Sharing content online allows you to craft an online persona that reflects your own personal values and professional skills (particularly with the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence).Â
Even if you only use social media occasionally, what you create, react to, or share feeds into this public narrative. How you conduct yourself online is now just as important as your behavior offline, especially when it comes to your digital marketing career.
According to âUsing Social Media in the Recruitment Processâ research, 50% of employers are prepared to research job seeker candidates using personal social media profiles. 64% of hiring managers have viewed a candidateâs social network profile (such as LinkedIn) at some point for this purpose.
Building your personal brand on social media takes some work. But done right, it can help advance your career, make valuable connections, become a thought leader, demonstrate self-expression and build a legacy. In this blog, we will explore 10 key steps to help you build a presence on social media. Weâll also look at which social media platform is the best for personal branding?
âLinkedIn is a tool in an employeeâs kit. It can help their career and knowledge. It can help their prospecting and what theyâre doing. They can increase their personal brand, visibility and worth to their current employer and future employerâ
Luan Wise, Marketing Consultant, Speaker and Social Media Trainer
There are estimated to be over 5 billion social media users globally and the average person uses 6.7 different social networks every month, according to Datareportal.
Those figures demonstrate the adoption of social platforms across age groups and locations. But not every account will help build your presence online and with so many networks to keep on top of, how useful is each one to social greatness?
So, conduct an audit and decide which social media channels to focus on. Then delete any old accounts that you no longer use or are serving you no purpose.Â
For the networks you will use, make sure all your information is accurate and complete. This will help you direct and grow traffic to the networks that will showcase you and your work.Â
Everyoneâs an expert at something â whether itâs how to create and distribute great content or having an encyclopedic knowledge of your favorite TV show.Â
In the digital marketing area just think of the experts that people and articles always refer to â plus they have awesome LinkedIn profiles. Thereâs Rand Fishkin who specializes in audience listening, Neil Patel who is the go-to for search marketing and Steve Bartlett, author, Dragonâs Den participant and podcast host.Â
Is it time for you to experiment a bit more? Think about what type of content youâve created that your followers have responded to most. Can you replicate this with similar content or repurpose something that has performed well to re-engage?Â
The more unique and engaging content you create on your chosen topic of expertise, the more your followers will start to think of you as a thought leader in your chosen field.
Building a personal brand has gotten even easier with the advancement of artificial intelligence. By using AI tools, you can create an identity that reflects your values, expertise and aspirations. Â
You can use it for a variety of tasks such as:
Â
In the early days of social media, the more you posted, the more engagement you could drum up. Today, however, over-posting leads to fatigue and annoyance.Â
You want to keep the lines of communication open with your audience, but you also donât want to overshare so much that you look desperate. While there is guidance on the optimum number of social posts for large businesses 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 (see more in the graphic below from Hootsuite), itâs not as clear-cut for small companies or personal branding.
The optimal number of social media posts depends on your industry, audience, number of followers, and your resources.Â
Aim for a sustainable number of posts in your social media strategy across the networks that work for you â a number you can accommodate without putting yourself under too much pressure or suffering burnout.Â
We would recommend the sweet spot for individuals is posting around 3-4 times a week.
As Michael Noice, founder of Entrepreneur Coach, explains, âA once-weekly Twitter post or monthly Instagram photo are not going to accomplish much, if anything. For this reason, itâs best to focus on two or three carefully chosen social networks and try to be active on them, rather than posting sporadically to a half-dozen.â
There will be days when you donât post, and thatâs perfectly fine. Identify the best social media metrics to focus on, analyze the data associated with your posts and identify a pattern that works.Â
If youâre having trouble finding content to share and want more insight into whatâs popular, search via social media hashtags, use news aggregator sites like Feedly, sign up for Google Alerts, or use an AI tool like AnswerthePublic.
You might be amazed to see how many people you already know on the social media networks youâre using. There may be tens, or even hundreds, of people with whom you havenât yet connected with.Â
Thatâs why you shouldnât waste those existing or potential connections. Import your email contacts from Gmail or Outlook, or contacts from your phonebook, into your social networks to find out how many connections youâre missing.Â
LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and X all allow for the free import of a certain number of contacts. You can also sync your phone contacts to your TikTok account.Â
While your goal may be to create an unstoppable personal brand online, make sure it reflects you and your values. While you now know some of the things you should be doing on social media, are you aware of what not to do to make sure your social impression is positive?Â
Think of your interactions and content as a resume of your work, and a reflection of your professional attitude and personality. Reposting othersâ content or curating content is a smart thing to do, but itâs not all you should be doing. You also need to share content that youâve written to demonstrate industry expertise.Â
Creating engaging content means taking a fresh approach to the types of updates you share with your network. Donât be afraid to talk about your achievements, or add engaging tidbits about your personal life (e.g. travel and hobbies are suitable).Â
For example, if you work as a digital nomad, thereâs no shame in showing you working on a beach or giving some insight into what itâs like to travel and work. After all, social media is about individuals first.Â
If you have concerns about not being able to voice your opinions, consider creating two sets of social media accounts: one for private use (say whatever you want), and one for public use (in which your responses and shares are heavily considered). Keep your personal pages private to close friends and family, and use your professional accounts to build new connections and career opportunities.Â
If you want to talk about your employer online, make sure you read through your companyâs social media guidelines before doing so.Â
Facebook and LinkedIn offer great opportunities to join groups focused on specific industries or topics.Â
Just use the search bar on each platform to find groups that are linked to your specific area of expertise. Then youâll be able to share your insights and build authority around your personal brand.Â
However, they arenât the only platforms with group or community-building opportunities. X Communities replaced Twitter Circles in 2023 and was created to give people a place to connect, share, and discuss. These communities are started and managed by people on the platform who enforce rules and keep conversations informative, relevant, and fun.
The newcomer to the social media block, Threads (launched by Meta as a rival to X) has accrued a lot of users since its launch in 2023. As a text-based platform, its goal is community sharing so it could help you reach a new audience and promote yourself. You can also post links, photos, carousels, and videos and cross-post on Instagram.  Â
Although TikTok doesnât yet offer groups it does allow some posts to go to friends only. This can help TikTok creators build a community by only sharing certain posts with the people they choose to follow. TikTok Live (where viewers and creators can interact in real-time) can also feel like a group but are only accessible by TikTokers wanting to join live.
Pinterest is another social channel where you can build a community. Plus itâs not just about followers; but creating a space where people find inspiration, share ideas, and discover new interests. You can use Pinterest Group Boards to get your content shared based on a theme such as âwedding cakesâ.  Â
Keep in mind that industry groups may be overcrowded with competitors, so smaller, topic-based groups may be more fruitful in terms of reaching your audience.
Thereâs also Reddit, the largest platform for online communities and one of the most visited websites in the world. Its real-time user content is also being used to train Googleâs AI model so itâs getting eyes on it from brands.
While platforms like Patreon and discord can create opportunities to connect with like-minded people. Patreon enables creators to earn money income by offering exclusive content and perks to subscribers while Discord is designed for creating communities and supports voice, video, and text chat in a more secure environment.Â
Once youâre a member of a group, donât be afraid to jump into discussions and add your unique insights. It can be difficult to remember that thatâs exactly what social media is about!
Youâve probably already figured out that sticking to your defined persona is important.Â
So itâs important to remain consistent with your ideas and the ways you present them so that youâre seen as memorable and authentic.Â
Finding the tone of voice that works best for your brand may take trial and error. Itâs not about just deciding you want to be funny or inspirational, you need to figure out what style works for you.Â
For example, hereâs a post from Marie Forleo on X. As a business strategist, life coach, and bestselling author, she uses social media to spread positivity and inspire motivation. Her personal brand statement is âBuild a business and life you loveâ which she threads through her social media messaging.Â
While you donât require a graphic design degree to create amazing graphics, you do need an understanding of design fundamentals to provide a seamless user experience and communicate using visuals or text.
This includes color, imagery, typography, and composition. By nailing each of these for your brand, you can create a brand style guide that will help you create a consistent image across digital channels from your website or blog to social and even email.Â
For example, just think about Coca-Cola and how it uses its logo and red color consistently. This could be you, albeit on a smaller scale!
While your brand voice is the content of what you say, tone is how you say it. What this means is that your messages need to change depending on the audience and the platform.Â
Just think about the type of content and tone of posts on LinkedIn. Now compare that to TikTok. Both cater to a different audience and a different purpose so the tone has to change to connect with the user base on each.Â
Your tone will also change depending on what you are communicating or responding to. For example, sharing a post about loving a new product will differ from one responding to a negative comment.Â
Hereâs an example from Oatly who use humor in their copy to promote their products but also show their stance on sustainability and the environment.Â
The key to success here is to understand your audience, know your channels, and keep an eye on tone when creating any content with tone in mind.
Connecting with and collaborating with influencers is a great way to get your brand known, but it can take some time. You have to put time and effort into finding the right one and then developing a relationship before theyâll see you as an expert.
Influencer marketing has changed in recent years. Itâs no longer about the celebrities or heavy hitters on Instagram or TikTok, smaller content creators and influencers can play a key role.  Â
âThe influencer era is gone and there are a lot of brands and small businesses, especially B2B businesses that have been acting like influencers,â said Mark Pollard in a recent DMI webinar.Â
According to Meltwaterâs State of Social Media Report, micro-influencers inspire up to 60% more engagement than other influencers and boast an average engagement rate of 3.86% compared to mega-influencers at only 1.21%.Â
The first thing to do if you want to look at influencer marketing is to find the right influencer. Tools like Meltwater, BuzzSumo, Heepsy and Brandwatch can help you do that.Â
You should then reach out to the influencer, preferably on the social channel they use. Be clear and honest about what youâre looking for and include an action such as arranging a meeting or call.Â
Once youâve secured a partnership or collaboration, use our influencer marketing brief template to share the objectives, terms and details of the project. This helps ensure youâre both on the same page and there are surprises on delivery. Â
The best way to build your personal brand on social media is to understand the fundamentals. Itâs never just a case of posting and then wishing for the best scenario: you need to tailor content for each platform so it connects with your existing and future followers. Â
There are many areas you should have knowledge and experience in to triumph on social platform, such as:
In addition, you need to know the features for each of the key platforms such as Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and the rest to know the best way to leverage them and optimize content for each platform to get the best engagement rate.Â
The âbestâ platform depends on your personal brand, audience, goals and industry.Â
Some platforms will work better than others and itâs always best to limit your social channels so youâre not spreading yourself too thin, especially when itâs just you creating, posting, and managing each one. Â
So letâs look at each key platform to give an overview:
1. Instagram
A visual platform thatâs perfect for sharing images and videos with Stories and using Reels for engaging, ephemeral content. Itâs also great for influencer marketing and hashtags help increase visibility and reach targeted audiences.
Ideal for: Industries with a visual focus like fashion, photography, travel, art, fitness, and lifestyle.
2. X
A real-time platform that is good for sharing insights, news, curating content, and engaging followers through polls and hashtags.Â
Ideal for: Thought leadership, real-time engagement, technology and media industries.
3. YouTube
One of the worldâs largest platforms, itâs used as a search engine, so SEO is key. Video content that performs well are tutorials, behind the scenes, unboxings, interviews, and educational videos.
Ideal for: Content creators, educators, entertainers, and anyone using video content.
4. LinkedIn
A platform with a professional focus thatâs great for showcasing expertise and career achievements. It has tools for publishing long-form content, articles, and industry updates.Â
Ideal for: Professional networking, B2B industries, and career development.
âLinkedIn is not just about posting a CV or resume anymore. It is a valuable business networking tool. I donât think business networks have ever been more important in terms of how people get discovered and how they do business together,â said Luan Wise in a recent podcast.Â
5. TikTok
A must-have platform for Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok features engaging short-form video content (although it has expanded to include 60-minute videos to take on YouTube). Itâs also good for highlighting and discovering trends and challenges that offer viral potential.
Ideal for: Creative professionals, entertainers, and for targeting younger audiences.
6. Facebook
The current largest social platform in terms of users, Facebook offers a range of content types including text, images, videos, and live streams, and offers niche groups for community building.Â
Ideal for: Reaching a broad and diverse audience, community building, and diverse content types.
Looking to grow your online presence, attract more customers, and boost your sales? Our comprehensive Digital Marketing Services are tailored to help you achieve your goals. From SEO, Social Media Marketing, PPC Advertising, to Content Marketing â weâve got you covered!
đš Customized Strategies: We create personalized marketing plans that align with your business objectives.
đš Proven Results: Watch your traffic, engagement, and conversions soar with our data-driven approach.
đš End-to-End Solutions: From planning to execution, we handle everything, so you can focus on what you do best.
Ready to take your business to the next level? Click the image above and letâs make it happen!
Looking for inspiration? Explore these captivating examples of branded content that effectively engage audiences and…
OpenAI's latest AI model, o1, is a significant advancement in AI technology. Equipped with self-fact-checking…
AI chatbots have revolutionized communication and customer service. This comprehensive guide explores the technology behind…
Google's dominance in the search engine market has raised antitrust concerns. This article explores the…
Discover Shopsense AI, a platform that allows music fans to find and purchase fashion dupes…
Explore the potential of publishing content beyond your website to reach a wider audience and…