s and don’ts), visit our recent blog post, Intro Social Media Tips for PR Professionals.