Why you should always watch your personal brand / image on social media
Personal branding is defined as the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as a brand. Your personal brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by someone other than you, that describes the experience of having been in contact with or having a relationship with you.
Maintaining your brand is essentially an ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about yourself. When done successfully, personal branding can involve the application of one’s name to various products. This practice is common among influencers on social media whose association with a brand serves as a promotional tool.
The image your brand portrays (as an individual or a company) is the key to being successful in the age of digital marketing. No one knows this better than A.C. Waring & Associates who have seen businesses being destroyed due to their brand name being tarnished due to one lawsuit or the other.
Creating a personal brand requires one to take on active role in making sure you always have a connection with your audience. A personal brand can be an important part of a person’s career, as the image you portray on social media can have an influence on your life. This can be harmful or helpful, but that all depends on your content.
When done effectively, a personal brand can lead to a variety of benefits.
Benefits of having an effective, positive personal brand
Creates Trust
A personal brand gives you an insight into a person’s personality. People will feel more comfortable when they feel a sense of familiarity. Having a positive personal brand also creates intentions that are clear and genuine. This creates trust between you and your audience.
Networking
Personal branding can create limitless networking opportunities. It can help you connect with people in different fields and in your area of specialty. The relationships you make by networking can extend far beyond the digital world and lead to a variety of career opportunities.
Builds Credibility
Personal branding helps to establish your reputation. It helps in gaining recognition in your area of expertise and creates a lasting impression on the people you interact with. If you are honest and genuine you will gain rewards such as credibility, admiration, respect and trust.
How to building your personal brand on social media
Sharing content online allows you to develop an online persona that reflects your personal values and professional skills. Even if you only use social media occasionally, the content you create, share or react to feeds into the public narrative. Here a few ways to build your personal brand on social media without creating a negative stir.
Update Your Social Media Accounts
Decide which social media platform you are going to focus on. Using too many at once might be a little overwhelming if you’re just starting out. Make sure all your information is complete and accurate. This will help you generate traffic toward your target audience.
Identify Your Area of Expertise
Everyone’s good at something – whether it’s content marketing or being an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to music, comic books or sports. The more knowledgeable and engaging content you create on your chosen topic of expertise, the more your audience will start to think of you as a leader in your chosen field.
Create Quality Content
Creating quality, engaging content means taking a fresh approach to the type of things you share with your audience. Don’t be afraid to occasionally share something personal such as a career achievement or hobbies. Social media is about making connections with individuals first. So sharing some personal information will give your audience a glimpse of who you really are. Just make sure the content is appropriate.
Don’t Over-Share
While it’s important to keep your audience interested and engaged, always be weary of over-sharing. Keep the lines of communication open with regular but limited posts. About three posts a day on platforms such as Twitter or Facebook is sufficient.
Keep it Positive
Always think of the content you create and your social media interactions as a reflection of your professional attitude and overall personality. It’s best to avoid content and comments that may be misinterpreted as offensive or inflammatory.
In Summary…
Creating a personal brand on social media isn’t easy. It requires lots of thought and research. A personal brand stems from passion, skills, goals and values. How you conduct yourself online is just as important as your behavior offline.
It’s very important to remember that your brand image on social media can have far reaching effects and consequences – both positive and negative. Because with great power comes great responsibility.
The skills required to create a successful personal brand image can be learned through a variety of social media courses offered at the Digital School of Marketing.
