Are you asking yourself regularly if you can improve your own personal branding on social media or are you at the stage where you are asking yourself if you should be rebranding yourself completely?
We can always be improving our personal branding on social media but sometimes we need something different, a different way to see things. How we brand ourselves online is important and can change the trajectory of our lives in a positive way!
I believe that your personal brand and what you do with it can be the difference between success and failure. Recently i was speaking to world class business coach and author Alan Weiss who said if there was one thing that he would put at the top of his list of things to do to build your business was to constantly work on your brand!
I would like to share with you Dr. Rick Goodman’s 10 Best Personal Branding Tips that will boost your social media profile and increase your business.
Tips for Branding on Social Media
1. Reframe your way of thinking.
I have a saying “if you want to win the lottery you have to buy a ticket” If you are going to build your personal brand you have to put yourself out there especially when it comes to social media.
Social media today is not just about posting pictures of your pets or your vacations. The purpose of being visible on social media is for you to demonstrate your true skills across multiple platforms that can be consumed by many diverse audiences worldwide.
2. Define and determine your superpower.
Your personal brand is going to be your road map for where you want to go based on the problems you solve. It’s important to assess your strengths and weaknesses in addition to assessing which industry would benefit the most from your expertise. Every client wants four things: Pain relief, solutions, benefits and results. Determine and match your branding and strengths based on your highest and best use and the solutions you provide to your clients.
3. Define your target market.
It’s hard to reach your goals if they are not specific. The same goes for your personal brand. You can’t build your brand effectively if you have not determined your target market. The sooner you define your audience and target market, the easier it will be to create your brand story which will solve their problems.
As an example, I work with companies to help them increase employee engagement, develop future leaders and grow their business. My target markets are Human Resource Professionals, CEOs and Vice Presidents of Sales. I provide them with solutions that increase engagement and drive profit.
4. Do your homework.
A good friend of mine Sam Richter who is one of the world’s foremost sales intelligence and digital reputation experts talks about the importance of doing your homework. Research some of the top experts in your desired target market. Look at the industry publications to see the types of articles they publish.
This way you can start positioning material for yourself. Who do most leaders want to do business with? Someone who knows nothing about their industry or someone who has done their homework?
I think you know the answer…
5. Put yourself out there!
My daughter and I were interviewed on the Today show for a book we had written together called “Jamie’s Journey
Travels with My Dad”. It is a story about my 24 day trip with my sixteen year old who is now twenty-four. We traveled to Europe and the Middle East with no cell phones or technology.
We actually had to talk to each other! When the TV anchor told Jamie “that she appeared to not be very social” Jamie responded, “my dad is everywhere!” Suffice to say, you need to be everywhere and, on every platform, where your target market consumes information.
Those platforms could be LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. The best platforms in my opinion are your own website, your own podcast and your own blog. People consume information in many different ways, and you need to be prepared to deliver in all of them.
6. Share and give your knowledge freely.
Make sure to share your content with everyone in consumable bites. Our attention spans have gotten shorter over the years so if you can communicate in sound bites your message has a better chance of being retained by your target audience.
7. Prepare your elevator speech for concise communication.
I have been asked by clients over the years what is the purpose of having an elevator speech? My response is simple. You have less than 30 seconds to make an impression on someone.
They are judging you from the second you connect with them. If you want to succeed in promoting your brand you only have a few seconds to accomplish this.
We call it an elevator speech because if you were in an elevator and someone asked you what you did for a living? You have from the time the elevator door closes until they get to their floor to explain your superpower. So be concise and succinct with your elevator speech.
8. Engage and network with others.
True engagement is a conversation, it’s not just pushing out your content without connecting to your audience. In fact, the more you engage with others on LinkedIn, the more you will be found. You can do this by liking someone’s post, making a comment or even leaving a piece of useful information in their comment section that will be appreciated by their audience and will position you as an expert.
9. Ask for recommendations from friends and colleagues.
I always say “if you don’t A.S.K. you won’t G.E.T.” What’s the worst thing that can happen? If the person says no, you’re in the same position you were a few seconds before. If they say yes you just went to the next level! So why not risk a yes and ask for recommendations from past and present clients and give recommendations as well. True engagement is a two-way street!
10. Your personal brand follows you.
Remember your personal brand is not just online it follows you wherever you go. In today’s highly engaged planet everyone is a walking Reporter. Your reputation is everything and the true test is who you are as a person and a brand when nobody is watching.
Leadership is based on how you behave, how you act and how you interact with people. Your story combined with your daily social interactions is what will define your personal brand in the long run.
If you’re interested in repositioning your brand or reinventing your business by building your personal brand reach out to me directly at info@rickgoodman.com. Or call us at 888-267-6098.
Ask us about our personal brand building strategy sessions that can reposition your brand for today’s changing world.