It depends on what you mean by "an extension of your web site". If you plan to replicate your web content, provide no room for conversations and if you don't monitor and engage on your channels, then I don't think you should. If you can make a long-term commitment to build your online community, engage with your audience in a human-to-human tone, listen to these people, respond to them on a daily basis, act upon these insights and provide value consistently in a way that cannot be provided on/by your web site, then social media can be valuable. Now fast forward a year. Are you still doing the things you said you would when you started? If your answer is yes, you're in good shape. If your answer is no, it would be best to work through some internal alignment, resource, etc. questions first before you start opening those social channels.

Joe Chernov

VP Content Marketing, Eloqua

Posted on Oct. 31, 2011

This is a really good question. I suspect there's no one-size-fits-all answer. I'd suggest this: Take an honest look at your corporate brand from an outsider's perspective. Is it likely to appear "corporate" to them? If so, then it might be worth considering developing a "less starched" complement brand on social channels. Not an entirely new brand, just one that maybe has one more button unbuttoned on its dress shirt. This is especially true in B2B marketing, where companies tend to skew conservative.

Here's an example from Eloqua's playbook:

Our "corporate" brand (www.eloqua.com) is intended to come across as professional, knowledgable, and authoritative (yet not didactic). Whereas our social media complementary brand is intended to come across as just as knowledgable, but completely approachable and human (www.slideshare.net/eloqua). The central message ("we help you drive revenue") is consistent across both identities. That part, of course, should be a constant.

Hope this helps. Great question, Lauren.

Joe Chernov / @jchernov/ Eloqua

Deirdre Breakenridge

CEO, Pure Performance Communications

Posted on Nov. 3, 2011

Your social media profiles should be a reflection of your brand's look and feel, however, the content will be more conversational and engaging. You will also want to vary the content shared on different platforms. For example, what you share on Facebook will be different than what your customers and constituents expect from you on Twitter and/or YouTube. It's also important to remember that you will carry your brand voice forward through your platforms, yet let the unique voice of your employee champions to shine through as well. When you think about your website, it should also have distinct and interactive content so that when you build community in different social networks, you can drive back to your website hub for further action and connections with your customers.

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