In today’s digital era, having an excellent service is not enough. You need to establish a trustworthy, personalised brand for your business.
Internet and social media have given numerous businesses the chance to promote themselves beyond the traditional way. They can be the perfect place to showcase your products, skills and attitude to millions of people all over the world.
A personal brand is very important for every serious business, especially those in the digital industry. The question is, how to do it? Here are five ways you can utilise Internet and social media to pump up your personal brand.
1. Clarify Yourself
One of the worst things you can do on social media is to have half-completed, dormant profiles lingering around on the Internet. It makes an impression that you’re not taking your personal brand seriously.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date with your most recent work history or upcoming projects and that your other profiles such as Google+, Instagram and Twitter are up-to-date, relevant and full.
2. Show Off Your Skills
Whether you’re a designer, social media manager or video editor, there are plenty of platforms to showcase what you can do on without the need for a website to host your portfolio. LinkedIn Publishing is a great way of showing off your writing skills, YouTube is useful for show reels for animators and video editors, and the likes of Pinterest and Instagram are handy tools for graphic designers to promote their work. Pick the right social media platform and showcase your business.
3. Be Active In Discussion
The great thing about social media lies on its social ability. Engage yourself in discussions within your particular sector can be a great way of getting yourself out there and promote yourself. For example, if you’re a budding SEO Manager, taking part in chats about SEO techniques will raise your profile. Search for LinkedIn groups, Google+ communities or Twitter chats that are relevant to your industry and take part in or start your own discussions with fellow professionals. This will increase your authority and build your audience at the same time.
4. Provide Useful Content
Once you’ve got more followers on social media, how do you keep them interested and place yourself as an influencer/authority?
The answer is simple: you need to find useful content related to your industry and skill set, then share it with your followers. Being useful for others is essential. Check out industry blogs, YouTube channels or publications for great content. However, only share content you’ve read it yourself and think it of high-quality.
5. Have A Distinctive Characteristic
During the process of utilising Internet and social media to build your brand, it can be very easy to become stuffy and dull. To avoid this, include some funny content or posts as well. It would be better if you can share some personal, light-hearted content on your social media profiles. However, always make sure the content you’ve shared is appropriate in both prospects and customers’ point of view.