Flickr.com, CCL, Matt Hamm

For some time now, I have been wondering about the myriad ways in which companies construct their brands by way of their people. You see, it’s not just the guy that smiles at you at Starbucks or the not-so-friendly helpdesk person over at your local computer supplier -branding through people occurs through every interaction you have with a company, in which that company exhibits (human) characteristics that help influence your opinion of them.

Recently, I stumbled across “Presenting: 10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media” on Mashable by Samir Balwani. Samir did an outstanding job of listing 10 leading brands that are using social media in order to build a closer relationship with their stakeholders.

What specifically sparked my interest was the fact that everybody out there seems to be using social media in a genuine effort to be more approachable, and engage in dialogue with their customers.

One of the examples I found very inspiring is Jonathan’s Blog, run by Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz. I feel Jonathan adopts five simple rules that make his blog a success:

• This is the CEO speaking – not a Chief Blogging Officer or self-proclaimed social media aficionado. Getting the word straight from the horse’s mouth make it all the more powerful, especially since Jonathan speaks in a very straightforward way;
• Adopts a very honest and open tone of voice – Jonathan talks about success as well as failure, and does not try to spin a positive message where there isn’t one;
• Gets people involved - the “comments”-section is chock-full of people suggesting ideas for marketing, product improvement or questions, making it a great place for Sun to find opportunities to further tweak their products, or develop new ones;
• Links it directly to products in a very honest way - on the sidebar, you’ll find information on Sun projects and products. Different from some other blogs, they are there in case you need them, but you are not actively encouraged to “buy more” in a not-so-covert effort to boost sales;
• Sets a great example for others – By paving the way, Jonathan sets a great example and encourages others to follow in his footsteps – as evidenced by the Sun Blog Network.

The “Sun Guidelines on Public Discourse” contain the following statement: “Many of us at Sun are doing work that could change the world. Contributing to online communities by blogging, wiki posting, participating in forums, etc., is a good way to do this. You are encouraged to tell the world about your work, without asking permission first, but we expect you to read and follow the advice in this note.”

What follows is a collection of simple and common sense rules that helps employees get the most out of their blogging experience. No legal disclaimers. No fuss. No discouragement.

In credit crunch times, where people are increasingly researching their purchasing decisions and confidence in corporations is waning, Sun is definitely onto something. Social media can help build stronger relationships with customers, and help you understand more about how they feel about your company.

And the kicker ? Compared to other, more traditional forms of advertising … social media are dirt-cheap. All it takes is a little elbow grease, and the willingness to open up.