A personal brand is your reputation in your industry. As you might imagine, your social media presence plays a large role in that. Aligning your personal brand with your digital channels can be challenging, but your potential clients sniff out inauthenticity pretty quickly. It’s worth your effort to be strategic with social media — and avoid posting anything that could derail your personal brand. Here are the tactics and best practices you should follow to maximize your social media impact.
Have a consistent bio and profile picture.
Whether or not you have a common name, you want to seem predictable and trustworthy to your audience. Having a different profile on each platform makes you seem inconsistent, not delightfully diverse. Take some time to craft a concise, compelling bio that captures what you do, then choose a high-quality photo that shows you in your best light — both literally and figuratively. Grainy, poorly lit selfies are so 2009.
Post content that appeals to your audience.
It’s tempting to use social media to rant about politics or pop culture (or both), but if that doesn’t suit your personal brand, you’re better off saving those conversations for your lunch date. Or, create a private social media account where you can vent without concern about your prospective clients seeing your opinions. When building a personal brand, it’s crucial that you focus your content on what your target audience wants. Anything else could alienate them. Is it really worth posting your opinion about pineapple pizza or the latest episode of “The Masked Singer”?
Engage with others.
No one likes a promoter who chats about themselves endlessly and never acknowledges anyone else. Take the time on each platform to follow people and engage with their content. This shows that you care about your community and aren’t just after their money. Remember, a brand is a reputation — and people who don’t interact with others tend to not have a good reputation.
Wrapping Up
Building your personal brand takes time because it depends on a robust community. To achieve that, be accessible and authentic. Don’t worry about releasing “popular” content: focus on providing real content. That, in turn, will you become popular and, more importantly, trustworthy. Your personal brand will benefit tremendously.
Need help writing your social media bio or figuring out your self-marketing strategy? We’re here to help you tell your best story. Visit our branding page or sign up for our coaching services.
