Managing brand perception on social media sounds complicated until you realize it’s a lot like managing your reputation at a networking mixer. Do it right, and you can gain some fans, build a following and even find some loyal customers. Here are five tips that can help you go about it:

1. Dress The Part

You wouldn’t network at a mixer in sweatpants and a t-shirt, would you? If your social media pages consist of logos that are stretched to fit or cover images that are poorly cropped, it’s the equivalent of doing just that. And it’s a big turn-off to visitors.

Dress your social sites appropriately with images that are sized correctly and send brand appropriate messages. If you’re unsure how to do this, engage a specialist for help. For many, your Facebook or Twitter page is their first impression of your brand. Don’t miss this opportunity to make it a good one.

2. Be Engaging

Ever notice who gets the most attention at a mixer? It’s the person who has something interesting to say and uses it to start a dialogue with others. That’s what your brand should strive to be on your social sites.

Rather than hard selling or going on and on about your products, use social media to create an ongoing dialogue with visitors. Ask them questions and share interesting anecdotes. Use the opportunity to build relationships and let them turn into sales opportunities organically.

Say, “our company would love to cater your daughter’s wedding,” instead of “you won’t find a better catering service,” and see how a subtle sales pitch can engage a customer.

3. Share

At a mixer, you can add to the conversation by pulling out your smartphone and sharing pictures of your recent community event where employees volunteered. On social media, you can use the same kids of images, videos, links and other content to liven up the dialogue.

Punctuate your posts with relevant items, like videos of customers enjoying your product. On occasion, share links to other sites or news that make the conversation interesting. For instance, if you’re posting about your participation in a local art fair, provide a link to a listing of food truck vendors that will be there.

The web is filled with content, so if you don’t have anything of your own to share, there’s more than enough to pull from.

4. Make The Rounds

How do you make the most of every mixer? You make sure you talk with key prospects and get your name out there. Working the room like this on social media means responding to a variety of visitors, and being inclusive while focusing on influencers. The more you engage with people, the more likely visitors will like your posts, share your content and reflect positively on your business and the brand it represents.

5. Leave Them Wanting More

When you leave a mixer and you’ve done a good job, attendees will ask for your business card or an email address where they can stay in touch. In social media, you can create this kind of demand by always leaving the door open for more opportunities.

For instance, if you’re developing a new product that will be available soon, tease your visitors with posts that hint about its availability and ask them to like your page to see more. Show a partial image that builds excitement. Not only will it engage your visitors, it will keep followers coming back.

Managing your brand perception on social media isn’t difficult when you break it into steps you can relate to. Thinking of it as a social mixer is one easy way of doing so.