Even if you just use social media sometimes, anything you publish, share, or comment to becomes part of the public record.
These days, how you act online is just as important as how you act in the real world. Building a strong online identity takes time, but it may pay off in the form of new opportunities and connections.
Keep Your Social Media Pages Current.
To get started, pick which of your social media profiles you wish to focus on and close the rest. Be sure everything is correct, and make snappy profiles that tell your story and feature a good headshot.
Here are two strategies used by the same brand on Linkedin and Instagram.
Figure Out What You’re Good At
Producing and disseminating high-quality information or having in-depth knowledge of a certain field are areas in which everyone may claim expertise.
Do you feel like trying something new? Think about the pieces of your own work that have generated the most comments and shares. Is there a way to make something similar using other materials or reuse something to re-engage?
The more original and engaging your Content is, the more of an authority your followers will come to see you as in your chosen industry.
Spread Information Frequently
More frequent posting was a key to getting people to interact with your content in the early days of social media. However, today, writing too much might leave you feeling exhausted and irritated. You need to strike a balance between connecting with your readers/listeners and appearing overly desperate for attention.
Posting three to four times weekly is great for personal branding. It’s better than picking your top two or three channels and spending most of your time there. There will be times when you don’t feel like updating, and that’s fine. Determine which social media metrics are most valuable, review data associated with your posts, and identify a positive trend.
Use social media in tandem with email campaigns.
Email marketing may be used in a variety of ways to boost your social media presence and, by extension, your brand’s visibility. The simplest method is to include links to your various social media profiles in an email signature.
Sharing your social media information via email with a selected email newsletter is another effective strategy. Using an email marketing solution like Hubspot or a similar option, you can set this up to run automatically.
Building a large and engaged fan base on social media requires a steady stream of visitors, and you can get that through your email list. Email newsletters may feature highlights from your most engaging social media content, such as Instagram photos, Linkedin articles, podcast episodes, and YouTube videos.
Make your social media content stand out by using a novel approach
If you want to create an unstoppable online character, your online persona must be true to you. Do you know the kinds of things to avoid doing if you want to keep a good reputation?
Think of all the people you’ve talked to and the things you’ve written as samples of your work and your character. While it’s a good idea to share the work of others on social media, or to curate information, this shouldn’t be your sole tactic. Provide original, high-quality information that demonstrates your expertise in the field.
Unique perspectives on familiar themes will set your writing apart. Don’t be shy about showcasing your achievements and sharing intriguing experiences from your life (such travel and hobbies). After all, social media is all about connecting with other people, and if you do it successfully, you’ll have a following that sticks around for a while.
Engage with influential groups
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all have a plethora of interest-specific groups to join. Use the channel-specific search tools to find communities discussing topics you’re interested in. Then you can share your expertise and build trust in your own brand.
Keep in mind that there may be greater rivalry inside industry groups, so smaller, topic-based groups may be better for reaching your intended audience.
Always Use the Same Brand Voice, Image, and Tone
Keeping your established persona intact is obviously very important to you. You need internal coherence between your ideas and your delivery if you want to be believable and memorable.
You may determine the optimal voice for your personal brand by consulting one of the many available guidelines. Finding the right voice for your company may take some experimentation.
Declaring, “I want to create educational content” isn’t enough; you need to build out your ideas to back up your approach and objectives.
Your brand’s reputation is at stake if one of your profiles is found to contain inappropriate material or photos.
Bottom line
Not being active on social media can have far-reaching consequences, especially in the professional sphere, for those who fail to keep up with the times. Gaining brand credibility quickly and making the most of your social media following are both facilitated by having a plan in place for how to manage various areas of your online presence.
While these guidelines might be useful, it’s important to remember that every company has its own unique objectives, and your social media strategy will need to adapt to those in order to be a success.