5 Tips for Branding Yourself on Social Media

This is a topic that comes up quite often in the network marketing space. You see, traditionally it made sense for people to want to tell everyone they knew their company name. They did things like home parties, and dealing down on the phones. And, yes these things still happen — and no shame in that game if that’s your deal. However, more people started reaching out on social media. And, this is GREAT! except for one thing … no one showed them how. This post we will dive into the my top 5 tips for branding yourself on social media.

Think about it like when a company brands their products, or services — YOU become that product or service. YOU are the brand. When that simple shift in language happens, it seems a whole lot less complicated.

The same way you make purchases at the grocery store, or online — is partly attributed to the branding of the product. You might be inclined to pick up something less familiar to you if it caught your eye. Chances are you may order something online because you connected with the description of the product.

Branding yourself means to develop a unique identity and clear message that sets you apart from others either in your company or in your industry. Personal branding, is the process of managing and optimizing the way that you are presented to others.

Ever Tried to Google ‘yourself’?

One of the best ways to receive a snap shot of what people will see when it comes to how you are, is by doing just that. There are some case studies that refer to this process as your personal branding strategy.

First thing you want to do is open up a private browser page (incognito). Once there, head over to Google. Then, in the search bar follow these steps;

This is a snapshot dated today, that comes up when I do this for my own name. I wanted to include the suggestions above, because even my name is quite popular in the sports world however for the purposes of this image, I included by full name.

As I continued to scroll through for interest sake, much of the next few pages are courses I have developed, previous blog posts, features on others websites, testimonials, and the list goes on. What I know, is these are the areas in which I have been, and continue to be the most effective in my branding strategy.

Chances are, you will find a similar look for your own — but I am encouraging you to do so anyways, and see where your presence is being found.

And, on that note — Let me know in the comments what came up for you!

Please understand that these steps were shared because they are ones you can start to act on right away. There is nothing you need to do to ‘get ready’ or ‘prepare for’. Sharing these types of strategies and tips are important to me, because I want you to put yourself in a position of success right away.

There are different ways to approach the process of deciding your Expert Area. A couple that make a lot of sense (in my opinion) is check with yourself by asking questions and performing a bit of personal research on your favorite topics.

Among the questions you might ask yourself are;

These questions can help you realize that your natural tendencies are, or areas you are drawn to.

At the end of this exercise, choose one to three areas of expertise to focus on. (any more than that will just become expertise overload — which can not only confuse you, but your audience as well)

For a ‘research aspect’, you can try searching for which conversations and topics are happening around your chosen area, this includes identifying which people currently share about those topics.

There are a few great tools for this.

When you keep a consistent profile, it helps others find you more easily, and it helps you become familiar in the minds of others. The fewer variations you have (ideally you’ll create one consistent look), the easier it is to be memorable.

Bottom line when it comes to the aesthetics, be CONSISTENT!

Keep in mind we are in the relationship business. Meaning, people will join who you are as a person before they will blindly join your business. This may vary slightly when it comes to customers, but not as different as you might think.

This is where on your Facebook profile for example, we suggest the 80/20 Rule. If you make 10 posts in a 5 day period, ensure 8 are about you, and throw in 2 max about your business. And, when we talk about business posts — these include ones on piquing curiosity, sharing win or testimonial etc. This is not referring to spam or billboard posts by any stretch of the imagination.

Think about it, would you want to walk around all day with a sign around your neck saying ‘buy me I have the best skin cream ever’? No, of course not — so keep that ‘sign’ in mind when posting on your social media profiles.

Share things that are interesting about YOU! This might include a great quote, a family picture, a vacation you took, a blanket you just finished knitting, a cool book you just bought, a flower blooming outside, your pet, etc. More than anything, be authentic. Be YOU!

Facebook is a great platform where you can paint a picture of who you are. When filling out the information fields, focus on the education and work section, where you can reconnect with fellow alumni from college, or past colleagues that might be able to help you grow your business or customer base.

Also, in the contact information field, be sure to list your blog, any websites you might own and links to your profiles on other social networks. Since so many other professionals use Facebook’s search engine to learn more about people, it is important to use keywords you would want others to ‘know’ or ‘find’ you for.

After you’ve set up your Facebook profile to showcase your personal brand, you can work toward building better relationships with those connections. You do so by posting content consistent with your personal brand and participating in related conversations started by others, either on other personal Facebook profiles, in Facebook Groups, or on Facebook Pages.

You want to be sure whatever content you are putting out, aligns with who you want people to know you as, and what you stand for. So maybe think twice before sharing a rude viral video if your brand is that of positivity (broad example here).

Branding yourself will take time. It is not an overnight process. The ‘face value’ portion is something you can do right away, and the rest will come with your commitment to your brand — and your patience.

I hope more than anything that you found this information valuable, and would love for you to leave a comment below with your biggest takeaway! (and your Google Search!!)

We work with network marketers and direct sales consultants Internationally to help them grow their businesses using social media, the right way.

Love to hear from you!

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