A few years ago, social media was but a murmur; nothing that marketers took seriously. It was only college students, tech geeks and egomaniacs who took to their computer screens to gossip and upload photos for personal use. These days, social media marketing is a must for all professional businesses, small and large. Social media gives brands a unique opportunity to have their voices heard in a public forum and engage with their fans in real-time.

Not every business has the resources to hire an agency to manage their social media efforts on a daily basis. Many small businesses make the mistake of hiring a relative or high school student to manage their social media efforts, rather than paying a company or person with social media marketing experience. Other small businesses try to handle their company's social media on their own. This is not to infer that companies should never be active members, or take part in their brands' social media presence.

Here are some important guidelines to follow when using Facebook for professional vs. personal use:

DO's

So you own a small business and half of the reason people buy your product or visit your business is because of your personality, right? Sounds like you are one of the rare exceptions to the rule and you need to be the person posting to your social media pages. Your voice should be the "voice" of the brand. Your personality is so great and attracts so many customers that it is crucial for you to be seen as the brand ambassador.

Even if you aren't this "big personality," it's more than okay for your brand to have a personality or to be personable. After all, social media is supposed to be social.

Being transparent on social media is very important. If you have a few different employees that manage your brand's presence, it is more than okay to sign off with a personal signature or your initials. You'd much rather be upfront about this, rather than have fans figure it out later and feel as though they've been lied to or misled.

DON'Ts

As a business owner it can be tempting to treat your business page like your personal Facebook page. An important fact to remember is that you are speaking in a public forum and anyone, not just your day-to-day customers, could potentially see your postings. Unlike a personal page, where you may tend to air grievances or bring in your thoughts on politics or religion, a business page should certainly not be a platform for these types of discussions.

Take it from Shades Oceanfront Bistro. They recently posted a rant about a customer with parenting practices that they disapproved of on their Facebook page. They even tied it into politics and blamed parents like them for being the main cause of the problems we face as a country. As one can imagine, this immediately blew up on social media. Many people were offended and began sharing the posting and telling their close friends and family to boycott Shades Oceanfront Bistro. The owner followed up with an apology statement, but the damage was done and the public let them have it.

Many people use their personal Facebook profile as a place to talk about things that bother them, or about the bad day they're having so that their personal friends will respond and relate or build them back up. These types of postings cannot happen on a Facebook business page. It is imperative that you always keep your message positive. This will keep people associating positively with your brand, which is always a good thing.