Social media is one of the most powerful branding mediums in today’s digital age. When social media first came on the scene, both major brands and small businesses were hesitant to get in the game. Today, however, just about everyone is leveraging this powerful tool.

Social media allows you to follow up with people while also gaining access to their friends. It allows you to leverage social proof, as well as build a two-way street of communication.

These are the five rules of using social media for branding.

==> Rule #1: Post Consistently

The whole idea of branding is to keep your brand in front of people all the time.

When you post regularly, you’ll be seen regularly. When you post regularly, your posts will frequently be on people’s walls or feeds when they log in. This keeps your brand fresh in their minds at all times.

==> Rule #2: Be Personable and Real

Nobody wants a corporation in their Facebook feed. But a CEO with a sense of humor? Absolutely.

Don’t try to appear professional. Instead, try to appear like a real human being.

Share your personal thoughts, share your real personality and let your customers connect with the real you.

==> Rule #3: Bring Value to the Table

Don’t just use social media as a venue to sell. Use it as a venue to give. Give first and you shall receive.

Use social media to give away free content. Use it to reference other people’s great content. Use it to give away free products.

Make people look forward to reading your tweets and updates.

==> Rule #4: Use Multiple Media

Don’t just share text. Share videos as well. Share podcasts. Share infographics. Share teleseminars.

Share in as many different kinds of media as you can. Social media has a very multi-media audience. The more different kinds of media you can use, the more likely you are to get viewers and shares.

==> Rule #5: Share Other People’s Posts

Don’t be selfish in social media. It’s common for marketers to want to keep their traffic to themselves. In social media, however, this will drastically reduce your reach.

When you regularly retweet other people’s content, others will in return regularly retweet your content. When you share other people’s content, they’ll share your content.

It’s not just an “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” arrangement. It’s also a way of delivering more value to your followers. Instead of only sending your content, you also share the best of everyone else’s content.

These five rules will help you navigate the world of social media branding. Social media is here to stay; and given the many hundreds of millions of hours spent on social media every day, it’s a branding platform you can’t afford to ignore.