By: Angela Caban, MHRM
When you look back to the social media tips shared around the internet – how to get followers, get more clicks, post tips, create marketing plans, etc. – how many of those tips are targeted toward a personal brand? If you posted something under your brand right now, would it affect the way you obtain clients?
One thing entrepreneurs should understand is that when it comes to branding there is a difference between personal and organizational. Your organization’s brand is typically the product and/or services offered combined with the strategy, mission, image, and activities of the organization.
A personal brand, however, does not need to be created because you already have one. Our personal brands are what we represent as a whole. What we say, post, think, and share are all a part of who we are to followers. This is why it is vital to understand that your presence online can either mean success or failure for your personal brand.
Once you have successfully established your personal brand online, there are various advantages:
- Ideal clients
- Mutual partnerships
- Leadership opportunities
- Credibility and recognition in your niche
So how can you achieve social media success when the brand you’re trying to promote is you? And how do you successfully do it without committing a social faux pas?
Here are three tips to ensure social media success for your personal brand:
Define
When people look up your name, what do you want them to see? What sets you apart from other competitors? Finding these two unique elements will be extremely helpful for you when deciding what it is you want to be known for.
The social media world is flooded with competing brands, so you need to be specific when selecting your niche and determining how it sets you apart from others. You will find that your audience will be smaller, but much more relevant. This will give you the opportunity to master your niche. Bigger isn’t always better.
Be Consistent
I once had a client who had a different look for all of their social media pages. So when I was performing an initial evaluation of their brand, I could not find all the pages that related to their specified niche. A huge social branding faux pas is when pages don’t match and information has not been updated. Potential clients are looking not only for the best but also for consistent detail. If your pages are not consistent, they will not be impressed.
All social media channels should
- Have the same name.
- Use the same photo across all channels.
- Have a catchy headline or phrase.
- Use a consistent design and logo.
- Be updated frequently.
Yes, there are differences between social media channels, so things may look different. The content you share on Instagram may be a bit different from what you would share on LinkedIn. However, your brand should never change. It not only helps you to look professional but also makes it easier for people to find you.
Be Active
Once you have made yourself easy to find, the next step to establishing your brand on social media is to stay active. You want to develop a strategy for how often you post so that you stay on people’s minds, but you don’t want to overwhelm them, either.
Here is what a successful posting schedule should look like:
- Facebook: 2 times per day
- Twitter: 4-5 times per day
- LinkedIn: 1 time per day
- Pinterest: 5 times per day
- Instagram: 1 time per day
Using a social media scheduling tool, such as Buffer or Hootsuite, will be helpful, but plan to post in real time as well, as this helps your overall engagement. Klout is also a great tool to use in order to determine when the peak times are to post to your audience on social media.
Finally, share. Rather than just posting solely your own content, share relevant content from others in your niche. Resharing content is a great way to boost analytics on social media as well as ensure you aren’t over-promoting your brand. Overall, you want to come across as caring for your audience and sharing helpful content.
