You may create an online persona that represents your professional abilities and personal beliefs by sharing stuff online (especially with the increasing use of artificial intelligence). What you post, produce, or respond to on social media contributes to this public narrative, even if you don’t use it often. Nowadays, your online behavior is equally as significant as your offline behavior, particularly in the context of your work in steps to building your personal brand.
Half of companies are willing to use personal social media accounts to investigate job seekers, according to the study “Using Social Media in the Recruitment Process.” At some point, 64% of hiring managers have looked at a candidate’s social media presence on sites like LinkedIn.
It takes effort to establish your brand on social media. However, when done correctly, it may help you develop your profession, create lasting relationships, become a thought leader, express yourself, and leave a legacy.
Tips For Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media
1. Make Changes To Your Social Media Accounts
According to research, the typical individual uses 6.7 different social networks each month, and there are an estimated 5 billion social media users worldwide. These numbers show how social media platforms are being used by people of all ages and places. However, not every account will help you establish your online profile, and how helpful is each one for social greatness when there are so many networks to manage?
Therefore, choose which social media platforms to concentrate on after conducting an audit. Next, remove any outdated accounts that are no longer useful to you. As one of the steps to building your personal brand, verify that all of your information is correct and comprehensive for the networks you want to utilize. You may use this to increase and focus traffic to the networks that will feature you and your work.
2. Determine Your Specialization
Everyone has a specialty, whether it’s producing and disseminating excellent information or being an authority on your favorite television program.
Just consider the professionals in the field of digital marketing who are often cited in publications and who also have fantastic LinkedIn profiles. Rand Fishkin is an expert in audience listening, Neil Patel is the authority on search marketing, and Steve Bartlett is a podcast presenter, author, and Dragon’s Den member.
Is it time for you to do some more experimenting? Consider the kinds of material you have produced that have elicited the most response from your fans. Is it possible to do this with comparable material or recycle a successful piece to get people to interact again? Your followers will begin to see you as a thought leader in your area of expertise the more original and captivating material you produce about it.
3. Utilize AI Tools for Social Media
The development of artificial intelligence has made creating a personal brand much simpler. You may use AI techniques to know how to brand yourself on social media that embody your goals, beliefs, and areas of competence. It may be used for several purposes, including:
- Content creation: Conduct research and generate ideas for platform content using writing tools such as Perplexity and ChatGPT. Additionally, Feedly and Pocket employ artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend news and articles that are relevant to your company, allowing you to share excellent material with your audience.
- Social media management: AI is used by platforms such as Sprout, Buffer, and Hootsuite to automate processes and schedule postings. However, AI may assist in the analysis of indicators like engagement to help you determine what material is important to your audience.
- SEO: To optimize content for search engines, tools such as Ahrefs and SEMrush employ artificial intelligence (AI) to find popular keywords and phrases. They also analyze material for readability and keyword density. Moreover, because TikTok is becoming a search engine, it’s important to choose keywords and phrases carefully while publishing on the app.
- Industry research: AI may be used to do a competitive study and gather information about consumer behavior and industry trends. Similarweb, Brand24, and Ahrefs are tools that can do this.
- Email marketing: Use AI to evaluate subscriber data and refine and test important components like subject lines, calls to action, and content since personalization is the key to increasing click-through rates.
- Graphics: Canva AI and Midjourney are just two of the many fantastic tools available for making graphics. AI is used by Adobe Spark and Lumen5 to produce high-quality photos and movies.
- Landing page optimization: AI-driven site design, content, and layout improvements are available from WordPress, GoDaddy, and Wix. These optimizations may improve user engagement and search engine optimization.
4. Regularly Share Content
In the early days of social media, the more you posted, the more interaction you could stir up. Today, however, over-posting leads to exhaustion and frustration. You want to maintain the lines of communication open with your audience, but you also don’t want to overshare so much that you appear needy.
While there is advice on the ideal amount of social postings for major organizations, such as 3-5 posts a week on Instagram, 1 to 2 posts a day on LinkedIn, and 3 to 5 posts a day on TikTok, it’s not as clear-cut for small enterprises or personal branding.
Your industry, audience, amount of followers, and available resources all influence how many social media postings are ideal. In your social media plan, try to reach a sustainable number of posts across the networks that are effective for you. This is a level that you can manage without becoming too stressed or experiencing burnout. For individuals, we would suggest posting three to four times a week as a sweet spot.
5. Bring Your Contacts In
The number of individuals you already know on the social media platforms you use may surprise you. You may not yet have a connection with tens or even hundreds of individuals. For this reason, you should not squander your current or future connections.
To determine how many relationships you’re missing, import your phonebook contacts or email contacts from Gmail or Outlook into your social networks. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn all provide free import of a certain quantity of contacts. Additionally, you may link your contacts on your phone to your TikTok account.
6. Be Upbeat, Involved, and Genuine
Even while following steps to building your personal brand may be your aim, make sure it accurately represents who you are and what you stand for. Are you aware of what not to do to ensure that you create a good social impression, even if you now know some of the things you should be doing on social media?
Consider your interactions and material to be a portfolio of your work, reflecting your personality and professional demeanor. While it’s a good idea to curate or repost other people’s work, you shouldn’t stop there. Sharing your written material is another way to show off your industry knowledge.
Developing interesting content entails rethinking the kinds of updates you provide to your network. Talking about your accomplishments or including interesting anecdotes about your personal life (such as travel and hobbies) is acceptable. If you are a digital nomad, for instance, it is OK to share a photo of yourself working on a beach or to provide some information about what it’s like to travel and work. Social media is, after all, mostly about people.
Consider setting up two sets of social media profiles if you’re worried about being unable to express your opinions: one for private use, where you may say anything you want, and one for public use, where your shares and comments are taken into consideration.
Only close friends and family should have access to your pages; utilize your business accounts to network and find new prospects. Read your company’s social media policies before participating in any online discussions about your job.
7. Locate and Join Social Networks
Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook allow users to join groups related to their field of expertise, helping them to know how to brand themselves on social media. X Communities, a new feature, enables users to create discussion groups for sharing and connecting.
Threads, a competitor to X, also emphasizes community sharing, helping users build their brand and reach new audiences. TikTok, although lacking groups, allows sharing posts with selected users and features TikTok Live for real-time interaction.
Pinterest offers Group Boards for sharing topic-based content and inspiration, while smaller niche groups may be more effective for engagement. Reddit is another major platform with active communities, attracting brands due to its user-generated content.
Additionally, platforms like Discord and Patreon allow for more secure, interactive environments, with Discord focusing on community building and Patreon enabling creators to monetize their work. Engaging in these communities can help foster connections and promote your brand.
8. Study Influencers
Building relationships with influencers is a powerful way to promote your business, though it requires time and effort. Influencer marketing has shifted, with smaller content creators and micro-influencers now playing a significant role, as they often have higher engagement rates than mega-influencers. For example, micro-influencers have an engagement rate of 3.86%, compared to just 1.21% for mega-influencers, according to Meltwater’s report.
The first step is to find the right influencer using tools like Meltwater, BuzzSumo, Heepsy, and Brandwatch. Reach out to them via their preferred social media platform, clearly stating your goals and setting up a call or meeting. Once a partnership is formed, ensure all project details and expectations are communicated through an influencer marketing brief to avoid misunderstandings. This approach helps create effective, mutually beneficial collaborations.
9. Become Certified In Social Media
Knowing the basics is the greatest method to develop your brand on social media. Posting and hoping for the best is never enough; you must customize your material for each platform to engage both your current and potential followers.
To succeed on social media, you need to be knowledgeable and experienced in a variety of areas, including:
- Social research.
- Social customer services.
- Social apps.
- Analytics.
- Social content.
- Social strategy.
- Social commerce.
- Affiliate marketing.
Furthermore, you must be aware of the features of every major network, like Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and others, to determine how best to use them and tailor your content to each one to maximize interaction.
Why You Should Build Your Personal Brand On Social Media
In today’s digital age, following steps to building your personal brand on social media is essential for anyone looking to stand out, whether you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer, or professional in any industry. Social media platforms offer unparalleled opportunities to showcase your expertise, connect with like-minded individuals, and grow your network. Here’s why you should consider building your brand online:
- First, social media enables you to reach a vast audience without the traditional barriers of location or expensive advertising. Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to share valuable content, ideas, and insights that highlight your unique expertise. When done consistently, this helps you position yourself as a thought leader in your field, increasing visibility and credibility.
- Second, social media is a powerful networking tool. It allows you to engage directly with others in your industry, fostering relationships that may lead to collaborations, partnerships, or job opportunities. By actively participating in discussions and joining relevant groups, you can create connections that would be difficult to achieve in person.
- Third, having a personal brand on social media can enhance your career prospects. Employers and clients often turn to social media to research potential candidates or service providers. By curating a strong online presence, you give them insight into your skills, values, and personality, which can help you stand out from the competition.
- Finally, social media provides you with control over your narrative. You decide what to share, how to share it, and how to present yourself. This control allows you to build an authentic, transparent brand that reflects your true identity. In conclusion, building your brand on social media is no longer optional; it’s a strategic move that can lead to countless professional opportunities, personal growth, and long-term success.
FAQ
Q: In what ways may social media support personal branding?
A: Social media personal branding is a marketing tactic in which a person uses social media to get followers by posting material about a certain specialty. The ultimate objective is to establish oneself as an expert on that subject.
Q: What role does personal branding play?
A: For anybody hoping to establish themselves in their chosen industry, personal branding is an effective technique. You may become a powerful influencer by standing out from the crowd, gaining new chances, and gaining the audience’s trust with a clearly defined personal brand.
Q: What is the most effective social media platform for personal branding?
A: When it comes to personal branding and professional networking, LinkedIn is the industry standard. It enables you to share insightful information with a specific professional audience, network with professionals in the field, and demonstrate your knowledge. Professionals, B2B marketers, job seekers, and thought leaders make up the best audience.