Sustainable Social: Do's and Don'ts Of Social Branding

When it comes to a social presence, it is first necessary to understand the need to have one. More importantly than having a social presence, it is valuable to know that you must have a positive social presence. It is important to consider professionals and other individuals who may never actually physically meet you. For these individuals, the way you carry yourself on social platforms speaks volumes to who you really are. This is because in many ways, this is all they have to go by. This is the only image of you these individuals will see so it is necessary to have a positive social image.

Think of the way you present yourself on social platforms as a first impression of you. Only in this sense, your social presence is the equivalent to your "professional first impression". First impressions tend to mean far more than you may realize and can have lasting affects. What you post on social platforms is far more than just a post. Your digital image is a central aspect of your personal brand. Furthermore, what you choose to post is a direct reflection of that brand, including your values, morals and whether you're worthy of hire.

When it comes to your brand, you should not do anything to tarnish it. Tarnishing your brand is ultimately tarnishing your reputation. When posting on social media, it is important that you know your audience. This IS NOT just those who you are friends with or followed by, rather any potential employer or colleague who deems it necessary to look you up. It comes down to having a sense of integrity and knowing there is a time and a place for everything. Social sites may not be the place to post yourself in compromising situations.

Truly, only you can make the call as to what you feel is appropriate to post on your accounts. With this, however, comes knowing that once you post content online anyone can view it. Even if you decide to delete content to "clean up" your page, it will do no good. Once something has been posted, even deleted content can be traced back to your accounts. This is why it is of such dire importance to consider what you are posting prior to doing so.

By asking yourself if you could live with the potential consequences of inappropriate posts, you will be able to comfortably determine if content should be posted or not. One's social success does not end with monitoring your posts, however. You must consider the content you share, comment on or even like because this all factors into determining a positive social presence.

It is not enough to simply refrain from posting foul content, rather understanding that you can be guilty by association. Employers will look at all of these factors and even consider the people who you are friends with or the pages you follow. Even if you are mindful of the content you choose to post, the people you are associated with tells just as much about your character.

Another key factor to developing a positive social presence is simply knowing where to have a presence. Social media is increasingly being used for professional matters and as a tactic for employee recruitment. In order to be recruited, however, you must know where employers look to recruit potential employees. It is okay to have sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Snap Chat as personal accounts for leisure purposes, while still being mindful of what you post. Sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn on the other hand, are sites to connect with professionals and create content that is befitting to what your professional network may want to see.

There are many components to having a social presence and learning to maintain a positive image within this presence; however, it is most important to understand who you are, who you want to be and how to convey that to employers and like-minded professionals. By doing this, you will learn what to post and what not to post, as well as where to post different content for different audiences on each social site. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of morality and values. Consider your personal morals and reflect your value set in the content you post.