10 STEPS TO BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Hi there, this is Social Media Boss Lady on another episode of Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs. Yay! Okay, so let's get down to business. Okay, so the concept of personal branding has evolved at a rapid pace in recent years. So it's not just consultants, coaches, and bloggers looking to build credibility anymore. I mean, influencers, executives, and even, I mean, new high school leavers are looking for their first job. I mean, looking for their first job, actually joining the party. So your personal brand is more important than ever, and everyone needs to be deliberately thinking about how they are perceived in the digital world. So whether you are applying for a CEO position in a Fortune 500 company, or you're submitting a graduate application to a tech giant, or you're even trying to convince your first business clients to buy your services, you can almost guarantee that people making the decision will take a look at you online. No doubt. Maybe they'll start by Googling your name, and then they'll jump on Facebook and Instagram and then YouTube and see what type of digital footprint you've created. I mean, good, bad, or ugly, your digital footprint is your unique personal brand, and it's the first impression of the modern business world. So how do you create a great first impression? How do you build a personal brand that you are proud of? Well, I have 10 tips that can help you get on track. This is Social Media Boss Lady. Stay tuned and we'll be right back. Believe it or not, there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to do social media. I mean, do you know all the benefits of consistently posting? I mean, without spending all day doing it? Here's what the wrong way looks like. You spend hours researching the competition, what they say, how often they post, etc. You spend more hours figuring out what to say. You spend the time and/or money to create articles, graphics, and more content to share. You post on all your social media channels. And after spending so much time on social, you still have to attend to other parts of your business. Not to mention, you still have to get clients. What's worse? Not being consistent, not having a strong presence, and not having relevant messaging can actually hurt your business. But here's the real problem. Too often, it's not just practical for small business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs with limited time and resources to fully maximize their social media, because social media takes consistency and frankly a lot of work. So if you're interested in learning how to master social media and automate it so that you can receive the maximum benefits without sacrificing your time, click here on the link in the episode notes to join me at Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs, either the Facebook group or the LinkedIn group. In there, you will learn the only social networks that 99.9% of businesses should be caring about to get in front of their best prospects. You also learn the single biggest myth about social media marketing that holds many businesses back. You'll also learn exactly what you need to be posting on your social profiles to stay relevant with your prospects and to establish you as an authority in your industry. You'll also learn how often you should be posting to build brand awareness and to stay top of mind with your ideal clients. You'll learn the single most important factor you need to know in order to have success with your social media marketing. And last but not least, you'll also learn how to automate this entire system so that you barely have to lift a finger. This is extremely helpful for you if you ever find yourself struggling to keep up with social media and stay consistent. See you there. So sharing online allows you to create an online persona that reflects your personal value and professional skills. So even if you only use social media occasionally, the content you create, share, or react to feeds into this public narrative. So how you conduct yourself online is now just as important as your behavior offline. So building your personal brand on social media takes some work, but it could land you your next job opportunity or or help you foster valuable connections. So what I want you to do is to follow the next steps, the next 10, the next 10 steps that I'm gonna give you to ensure that your online branding is working for you. Okay, so step 1 is that fully update your social media accounts. Now you need to decide which social media accounts you are going to focus on. And delete any old accounts that you are no longer using. Okay, so for the networks that you'll be using, make sure that all your information is complete and accurate. Okay, now this would help you build traffic to the networks that you want to showcase your work. It can also remove any potential questionable content from, um, years past that doesn't have any positive effect on your professional image. Okay, so number 1 is fully update your social media accounts. Now step 2 is identify your area of expertise. Now everyone is an expert at something, okay, whether it's content marketing or having an encyclopedia or an encyclopedic knowledge actually of your favorite TV show, okay. You know every— everybody on the cast, you know the next storyline, you know everything. Now, is it time for you to experiment a little bit more? What type of content have you created that most of your followers have responded to the most? Can you also now replicate this behavior, um, with other similar content? So 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 leader in your chosen field. So you need to identify your area of expertise to create a personal brand on social media. Okay, now step 3 would be, um, you need to make posting very easy with apps. Now, forgotten passwords, busy day jobs, and content creation, uh, maintaining an online presence— trust me, it can be time-consuming. Not that it can be time-consuming, it is time-consuming. But, but, but, but there are many social media apps at hand that can make life easy. Yes, I have to say that there are. There's Sprouts, there's Buffer, there's Hootsuite, there's SocialPilot, there's, uh, Postfitti. There, there's so many, and they all connect to your social media networks or accounts, and they allow you to cross-post across different social networks and even to schedule your posts. So basically, it's removing the need to log into multiple, um, social websites. Well, most most of the major social networks are Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram too, Pinterest sometimes. Some of those networks are actually compatible with this application, so you could test it out. So step 3 is that you need to make posting easy for you on social media with apps. Okay, step 4 would be Share content on a regular basis. Now I need to say that step again: share content on a regular basis. Now in the early days of social media, the more you posted, the more engagement you could drum up. Today, however, overposting—yes, I know—leads to fatigue and annoyance. You definitely want to keep the lines of communication open with. Um, your audience, but you also do not want to overshare much so that you don't look desperate. Okay, so the sweet spot actually is posting around, um, let's say 3 to 4 times per week for individuals. Uh, now this is also dependent on the social platform, but roughly around the time Now I think the founder of Entrepreneur Coach, which is, uh, what's his name again? Yeah, Michael Knowles. Now he explains that, um, uh, like what he said was that, and I quote, I quote him, he said that, um, a once-weekly Twitter post or monthly Instagram photo are not going to accomplish much, if anything. So for this reason, it's best to focus on on 2 or 3 carefully chosen social networks and try to be active on them rather than posting sporadically to half a dozen. I, I guess that his statement is so clear, it's so clear. So there'll be days definitely when you don't post, and that's perfectly fine. Analyze the data that's associated with your post and identify a pattern that works for you. Okay, so if you're having trouble finding content to share and you definitely want more insight on what's popular among users, try finding, um, try, try searching, um, through hashtags. You could try searching through hashtags on Twitter. Um, you could use, um, news aggregator sites, um, like Feedly, or you could sign up for Google Alerts. And definitely with that, you'd be able to get insight into what's popular among users and know the kind of content, um, people search for, and then you can start posting. Okay, so that's step 4, which is share content on a regular basis. Now step 5 is, um, create and curate engaging content. Now create and curate, that's C-U-R-A-T-E. Curate engaging content. Now, reposting or curating other people— other, other people's content is always a very smart thing to, to do, but it's not all you should be doing to build your personal brand. Get that in head. I'm gonna say that again. Reposting or curating other people's content is always a very smart thing to do, but it's not all you should be doing to build your personal brand. You also need to share content that you have written yourself, right, to demonstrate your expertise within your industry. Now, this type of content shows you have knowledge of the latest trends in that industry and how it is evolving. Okay, so creating engaging content means taking a a fresh approach. Yeah, taking a fresh approach to the types of updates you share with your network. Okay, so don't be too afraid sometimes to occasionally talk about your own achievements or even add engaging tidbits about your personal life, topics like travel, hobbies, etc. Things like that, you could add that too. They're very, very suitable. Okay, so after all, social media is all about individuals first. I mean, it's not just only about selling, selling, selling. It's about you connecting with people, creating that connection. And sometimes when you share some of this information, it provides your audience with a very glimpse— with a glimpse of really of who you are really as a person and what you are about. Yes, just be sure that you don't over overshare or make it just all about you. Me, me, me, me, me. Yeah, so that's step 5, create and curate engaging content. I will take a break from here and we'll be back shortly with the remaining 5 steps on growing your personal brand on social media. See you soon. So online marketing is changing all the time and at a high speed. So I want to ask you, do you struggle to keep up with it all? My goal is actually to make that easier for you with my marketing tactics for entrepreneurs. And it's the biggest thing I have attempted since I got locked down at home. I mean, there's so much information in such a short space of time that it's difficult to know what to focus on and what to take action on. So let's face it, I mean, without implementation, learning theories isn't worth much. You might take a lot of notes, but if you don't take action straight away, they quickly pile up. They build up and pile up into a list of to-dos which you likely would never have time to get through. I've been there. So it becomes so much that you might not even, even think to begin to try. And this is what happens to a lot of entrepreneurs. I'm an entrepreneur, so I know how you feel. So it's a slippery slope that leads to being out of touch with your current market and the tools to stay relevant to your customers. I mean, I get a lot of questions about how I keep up to date with digital marketing enough to get results. The thing is that I don't have time actually to read up on the tactics and strategies in the digital marketing industry, it would pretty much take up much of my day. So instead, I learn a little bit every single day because actually consistency has been the key to a steady learning curve and action taking. And I want to encourage you to do the same. I mean, the past couple of months I've worked together with my team members on, um, how to help you to do this. And here's how it works. So just give me 5 minutes of your morning, right? Discover, Let's say more than 5 minutes, actually. Yes. So discover the number one marketing tactic of a proven expert, follow the step-by-step instructions, and steadily grow your business every single day. Now, if you're sitting in front of your screen, either your mobile phone or your laptop or your desktop or whatever, and you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed with your marketing, that it's not setting things on fire, I just want you to know that a remedy has come. I'm Ruth Kushamiju, aka Social Media Boss Lady, founder at Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs, and I'm going to share with you more about what the Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs group is and how you can get free access. That's if you want to get in. Okay, so basically the entrepreneur has to resist the weight accumulating on him or her, tied to her, tied to you, dragging you backwards. You need to resist the chorus of voices of no, that you can't, that that's not how we do it, that we didn't budget for that, that we need to wait. Then that's not a good time, or let's form a committee to study it, etc. And then, um, we form a committee to study it and then grow it around the measure of success, and then we strangle it. As entrepreneurs, we have to stay hungry, we have to stay thirsty, we have to be quick, we have to be agile, we have to be opportunistic. And you're about to join a group of like-minded entrepreneurs who are no longer lonely but participate in an exchange of ideas through different marketing tactics, events, programs, platforms, etc. Basically, it's your personality, your storytelling, and your ability to set yourself and your products apart from the mundane and generic things that surrounds. Join my Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs Facebook group or LinkedIn group. You'll find the links to the groups in the showcase notes below, and I hope to see you guys very, very soon. Take care and have a wonderful day, and I'll see you on the next episode of Marketing Tactics And we are back. Yes, on the 6th tip on personal branding, or the 6th step, which is importing your contacts. Now, you may be amazed to see how many people you already know on the social media networks that you're using. So you can start by following people that you already know. So there might be tens, there might be even hundreds of people with whom you haven't even connected with. So what you need to do is that import your email contacts from Gmail, from Outlook— well, those of you that are still using Yahoo, you can import them— or even from contacts in your phone book into— import them into your social networks to find out how many connections that you are missing. Um, the networks like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, they all allow you for free import of a certain number of contacts, do that. Okay, so, um, step 7 is keep it positive. Now you now know that, um, some of the things, uh, you— well, as a user of social media, you know some of the things that you should be doing on social media to build the best social impression for yourself. But do you know things that you should not do to keep that impression a positive one. So think of your social media interactions and your content creation as part of a resume of your work and also as a reflection of your professional attitude and your overall personality. Okay, so avoid inflammatory religious or racial comments and be very careful when making political commentary that others may find offensive. So if you have concerns about not being able to voice your opinions to the extent that you wish, well, you could, um, consider creating 2 sets of social media accounts. Well, one for private use— basically you can say whatever it is you want to say there— and then one for personal use in which your responses and your shares are heavily calculated. So You can keep your personal pages private to just close friends and family, and then use your professional accounts to build more and new connections and career opportunities. Okay, so that's step 7, keep it positive. Now step 8 is find and join groups. Now Facebook and LinkedIn both offer thousands of opportunities to join groups focused on specific industries or topics. So you can use the search bar on each network to find groups that are linked to your specific area of expertise, and then you'd be able to share your insights, be able to build authority around your personal brand. But always keep in mind that these, um, industry groups sometimes could be overcrowded with your competitors. So what I'd advise is that, um, smaller topic-based groups maybe more fruitful in terms of reaching your ideal target audience. Okay, so usually these social media groups, they can help you with, um, challenging and motivating you. They can help you, uh, push— well, they can push you to achieve your goals. They help keep you accountable. They help you get ideas. They help you receive feedback. They help you gain confidence. Expand your skills. With the groups, you can test your knowledge, you can develop leadership skills, you could help others, you could do good, you could make friends, you could also discover new opportunities. Now, once basically you are a member of your preferred social media groups, don't be afraid really to jump into discussions and add your unique voice, um, or add your unique insights. It, it could be difficult sometimes to remember that that's That's basically what social media is all about. So don't be afraid to really like jump into the conversations, because if you simply join a group and you don't participate, you, you won't really gain any of the benefits that I, I've been reeling out just before I started talking about, um, you jumping into the groups, like expanding your knowledge, gaining confidence, helping others, doing good, getting new opportunities, and all that. You won't be able to gain any of those benefits. But on the other hand, when you show that you are responsive, it will help you build your personal brand in larger communities beyond your own. Okay, so that's it on step 8. Now step 9 is keep your brand voice, image, and tone consistent. Now you've probably figured out already— I mean, I've gone through 8 steps already, I'm on the 9th one, so definitely you would have figured out already that sticking to your defined persona is important. Now, so just take this scenario for instance. If a political, uh, a popular political commentator suddenly and radically switches parties, I mean, no doubt he or she would lose a lot of fans overnight. So you must always, always, always remain consistent with your ideas and the ways you present them so that you are memorable and trustworthy. Also, the tone of voice, um, that you use for your brand— you need to find that voice because sometimes you might need to go a bit into trial and error before you find out the voice that works for you. But there are definitely personal branding guides that you can use to determine the best fit for you because it's not easy to say that I want to be funny You need to definitely develop your ideas to support whatever approach it is that you're going to take. So just follow your brand's guidelines to help you control people's perception about you, because the fact is that you can damage a flawless, a flawless reputation that you have created for yourself if one of your profiles shows up with content or images that don't match up with your brand's voice. So the keynote here is that keep your brand voice, your image, and your tone consistent. And last but not the least step, which is studying influencers. Now, connecting with and collaborating with influencers is a very, very great way to get your brand known, but it also takes some time. It takes time because you have to spend time developing relationship with these relationships with these influencers before they even see you as an expert. LinkedIn, I know, is a very great place to find and engage with other experts in your industry, as are several influencer marketing tools. Now, once you find the top influencers in your area, analyze their networks, posting habits, and the content to determine what you could be doing better. You need to also notice how their followers, um, respond to what they post and, um, also learn best practices from their personal branding strategies and execution. So you need to study the influencers. Yes, connect with them, but study their approach. It takes time, but you get there. So basically creating— I've gone through 10 steps really in creating a personal brand, and I'll reel them off again The first one is, um, ensure that your social media accounts are fully updated. Identify your area of expertise, which is number 2. Number 3 is make posting easy with apps. Number 4 is share content on a regular basis. Number 5 is create and curate engaging content. Number 6 is import your contacts. Number 7 is keep it positive. Number 8 is find and join groups. Number 9 is keep your brand voice and tone and image consistent. And last but not the least is study influencers. Now, creating a personal brand on social media isn't easy. I will tell you firsthand, it is not easy. It requires a lot of thought and research to do successfully, and it's not about what you look like or where you live. It's about what you stand for and what people should expect when they see you, that you have posted a new piece of content. So when you're creating a personal brand on social media, always think long term and remember, remember to take note of what's working and what's not working. And then adjust as necessary. All right, this is Social Media Boss Lady signing out on this episode of Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs. It was great having you guys on the show, and then you can go through the episode notes if you have any questions. Feel free to reach out to me on my social media handles. And then definitely we'll take it on from there. So see you guys on the next episode for Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs. Take care. Bye.