8 Ways To Build Your Brand On Social Media
Have you ever tried to brand yourself?
Building a brand around yourself is essential to make yourself known in professional and personal circles, which eventually lead you to make invaluable connections and can even land you a job or a business opportunity.
To begin building your name online you must start thinking of yourself as a fledgling brand that needs to make its mark. There’s no better example of someone who has made their mark through successful personal branding than Oprah Winfrey, though she doesn’t make too many appearances nowadays, Winfrey and her brand “Oprah” are valued at over $2.6 billion. Oprah remains a household name owing to her efforts in winning her audiences over with her authenticity, honesty, and genuineness.
Getting started on this path of personal branding can be intimidating at first, let’s look at 8 ways in which you can begin building and strengthening your personal brand on social media.
Identify Your Audience
Know your target audience well before you begin publishing content. Having a clear idea of who you’re targeting will give you a proper sense of direction when it comes to creating and curating content for your following and will save you from spending valuable time and resources targeting people who aren’t interested in your message.
Update Your Online Presence
You should first decide what social media networks you want to focus your attention on and ensure all your information is current and up to date.
Certain platforms are generally better suited for reaching particular audiences, use this to your advantage. eg – LinkedIn is aimed at connecting professionals, TikTok is better suited for reaching a millennial or Gen-Z audience.
Don’t forget to delete any unused accounts and remove any content that may not positively agree with your new brand image. By doing this you can successfully direct attention to the online profiles and content that you want people to see.
Leverage Social Media Apps
There’s an assortment of apps out there that can connect to all your social media platforms and alleviate the headache of needing to log into multiple platforms, remember passwords, and give you the ability to cross-post between social networks and even schedule content for the future. A few options are Hootsuite, Buffer, SproutSocial, and our personal favourite, SocialPilot.
Maintain Consistency Across All Platforms
Brand consistency means maintaining the same brand image, voice, and tone everywhere, this helps customers to remember and associate with a brand. Consistent presentation of a brand has been known to increase revenue by 33%.
Keep It Real
Never attempt to build an online presence that isn’t true to who you are in real life as social media natives have become quite adept at sniffing out the fakes and can tell when a brand isn’t being genuine.
In fact, 86% of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support
Post Content Regularly
Find the right sweet spot to maintain a regular flow of content without oversharing, as this can make a brand come off as desperate. Use the analytics from your social platforms to identify the ideal times and days to post.
Emphasize Your Brand Values
Just like any other brand, you too should be vocal about your brand values and the causes you support, as almost 89% of consumers relate to brands that share the same values as them. This will help you reach more like-minded people who can eventually become supporters of your brand.
Own Your Name
Make sure you have the exact same “@” name across all platforms, though this may not be possible all the time, having your area of expertise as part of your handle will immediately inform people as to what manner of services you could provide. e.g. – “@tomjonesrealtor”
Once you have a solid brand built up, people will be more likely to reach out to you for opportunities, and having a well-organized presence will mean that your brand message reaches the world loud and clear. This list will help you take the key steps you need to set things straight and lay a good foundation for a strong personal brand that is beneficial for you and your career.
Remember to be ready to experiment with your brand, deliver insightful information to your audience and most of all, persevere through the ups and downs of brand building.