A personal brand is the key to success in business. If we want to achieve it, we have to start building our own brand. Currently, the most effective tool in this area is social media. For most people in the world it is the most important source of information not only about the world, but also about potential employees, contractors and partners. We suggest how to build and manage your own brand in a few steps.
Everyone is a brand
Even if we do not have such awareness, each of us is a personal brand in his or her own way. We build it practically from birth, what we do and what we say shapes our image. Our life, our social and professional career depends on our image in social awareness. Employers more and more often look for information about potential employees in social media. They want to quickly find out who they are really dealing with, what they have been doing so far, what they have been doing, what they have been doing and what they are interested in. Today, a classic CV is not enough to make the right decision. Like employers, most entrepreneurs act like employers, who want to know whether they are dealing with a financially stable and trustworthy company before establishing a closer business contact, signing a contract or long-term contract. The easiest and the fastest way to do it today is to look for information in social media. Every entrepreneur must be aware of this and be aware of the need to build a personal brand. The better it will be perceived and recognized, the greater the chance for profitable business ventures.
Building your own brand in social media
Social networks are today the main source of information about the world for most people. There they search not only for current information about social and political events, but also for information about their friends. Social media offer unprecedented opportunities to build their own personal brand. They give a chance to present one’s own person or company in a comprehensive way. Remember only a few principles:
Coherence – information presented on profiles must be consistent with other information available not only online but also in other media. Each entry will have an impact on the image, so it must not undermine other information or question previous actions (there must be no gap between online and offline activities). In addition, posts must be consistent with the values and mission of the company. Characteristic feature – find an element characteristic for your person or company and try to build your own personal brand on its basis (e.g. innovation). Communication channels – choose the right channels to match the image you want to create. The most universal in this respect Facebook allows for a general presentation of the company, building recognition and trust. If, however, we want to build an expert brand, it is worth trying to do more in Linkedln or Goldenline. Content – adjust the content and format of the presentation to selected channels. Each social networking site has different recipients, so it is worth adjusting the messages to the target group of the site. It is also not worth duplicating information and publishing identical posts on all websites. It is worth bearing in mind that we live in the civilization of the image, so do not forget about the photos. These images mainly shape our image, after all, no one has time to read long memories or reflections. Added value – present high quality content according to the theory of content marketing, which assumes publishing valuable content (offering some added value to the audience – theoretical, practical or entertaining) instead of classic advertisements. Balance – strike a balance between publishing private and corporate information. Show yourself as a professional, but with a human face.
Summary
Nowadays social media is the best tool to create your own image and build your own personal brand. We are evaluated on the basis of information published on social networking sites, so every post and entry is important. You can even tempt yourself with a thesis that at the beginning of the 21st century, when they see you in social media, they write you like that – they judge you.