One of the potentially difficult changes for companies to overcome with the current online culture of today is the humanization of business interactions. What that means is that the distant, sterile formality that used to be considered "professional" is being undone by informal conversations and interactions with businesses. These informal conversations with otherwise fully professional businesses are perceived by customers as actually more authentic and trustworthy.
This not-so-subtle shift in consumer perception about interactions with brands changes the way brands should engage their customers, particularly when using any social media platform. What used to be the "professional" way to engage customers has changed.
Why The Shift?
This shift may not seem like a big deal. It may feel like a touchy-feely nuance of the social media space, but it actually is quite significant because social media tools work best with informal interactions. You have to remember that social media tools weren't originally built for business. They were built for connecting people and letting people share what they create. It just so happens that companies have begun to realize the business opportunities in social media, but as such you have to enter the space as one who understands the culture and rules, rather than someone who thinks they can just do whatever worked for them up until now.
Implications For Branding
This will be a hard adjustment for companies that haven't operated with that perspective before, but think about like this: I can’t have a relationship with a brand. I can have a relationship with a person. If you offer me a person from your brand to connect with, I get the best of both worlds. I get the affinity and interest in your brand, and the person I can build a relationship with to help me feel even stronger about the brand. Though it may be informal interactions that connect me to your brand, there's certainly nothing unprofessional about engaging me and helping me as a potential or current customer.
Understanding the culture and mindset that applies to social media is just as important as figuring out how to set up a Facebook page or shoot video for your YouTube channel. I would contend it's more important to get the cultural understanding down first. Though the technology gets all the headlines these days, if you don't know what you're doing with it you might harm everything you're trying to build...and that's not very professional.