Level Up Your Personal Brand on Social Media
For decades, companies have proven that solid branding can help them beat the competition and sustain success over long periods of time. In more recent years, people have realized that developing their personal brand and bringing a personal brand story to life can be just as important to their success.
What is Personal Branding and Why is it Important?
In a recent advertising survey, 71% of consumers reported trusting the advertising opinions of influencers compared to only 38% of consumers trusting social media ads. Creating a personal brand as an influencer is essential, but even if you don’t consider yourself a Social Influencer, your personal brand still says a lot about you and what you stand for. It’s your identity and essentially what people think when they hear your name or see your profile image online.
Your personal brand gives you the ability to be considered for new opportunities and develop important connections with your audience. Too often, personal branding is established online without a strategic approach. It pays to be deliberate about the image you project online. If a job change is in your future, consider the fact that 90% of employers say they use social media when evaluating a potential candidate and 79% of hiring professionals have denied an applicant the job based on their content on social media.
Are you a part of the gig economy? It is projected that over 50% of U.S. workers will be part of it by 2027. In the gig economy, you are continually branding yourself as the best candidate, so being strategic about creating a personal brand that supports your views, specific skills and quality of work can ultimately advance your career. Now that you know you have a personal brand and how important it is to be strategic when creating it, it’s time to consider ways to level up your personal brand online.
10 Simple Steps to Level Up Your Personal Branding Online
Start with an online review or assessment. Do your research and consider where your audience, buyers or potential employers are so you can reach them. You do not need to be on every social media platform — just determine which ones fit your personal brand and focus on those platforms. Completely update your information on each platform, be consistent and delete any old accounts or content you feel no longer fits your personal brand.
Become an expert. You’re experienced in many areas of your life, but being focused on a specific topic, industry or activity helps others to identify you as an expert in that area. What areas would like your personal brand to be known for? Some experts suggest three as the ideal number; this can offer a good balance of professional, personal or hobby-based areas. This allows people to know a little more about you — yet keeps your areas of expertise concise.
Share content regularly. Showing up on the social media platforms you identified in step one is key to establishing your level of expertise and creating the personal brand you desire. Find or create content that is interesting to your audience and adds value. If you need help with regularly posting across multiple platforms, you can consider using one of several apps out there to simplify the posting process such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite or Loomly.
Be positive and engaging. Your social media interactions are your online resume! People do remember what you post and how your comments make them feel. Consider your online interactions to be just as important as face-to-face communication and in certain situations even more important. People can and will read your online comments repeatedly. Are these interactions part of the online resume you want to build for your personal brand?
Seek out other experts. Watch what the people you respect and admire online are doing and learn from them. Analyze their content, posting habits and audience engagement and see if a similar strategy could benefit you. Join online groups that are focused on similar interests or industries. These groups can help you grow your expertise, gain confidence, and allow you to add value to others with your insights.
Remain consistent. Keep your content focused and your personal messaging clear. Awareness of what you are delivering to your audience is key. With a quick assessment, you can look for content patterns, tone of voice and actions that all work together to shape others’ perceptions and expectations of what your personal brand will deliver.
Build deeper connections. Engage with your audience and balance online connecting with additional offline opportunities. Keeping your audience engaged and learning more about your audience creates a deeper connection and establishes a stronger personal brand.
Quality over quantity. More is not always better. Limit the number of posts based on the platform and always prioritize the quality of your content over the number of posts. Always use image best practices when posting to keep your content engaging.
Uplift others. A personal brand may seem all about you but in reality, how you make others feel says a lot about you. Highlight and showcase others through both online and in-person opportunities. When you see something good happening around you, recognize the contributors.
Be authentic. After all, it is called personal branding, so don’t forget to be true to the person behind the brand. You want to have a point of view and stand for what you feel is important in life. Showcase your best self.
Creating a Personal Brand is Essential
With so many people out there vying for the same opportunities and potential clients in the online world, it is important to understand your unique qualities and attributes.
By incorporating a focused strategy, you can level up your personal brand and stand out in the crowded online market by being authentically you.
If you are interested in learning more about enhancing your personal brand or company brand, our team of experts is available to help. Contact Activated Growth.