Author : Joann Emale
When you think of the word Brand, you think companies, entities, or even products within your home. Brand, by definition, is a type of product made by a particular company, or an identifying mark that shows representation of an organization or thing. Branding is the focal point of marketing.
I consider myself a brand of sorts. At first glance of my social media, you would assume I am a pageant competitor. Which is correct. I compete in beauty pageants, but I am also a brand manager, a communication specialist, and a writer for the Culture Supplier. My brand cannot be summed up in one elaborate sentence, but by successfully branding myself in one regard, opens the doors for conversation about the other aspects of myself that professionals would be intrigued by.
Here is a list of tidbits for your social media that help brand you and help you stand out amongst my peers, competitors, and business professional.
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If you are a dancer, I want to see you DANCE!
Unlike our parents who did not have the luxury of internet, we are surrounded by millions of outlets to showcase our talent and skills.. If you are a gardener, a dancer, or even a locksmith, you need to post content showcasing your passion! Why? Well let’s say I was looking for a dance team to perform at a halftime show. Once I find a list of teams, I am going to first look for videos of their work to see if they are even worthwhile. In branding, you can control the content that is put out. If you want to be booked for a show, first impressions are everything! Make sure you have plenty of well-crafted videos, documents, or links that can connect your audience to your BEST work.
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Keep it CURRENT!
Nobody wants to keep seeing your #TBT to a past event. Show people that you are actively progressing in the field and in your craft. I have someone on my timeline that constantly relives their hay day, but I have yet to see current post about anything recent that has been done by them. Keep it creative, current, and fresh!
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Have a FOCUS!
You can be a jack of all trades and a master at none! Having many skills is admirable and sought after by employers, or business partners, but you have to have a focus when building your brand. For example, Chris Brown entered the entertainment industry as an R&B singer. We then quickly found out that he is an amazing dancer, graphic artist, and can crossover his sound into other genres. His initial focus was being a R&B singer. That attracted us to learn more about him.
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Don’t be so social on your business Social media!
We are still having to teach social media etiquette in 2016 guys? If you are an online business owner either minimalize the amount of personal life information that is on your business social media, or make a separate account for each! Claire Sulmers is a prime example of how you should handle you social media. She has Fashion Bomb Daily as its own entity, but embedded content of her personal site on her Fashion Bomb Daily social media page so you can find her personal page. Classy, simple way to plug yourself.
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Keep all you profile pics the same on all social media sites!
On all my social media, from Facebook to Instagram, my profile pic is the same. This allows my followers to know that each page is connected to me. On my business cards, I also have the photo that I use on all my socials on the card itself, with my social media handles. Everything must tie together when you build your brand.
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Show partnerships with like-minded individuals!
You want to show your following that you are engaged in your community. If you are a fashion stylist, post content engaging with other fashionistas! Everything is about who you know. You never know, maybe someone will decide to work with you based on the rapport you have with someone they know. Branch out into you industry and connect with your peers.
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Engage with your followers!
If people write you about what you do, or the content on your page, respond! You want to show your personality and also connect with people that are supporting you. When people respond to your content, that mean: A) it caught their attention and B) the content you posted required enough attention for a response.
I hope these few tidbits allowed you to continue to build your brand. Even if you are an entertainer, or a regular 9 to 5 person, your social media is a direct reflection of who you are. Let it be great!
