7 Tips For Building A Personal Brand On Social Media

Building a personal brand on social media can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and professionals looking to stand out from others and create opportunities for themselves. Whether you're an entrepreneur, consultant, coach, artist or influencer, social media can provide a platform to showcase your expertise, knowledge and skills, and help you connect with a wider audience while staying front and center of your warm market.

Social media has changed my life. I went from being a mechanical engineer to now running a successful digital marketing agency. In helping over 1,000 businesses with building a brand using social media over the past four years, I've learned what it takes to build a strong brand that lasts. Here are some tips on how to build a personal brand on social media.

Determine your unique value proposition.

This is what sets you apart from others in your field or industry. It's your niche, area of expertise, passions and/or interests. To build a personal brand, it's important to identify your unique value proposition and focus your content and messaging around it.

For example, if you're a marketing consultant specializing in social media, your unique value proposition might be your experience and expertise in helping different types of businesses with their social media strategy—specifically your ability to create engaging content that resonates with a target audience. To gain clients, the marketing consultant's message would be based on helping clients' businesses by teaching them how to properly leverage social media.

Develop a consistent visual brand.

Your visual branding is the look and feel of your personal brand and can help people recognize you from platform to platform. Choose colors and fonts that reflect your brand personality and use them consistently across all of your social profiles.

For example, I want my personal brand to be professional, classy and high-end. So, my primary colors are black and white—classic and modern—with a splash of red to add some color here and there. (The color red itself is a power color, so it's a nice touch to my neutral and classy black and white.)

Share engaging and relevant content.

The content you share on social media should be informative, engaging and relevant to your niche. Share content that showcases your expertise, highlights your unique perspective and provides value to your audience.

For example, if you're a fitness influencer, you might share workout tips, healthy recipes and motivational quotes. Sharing valuable content helps build credibility and attracts a loyal following. Be consistent with your content posting schedule and mix up the type of content you share, such as images, videos and written posts.

Engage with your audience.

Engaging with your audience helps build relationships. Be authentic and genuine in your interactions and take the time to respond to comments and messages (including direct messages). Include yourself in discussions and don't be afraid to ask for feedback.

Create a blog or podcast.

Creating a blog or podcast can help establish you as an authority in your field and provide valuable content to your audience. Blogging and podcasting allow you to go in-depth on topics related to your niche and provide insights that can't be shared in a social media post. Creating a blog or podcast also gives you the opportunity to repurpose content for social media and attract a wider audience.

Attend events and conferences.

Attending events and conferences related to your industry can help you network and establish valuable connections. The goal should be meeting new people and learning new things. Share your experiences on social media to showcase your industry knowledge and build credibility.

Utilize paid advertising.

Paid advertising on social media can help increase your reach and attract new followers since it allows you to get your content in front of a wider targeted audience. Paid advertising on social media allows you to target consumer interests and geographical locations as specific as zip codes and street blocks. Also, paid ads can give you a tremendous amount of data on the people you are targeting.

Building a personal brand on social media can be a powerful way to showcase your expertise, build relationships with your audience and create opportunities for yourself. By following these tips above, you can build a strong personal brand that helps you stand out in your industry. Remember to stay true to your brand personality, be authentic in your interactions, and stay consistent with your content posting schedule.