The most important step in branding yourself using social media, is understanding how you what to be presented to such  large audience. Think about your morals and ideals and how you want that to be presented to your online audience. The best way to do this effectively, is to understand who your audience is. 

Most people who use the Internet want their information quickly, because that is how most things on the Internet are including news and shopping. Don't bore them with long commercials or lengthy press releases. Make things interesting but to the point.

Also, find out people who use your product and ask yourself, what do these people have in common? If you can't find anything in common, look at some of the other things they are interested in and try to make a connection between you and what they like. When you know what your customer likes, you have a head start. You can then present your brand in a way that is appealing to them, and you will know how to do that by understanding what they like and don't like. There is a chat room for just about every type of person and interest these days. Businesses are encouraged to go into them and listen to what their customers are talking about. You will also want to engage in conversations with them if you can. This will show them that you are not out to get just their money, but you are their friend that they can trust.

You will then need to figure out the outlet you want to use to market yourself. Some brands use Twitter, others you Facebook. You can use both, but keep in mind that neither is effective until you know how to use them. Don't just tweet about a sale you are having. Become a follower, tweet about other things they may be interested in. This will give your brand some personality and make your profile more people-friendly and less of an ad.

Social media is not all about fun and games. If you take it seriously, you will gain a large number of people you can market yourself too. This takes time, effort and serious homework. Really get to know your audience before you throw yourself out there. That is the trick to influencing consumer behavior. Remember, consumers have more choice today than they had before. They are not just restricted to your brand. If you think that way, you are sure to end up losing to a competitor who does go above and beyond for their customers.