9 Essential Social Media Strategies for Building Your Personal Brand as a Small Business Owner
By leveraging the power of social media platforms, you can showcase your expertise, establish credibility, and attract potential customers. But how the heck do you do that? Don’t worry! I’ve got you. For those new, or new-ish, to building their brand on social media, I pulled together a list of 9 essential social media strategies to help you navigate this crazy world. And for those that have been at this awhile, consider this a little refresher to make sure you’re pointed in the right direction.
9 Essential Social Media Strategies for Building
Your Personal Brand:
ONE: Define Your Brand Persona
Before diving into social media, it's crucial to define who/what you are! Consider your values, your mission, and your unique selling propositions. Look at your ideal client avatar and deep dive into your audience. From there you can craft a compelling bio and profile.
TWO: Choose the Right Platforms
Not all social media platforms are created equal, and it's important to focus your efforts on the ones that align with your business goals and can reach your target audience. For more on that check out the previous blog posts:
THREE: Consistency is Key
I’m not just talking about consistency in terms of your posting schedule, in fact that is one very small factor in the grand scheme of consistency. Instead I mean, consistency across platforms to ensure your profile is updated with relevant information and similar in content, consistency in the branding colors, logo, thumbnails you use, consistency in your handles. And then too…Post consistently and engage with your audience regularly.
FOUR: Content Strategy
Develop a content strategy that aligns with your brand persona and resonates with your target audience. To be clear, a content strategy does not mean when you will post and what kind of post it will be. Rather, a content strategy is meant to communicate the overarching messages and mission of the brand in a compelling way.
FIVE: Visual Storytelling
Incorporating visual elements into your social media plan is important and even more so using them to tell a story about your business! Storytelling is where so much of the magic happens on social media, and the same is true for your business. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics that represent your brand and captivate your audience. Lean into this!
SIX: Engage and Interact
Social media is a two-way street, which is why I love it more than the journalistic endeavors I used to work in. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages. Show genuine interest in their opinions and experiences. Encourage conversations, ask questions, foster a sense of community. THIS is the beauty of social media.
SEVEN: Utilize Hashtags
Despite what some people say today, hashtags are still a powerful tool for increasing your brand's visibility on social media. Research relevant and popular hashtags in your industry and incorporate them into your posts. This helps to expand your reach and attract new followers.
EIGHT: Analyze and Optimize
Regularly analyze your social media performance using built-in analytics tools. Review metrics such as engagement, reach, click-through rates, and conversions. Use these metrics to identify what works and what doesn't, and tweak your strategy accordingly. Personally, I prefer noting the numbers monthly and then really analyzing at the end of each quarter.
NINE: Stay Authentic
Be yourself! Be your brand. You don’t need to be your competitor or anyone else on the app. Show up as yourself and your people will find you.
