Mar 14, 2019

Jumpstart Your Personal Brand On Social

By: Josh Dougherty

Branding

Are you a business owner, founder, or c-suite executive? We've got a massive amount of respect for who you are and what you do. Maintaining growth while keeping everything on the rails is a massive job. The weight you carry is huge. The list of todos is endless.

I have one more thing to add to your list: personal branding.

Why add another thing to the list, you ask? The answer is simple. The growth of your online influence will exponentially impact the growth of your business. In fact, we believe it's a vital asset to your business. I wrote about this earlier this year.

Not sure where to start? You're in luck. Follow the simple steps below to start growing your influence on social and you'll be up and running.

Step 1) Start Building Your Professional Network

The first step to being an influencer on social media is to connect with other people in your industry. You've probably already done this by nature of being in business.

The two best networks to get started on are LinkedIn and Twitter. We recommend starting with the people that you know in the industry. Connect with them, start liking their posts, then comment. If you do this for a while you’ll start finding a ton more people to connect with.

Maybe you remember the day when LinkedIn was just for job seekers. That's not the case anymore. Lean into being social and helping people out. It will be rewarding.

Step 2) Be Bold About Sharing Your Expertise And What You Do

Now it’s your turn to share. You’re an expert in your industry (and in running a business). Share your own original content and let people see how cool your job is. Video and images are a major plus as they’ll help people connect with your work even more (we'd even say they're a must). Think about sharing things like:

  • Why you love working at your business
  • Tricks you’ve learned over the years that help you do your work better
  • Things that you're passionate about

Tip 3: Promote Your Organization's Content, And Your Opinion

If your business has a content program, we recommend sharing that content on a regular basis. Your post will get more clicks than the corporate post, trust me. People trust you more than your brand.

An easy way to get started is to choose a post each week that you think is valuable and share it on your social channels. Don’t just post it though. Make sure you tell your followers why you think this post will benefit them.

Step 4: Start (And Engage In) Conversations!

Post more than opinions. Remember, social is two way. Ask questions, encourage responses, congratulate people on their achievements. You probably already do this in your day-to-day. It's time to do it in social.

Step 5: Share Articles You Find With Your Opinion

Another great way to build up your position as an expert is to share articles others have written and provide a brief opinion about them. Soon people will start trusting you as a reliable source of information in your industry.

Bonus Tip: Write A LinkedIn Article About Your Expertise

If you’re getting your confidence up, and are excited to push a little further, consider writing a LinkedIn article about a topic that you are an expert in. And don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be long. 300-500 words is a good starting point. Share your draft with someone you trust, and they can help get it ready for prime time. Make sure you link to your company somewhere in the post!

What Happens When You Fall Off The Horse

If you follow these steps for a few months you'll start to gain traction in your efforts. And then ...

BOOM!

A busy time hits out of nowhere and you stop your social game for a few weeks. What do you do?

Don't worry. It happens to all of us. February was one of those times with me due to vacation and some crazy project work. The key is to get back on horse and start riding again.

As you know, successful leaders aren't defined by how they perform when things are smooth sailing. They're defined by how they respond to adversity. The same principle applies here.

 

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