Building and maintaining a personal brand is becoming important in so many businesses these days. It is way beyond the demesnes of influencers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. Whether you’re an architect, entrepreneur, designer, blogger, lawyer, or whatever, your personal brand can help you stand out in the crowd and bring exciting new possibilities your way. And social media is the only and most common way that comes to mind first to perform it, right?
It can be true, though, as according to marketsandmarkets, the social media management market is projected to grow from USD 17.5 billion in 2022 to USD 51.8 billion by the year 2027, with a CAGR of 24.2%.
But thinking that just becoming a part of social media can build your brand automatically is not correct.
Let us simply make you understand this.
If you think deeply, you’ll realize you already own a personal brand. Everyone has one. If a prospective employer or client searches your name, they’ll possibly find your LinkedIn and social media profiles, imaginably followed by any news articles containing your name or any other websites that mention you. What impersonation would someone get of you on the basis of search results? This, fundamentally, is your personal brand. It’s your online reputation.
Personal branding can be defined as gaining control of your online reputation and influencing it so people can see you the way you want to be seen.
Social media isn’t the only way to build your brand, but it surely does play a big and significant role. Here are the ways you can use social media to your benefit and improve your personal brand:
- Create a Professional Profile
Begin by uploading a similar yet professional and up-to-date photo to all of your social media profiles to ensure reliability. Then, clean up your profiles by deleting any content that you don’t want to be seen by prospective employers or clients. (You can always maintain a private profile for sharing personal stuff that you don’t want employers or clients to see.) - Be Real
While you want to promote a professional brand, it’s imperative to let your personality shine through in your social media posts. Write in the way you’d usually speak. Besides, stay realistic and honest, talk about things that really matter to you (rather than jumping on the newest trends), and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not to ensure your brand remains reliable. - Share what you’re learning
Sharing interesting and relevant news stories from the industry over social media is something that is found to be influential and cool and helps in building profiles as well as staying well-informed on what’s trendy in the field. To stay up to date with fascinating and important news stories, you can subscribe to industry newsletters or set up Google alerts for definite keyword topics. Make sure to add your own message when you share something on social media, even if it’s just, “I came across this today and thought I’d share it. What do you guys think?” - Join industry groups on social media platforms
Then make yourself acknowledged by engaging through posts, answering questions, and liking, commenting, and sharing other people’s content in the group. - Use your time and knowledge thoughtfully
Be supportive of others online by replying to questions and comments and generally engaging with them. Also, make time to like or support other content that you find engaging, inspiring, or useful. Ultimately, be reciprocal. - Make new contacts as often as you can, especially on LinkedIn
You can do this by recognizing people you want to connect with in your field and sharing a certain number of invites each week with a short personal message. Make a routine of this, and your network will soon progress. - Create quick polls to pose interesting questions and boost engagement
You can always mix it up by posting a combination of professional and more general questions. - Post quality photos and videos from your work life
People love visual content, so if you’re at a work conference, joining an industry event, on the way to visit a client, or whatever, share it. You can add it within the occasional “everyday” photos and videos while still keeping it equally professional (think your morning cup of coffee when you’re working from home, that sort of thing). - Use cross-platform tools to make your life easier
For instance, you can use a tool like Hootsuite to arrange your posts in advance and share them across multiple platforms, i.e., Instagram and YouTube, all from one place. This means you can get unwavering value from each piece of content without having to significantly post it on different platforms. - Try penciling in a specific time each day or week for social media
You might enthusiastically want to limit the amount of time you spend on social media (it can be a huge time suck). It helps to schedule posts in advance and wipe out specific times to check in with social media, respond to comments, and view other people’s posts.
Importance of Personal Branding
Keep reading below, where we break down why personal brand-building is useful.
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Standing out from the crowd
The people who get the most benefit from a personal brand are often those focused on building something else. A company, art—name it whatever you like.
One way or another, we’re living in a time period where everyone is a content creator. This implies that who we are and what we create tend to be the same.
Among the uncountable creators and marketers present at the moment, development seems intimidating. Our audience only has so much consideration to give.
Through a persuasive brand and dependable content, you get a chance to shine. People don’t grow audiences or harvest influence accidentally. It’s about how you take it further because both your personal brand and what you create are completely under your control.
Unleash your potential by mastering social branding!
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Relevancy and validity matter to modern audiences
Current research states that consumers overpoweringly trust reliable and relevant brands. And the same advice should be applied to individuals when it comes to brand development. This is particularly important in an era where “influence” can feel mass-produced.
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Making stronger ties with your community
As per internet resources, consumers say they don’t see enough visibility related to business practices and values on social media. Again, your voice and values are rightly connected to your capability to grow your audience.
Putting your personality front and centre appeals to concurring followers, which also means making connections to comprehend your audience’s needs and challenges. This goes side by side with establishing trust and making meaningful connections.
Social media platforms Best for Personal Branding
The ‘best’ platform basically relies on the brand itself along with its audience, goals, and industry.
Some platforms will work better than others, and it’s always best to keep your social channels under control so that you don’t spread yourself too thin, specifically when it’s just you creating, posting, and managing each one. Also, if you are engaged with a social media agency, then they actually help you choose the best platform to help you brand your particular brand.
Look at each platform to provide an overview:
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Instagram
A graphical platform that’s seamless for sharing images and videos with Stories and using Reels for appealing and transient content. It’s also great for influencer marketing and hashtags that help increase transparency and reach targeted audiences.
It can be an ideal social media platform for industries with a graphical focus on fashion, photography, travel, art, fitness, and lifestyle.
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X
A real-time platform that is good for sharing insights and news, managing content, and engaging followers via polls and hashtags.
It is an ideal platform for thought leadership, real-time communication, and the technology and media industries.
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YouTube
One of the world’s major platforms is used as a search engine, so SEO is key. Video content that executes well are tutorials, behind-the-scenes unboxings, interviews, and educational videos.
It can be an ideal platform for and is mostly used by content creators, educators, entertainers, and anyone using video content.
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LinkedIn
A platform made specifically with a professional focus is great for demonstrating expertise and career accomplishments. It comprises tools for publishing comprehensive content, articles, and industry updates.
Professional networking, B2B industries, and career development are some of the areas that can be advanced using this platform.
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TikTok
One of the most used platforms by Gen Z and Millennials features appealing short-form video content. Additionally, it works great for emphasizing and identifying gaps and trends with the possibility of going viral.
Creative professionals and entertainers can use this platform, ideally with the aim of targeting younger audiences.
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Facebook
Facebook has been the largest social platform for users and offers wide-ranging content types, i.e., text, images, videos, and live streams, along with providing niche groups for community building.
It is preferably used for reaching a wider and more diverse audience, along with community building and varied content types.
Takeaway,
Building a strong personal brand on social media can be a turning point for your business or brand. By following the tips listed in this blog, you can portray yourself as a thought leader, besides enhancing your business transparency and attracting possibilities, helping to successfully launch your brand. But remember to stay relevant, reliable, and deliberate in your messaging and communication. Keep measuring your development and amending your strategy accordingly.
But with so many social media channels to choose from, it can be challenging to know where to put your energy to engage with your audience. Therefore, Osits is here to help. We have a skilled team of social media marketers that delivers seamless social media marketing services involving insights into the key features of social media, besides reviewing social research, social content, social customer service, social commerce, and social strategy. Don’t wait anymore. Contact us and discover expert tips, strategies, and solutions that boost your social media activities and thus help build your personal brand.
Master personal branding for professional growth now!