When I say ‘startup ecosystem,’ what is the first name that comes to your mind? Was it Kunal Shah? Say ‘digital creators,’ and Ranveer Allahbadia comes to mind. ‘Personal finance’? Sharan Hegde.
But why does this happen? There are so many other creators just like them, why don’t we think of their names. Well, this is the power of personal branding. And people still don’t realize how influential it can be.
So, how do you build a social media proof personal brand? If you want to know then keep reading.
What is Personal Branding?
It is a simple concept, putting yourself or your skill out there for the world to see and presenting it in a pretty package. Also, you don’t need a separate brand to want to build a personal brand. It’s about shaping the audience’s perception about you.
But do you really need it? Especially, if you are an introvert?
Yes, absolutely! Because customers are 77% (if you’re a CEO) and 82% (if you’re a senior executive) likely to trust your brand when you’re on social media (source).
When the target audience knows what you’re like, your values, and how you work, they are likely to connect more. This builds a positive brand image for you and your brand.
However, personal branding isn’t just for the senior executives; it can also help you get better jobs and become a valued member in your sector. You can choose a platform that works in your niche and is liked by your target audience to create an effective personal branding strategy.
10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media
Honestly, it takes a lot more than these 10 steps to build an effective and recognized personal brand. These steps are just the foundation.
Step 1: Choose a social media platform
It’s obvious, the first step is choosing which platform will work the best for what results you want to achieve. Being on every possible social media platform isn’t the right use of your very limited time. Instead, focus on a few relevant apps where your target audience is active.
For example, if you work in D2C, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram will work for you. However, B2B business people who need to show their expertise, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) will suit them more.
Step 2: Create your brand identity
Like brands need brand identity, so do you. Building a unique identity is important for a well-rounded marketing strategy. The point is to focus on your personal voice, tone, and visual elements.
Also authenticity is critical to stand out. For example, your brand messaging could be related to the thought that pushed you to create your company or a value that helps you overcome challenges in your career.
Step 3: Optimize your profiles for personal branding
You’ve got the base ready, it’s time to up the ideas into action. Start with creating an account on your preferred social media platforms.
Then remove unnecessary accounts which are associated with you and might distract you and your target audience. Create a profile that reflects exactly who you are and your values. You can also mention your company as a CTA for your brand/company in your bio.
You’ll need a reliable but strong bio, which reflects you in a few words. And stay consistent with the brand identity throughout your profile to gain customers’ trust.
Step 4: Create authentic, intent-based content (short and long form)
Your voice is what will attract the audience. Stay authentic and relatable, post what speaks to your personality and values. And consistency, this is the formula for building strong and loyal followers on social media. Create a mix of candid and strategic content.
Use candid content to resonate with your audience like real-life moments, whether it’s your vacation/work or a mess-up. And strategic content to educate, entertain, and engage the audience with your personal brand.
You can use short-form content for reels, TikTok, or Shorts. It helps you stay in the algorithm and reach your target audience. Post long-form content like long videos or articles to showcase your expertise.
Both of these should cater to different intents, such as sharing knowledge, entertaining the viewer, or promoting your business. Create a mix of intent-based content based on your industry and target audience.
Step 5: Set up the posting schedule for consistency
Yes, consistency needs its own step. Not just consistency, but a consistent plan is what keeps the algorithm and your audience engaged. Post a short-form video or a long-form article at a fixed time to ensure your audience knows when you’re posting and maximize engagement and reach.
But this doesn’t mean you need to post daily. The number of posts per day and week depends on your niche and the social media platform. So, 3-5 weekly LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok posts are enough. Once a week is good for long-form videos on YouTube.
Use advanced social media management tools like Meta, Buffer, or Hootsuite to maintain consistency in your content and post timing.
Step 6: Engage your audience
You caught your audience’s eye, but what will keep them coming back? Interacting and engaging with them. Comment, reply, and like your target audience’s posts and comments to show that their response is valued.
Focus on the issues they raise and offer some solutions to build brand trust and customer loyalty. You can post polls or create a post to get all their queries and then respond to them to make your target audience feel more involved. It also helps you find inspiration to improve your company’s product/service.
Step 7: Repurpose your content
Creating new content is an exhausting endeavor. The solution, repurpose old content. Use old videos to create a newer version or redirect users to the old content. You can also create a stitch on your old video to create a new one. Infographic posts from your long blog or article or make a post from video content can work too. This repurposing helps you save money and time. Additionally, this repurposing also enables you to drive your target audience to your other social media accounts for better engagement and strengthen your personal brand.
Step 8: Join or create communities
Communities are an underrated gold mine. Joining a community which aligns with your interest is a great way to improve your brand visibility. Communities like these connect with your industry folks and build your network.
You can also create a community of your own with your followers to strengthen the bond and improve engagement. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram help you efficiently build and manage a community.
Step 9: Invest in cross-platform tools
If you want to build a personal brand on social media, you must master a few tools for content creation & management, post scheduling, and performance analysis.
Cross-platform tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, Loomly, Typefully, and Sprout Social help you manage your content across different platforms from a single site. It automates many tasks and helps you save time, stay consistent, and avoid any mistakes.
Step 10: Track your social media performance
You threw the dart with perfect technique but if you can’t see where it landed, well the probability of a bull-eye is very low. Tracking your metrics will help you identify what’s working and what’s not.
That way you can optimize your content and brand elements accordingly. A few KPIs for tracking performance of personal branding strategy are impressions, click-through rate, post engagement, and growth in followers/subscribers.
Conclusion
Building a personal brand on social media helps you gain your target audience’s trust. Whether you’re a business executive or a professional, personal branding is necessary. When you create authentic content on a few selected platforms for your target audience, you can gain their trust. You should use cross-platform tools to manage your posts across different platforms to stay consistent and build a strong
brand image. Four Pillars Media Agency is here to help you create a tailored personal branding strategy to help you grow online! Contact us for consultation.
FAQs
1. How to build your personal brand?
You can build your personal brand through various platforms, posting content and engaging with your target audience. Create an authentic brand identity that helps you express a certain emotion. Engage with your audience on social media to know their problems and be relevant.
2. How often should I post on social media to build a personal brand?
There is now a fixed number for how many times you should post. However, here are a few ideal posting schedules:
- 3-5 posts a week on image and video platforms.
- 2-3 super short texts on Twitter or Threads.
- 1-2 long-form written pieces in a week for better engagement.
3. What are the benefits of personal branding on social media?
The following are a few benefits of personal branding on social media:
- Attract the target audience
- Build a credible brand image
- Create an online community
- Improve your brand visibility
- Positive marketing for your company
- Gain a competitive advantage
4. What are common personal branding mistakes?
A few common personal branding mistakes people often make are:
- Trying to use all the social media platforms
- Faking a personality to impress an audience
- Copying other creators
- Not having a content strategy
- Not doing performance analysis and tracking
- Focusing too much on followers