How to Use Social Media to Build Your Personal Brand

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Social media is a constant tool for communication. This is not some new trend – it has been ongoing for well over 10 years now. Your little sister, as well as your grandmother, are likely to be on social media. This is the new norm, so it shouldn’t surprise you at all. In the grand scheme of things though, this pattern is far from the long-standing norm compared to the behavior of generations before us. For example, your great-great-grandfather did not look to the endless number of digital pages for help in creating a business and turning a profit. This is due to the fact that the internet did not exist. But the secondary reason was just as pertinent – it was not needed.

Why is this? For one, successful business ideas were passed on from father to son – the members of the younger generation only had to go to their elders for advice. In addition, families were usually strong enough that they had established relationships long before the younger generations. This means that when the younger generations grew up, there was a network that helped them make their professional lives run smoothly. Your current life is likely to be very different. This is why you need to find a way of combining the modern trends in social media with the traditional human condition. Amy Jo Martin, the Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty highlighted how to do so, “Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage.”

You may not be able to make it in the corporate world without a strong professional and personal network. Social media has been a great tool for many to help them build their brand and network.  We’ve gathered the opinions and thoughts from people who have succeeded in this endeavor to help you.

Update, Update, and Update

How many social media pages did you visit where the information was not up-to-date? These are usually signs that indicate this. The most recent photos are almost a half-decade old, the occupation is no longer listed, and status updates are rare. This category is much less appealing to outsiders. This is why you need to keep an eye on this.

“Anyone who is inconsistent about updating their personal social media pages will quickly see how it affects their engagement levels,” said Michael Bell, CEO of Manukora. “Social media lacks that face to face element so if outsiders feel like they aren’t seeing a real person, they’re going to take their attention elsewhere.”

Thankfully, there is a simple solution to this – make updating a regular part of the time you spend on social media. Make sure you update your social media accounts with any new images, job changes, or just information about life events. Your followers will notice, as well as those who stumble upon your account.

“Realistically, no one on the internet is telling the crystal clear, truthful, version of their lives”, said Adam Bém, Co-Founder and COO of Victoria VR. “Everyone spices it up a little bit. But, what you should take notice of is that they don’t stop updating their accounts. That’s how they keep the audience interested.”

Consistency Is Key

Engaging is the core of social media. It will be like you aren’t there at all. This goes beyond simply updating your account. Online users not only actively seek out active accounts, but they also look for accounts that are highly-specific. This is what we want for the moment to concentrate on. Think of it like this – social media is the new cable. Both are content to scroll until they find the right thing. It is almost impossible to gain any ground if your content and you are not included in the stream of content. Take your time.

“Let’s say you want to make a career out of social media or just for social media to make a difference in your professional life,” said Patrick Robinson, CEO and Founder of Paskho. “This can’t be a reality if you are not an active and regular participant in it. If you think anything else is going to cut it, that’s nothing more than wishful thinking.”

There are many ways to do this. That is the beauty of social media, actually – it can be whatever you make about it. You might not be a great at creating videos but you love writing detailed posts. It could be that you’re better at one-on-one interactions. Whatever the reason, try to do this thing as often as possible without forcing it.

“The most well-received internet personalities are those who connect with their platform frequently,” said Rachel Reid, CEO of Subtl Beauty. “Your followers should not feel like it’s a treat for your name to appear on their timeline.”

Keep a schedule

“Only the highest tier of the highest tier of content creators and internet personas can get away with maintaining a random schedule of posting new content,” said Adelle Archer, CEO and Co-Founder of Eterneva. “If you’re on a schedule for new content releases or time for communication, your personal brand isn’t going to be going anywhere.”

It may sound difficult, but it is not. This is because most major social networks have built-in features that will allow your schedule to flow seamlessly. You don’t have to be ready at a moment’s notice or plan around certain events if you incorporate this into your plan for building your personal social media brand.

“You would be hard pressed to find a social media site that doesn’t give you the ability to schedule out your postings,” said Bryan Alston, Chief Marketing Officer at Greater Than. “And you would be wise to take advantage of this so your accounts can appear active far more than you really are.”

Social media is about more than just you

One of the biggest problems with social media is that people get so involved in their personal lives and pages that they are unable to see beyond this. This can lead to a serious threat to the longevity and viability of any social media site.

“If I’m being real with you, a lot of the people on social media are so introspective about their accounts that there’s nothing social about what they’re doing,” said Christy Pyrz, Chief Marketing Officer at Paradigm Peptides. “This is why random internet users take notice of accounts to interact with their followers. Assuming you’re in search of such a following, it might be time for you to do the same.”

This might seem counterintuitive. This may seem counterintuitive. If you want to build a reputation and brand of your own, why should you focus on others? Because if you don’t, you will not be able to build any form of a personal brand. Followers and people who engage with your content are the lifeblood of any social network page. This is what will propel you beyond the limits of what you thought social media could do.

“A viral nature, charm, internet buzzwords, and even advertising can only take you so far ,” said Jodi Neuhauser, CEO of Ovaterra. “Your social media brand depends on your communication with other accounts. Losing sight of this will only turn around and bite you.”

Learn from the Best

Would you be able to answer the question of professional competitors reviewing footage of their wins or losses? You won’t, simply because there are so much. However, understanding a little bit of this will help to grow your social media brand.

“Take a scroll through any platform of your choosing to try and find some of the biggest influencers on the platform,” said Susan K. Shaffer, President of Pneuma Nitric Oxide. “Outside of simply being celebrities or popular already, what is it that they do so well that keeps people coming back?”

It will take some research and analysis to find the answer to this question. It took a lot of work to find the answer. The most influential people have shown a great deal of creativity and thoughtfulness, which has helped to elevate their brand to new heights. There is no reason to stop you from learning from them.

“No matter where you turn on the internet, somebody is probably already making content similar to what you’re setting out to do,” said Raina Kumra, Founder and CEO of Spicewell. “Don’t step on their toes as that will just cause drama. You can look at their accounts to see if there are any ways you can do it your way. Sometimes, a tried and true method is the best road forward.”

Social media is one the most open-ended and flexible activities anyone can engage in. It has the power to become whatever users want it be. If you use this power, it can make a huge difference in your life. But as seen above, it’s going to require a lot of you. That being said, don’t shrink back at the thought of this. Instead, consider the words of broadcast journalist Germany Kent who summarized the many capabilities of social media, “If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it wrong.”