Social media profiles are essential in personal branding today. They tell people all about you and the value you offer, and they give your followers a place to talk and get involved. Here are a few easy steps to help you complete your profiles with style.
Your Profile Image
Your picture, in a way, is like your logo. Everybody will instantly recognize your brand when they see it. Make it something that looks natural and good. A head shot that shows part of the neck and shoulders is always good but don’t feel that it has to be strictly profession, have fun and use an image that speaks to your soul. Use the same photo for all of your profiles. If you have other pictures that you’d like to use, put them in your albums or post them. Try not to change your profile picture too often but when you do, change your picture on all of your profiles.
Logos really aren’t appropriate for a personal profile. Remember that it’s “you” and not your company that you should be branding. If it’s a Facebook or LinkedIn business page, logos are fine, but for your personal profile, stick with a picture. The exception would be if “you are your brand” and you want to use a picture instead of a logo. That is perfectly fine and a great idea!
Consistency is Key
Most social media sites allow you to customize your profile. Try to use the same color theme and style that you use on your website. A great way to do this is to take images or banners from your website and make a version for your profiles.
Consistency is also very important with your profile information. Each profile should have the same basic information written in the same general tone. This makes you appear reliable and trustworthy. Some sites like Twitter and Instagram have a limit on how many words (characters) can be in your profile, so create a shortened version with the most important and essential information.
Never leave a profile incomplete. Fill out everything. You should give your audience as much information as possible.
Link all of your social media sites to your website. This helps people understand that it’s you they’re connected with and it will allow them to see how you can help them through your services or goods. It also affirms that they are dealing with the same person on all of your networks and it also offers more touch points for you and your audience.
What to Write
Your social media profiles should be consistent, but there’s one area where you should mix it up, and that’s content. Each social media site has certain types of content that it likes. Twitter and Facebook should have slightly different content and personal updates. Networks like LinkedIn are more professionally oriented but do join and share content and blog posts on LinkedIn that are relevant and important to your brand and audience. People like great stories, images, information, helpful tips, and news throughout all social networks. It’s okay to cross-post your content, but take a moment to change and customize each post. It’s also nice to offer something different on each social media site because many of the people in your audience may be on all of your networks.
Whenever you’re using social media, you should always try be ‘on-brand”. Be mindful of what you do because you never know who will see it. Follow all social media etiquette and keep things positive. You should show your unique personality, but always consider how your actions will look to your audience. Social media is social so do interact with others and show your true self. Maintain a high level of professionalism for the sake of your brand.
Do you have questions about what you should really post and what you might not want to post? Just reach out to me for a free 20 minute consultation on what to post.
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Sabrina Espinal
Sabrina&Company Marketing
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