Well, first I think it is the way you handle yourself overall.  Values. Consistency. What you asked are good questions but it has to go deeper than that. Response to questions, postings, a myriad of traits and behavior.  I could go on and on. But this is the start for discussion by all.

@deairby I think it’s no one thing, it’s a combination of things. I think a picture is a small part of it. It’s the way you portray yourself and respond to your following. The appearance of your various media efforts. (ie. website, twitter page/background, fan page(s)) Of your your brand (how people view your business) is a tricky game in its self which is why most business people make and strategy about how they plan to achieve a certain image.

@deairby @trudy @sgsrecording @joanmuschampfagnani

Great question. I think it’s all the things you mentioned and a few others. Tone is important, how quickly you follow-up or acknowledge posts/questions.

I also think showing public appreciation for your followers who participate.

And the biggest in my opinion, create a friendly environment where people can discuss, and even disagree respectfully, without feeling demeaned or threatened. How the owner of the page handles it usually dictates how people interact with each other.

Just an opinion.

@joanmuschampfagnani

Thanks Joan. I think I might have not communicated well. By follow-up, I meant when someone posts on our FB page or messages us on LI, etc., we try to acknowledge it in an appropriate time and way. Maybe it’s a Like or a comment, or a message back.

But, we don’t auto respond. I am big into the personal touch. It’s a preference I realize and not for everyone. But it’s part of our core values that people know we are interested in them and their views and that’s how we choose to communicate back.

Your entire branding makes you professional & it must be consistent …photo, messages, content, online personality, etc

Could we say “integrity”? With that you would be consistent (which another biggie) and not use improper language. @trudy @debbielynnava @mposborn @donpurdum @joanmuschampfagnani

and funny you are, Don. Thanks. So, I can say it but CAN YOU? Hah! @donpurdum

I agree @deairby @debbielynnava @mposborn that integrity is important, but that comes with proof as well. Language (not offensive) is generally a good idea; there are ways to indicate expletives and emotion without being crass.

I try to proof work because I hate typos (my parents made me compete in spelling bees against my older siblings) but admit perfect grammar will take a backseat sometimes. Not in the sense of double negatives, but I will use slang when I feel it works, and do not always have “perfect” sentence structure.

That is because writing marketing copy, particularly for online, has morphed. We’ve been McPapered into snippets, because attention time is so short.

ooo, Debbie, I really like what you just said. I just published a cookbook that is also a collection of stories woven throughout. If my English teacher had proofed it, I would have failed but I wrote like I speak. I also do that on my blog. (The Baron York) @debbielynnava

@deairby, to me it’s being real, honest, ethical. Having a sound foundation in your expertise is also extremely important. Having your branding speak to that by being clean & clear enables others to “see” you better in a virtual world.

Pictures are great, but I take a very close look at profiles & the information people share. Are you more interested in taking care of me as a “client”, or just selling me your product?

Make your branding professional the same way a company controls branding.Be consistent with your format, your content & frequency.Give your target audience the information that find interesting.Be informative/educational by using all of your channels.Engage people & create relationships.Get your audience’s opinions. Share their information.