Before you jump head first into introducing your small business to the world wide web and across social networks, you should really consider how you want to brand yourself. Think about your mission, your goals and what it is exactly, you are going to accomplish.
Despite what you may believe or have heard, social networks are not a way for you make sales and generate an income. You need to embrace the idea, that social networks are tools that you can use to establish an online presence, develop brand awareness and most importantly, create lasting relationships.
Building your personal brand on social networks does not have to be a complicated procedure. In fact, your more than likely doing it already. Like mostly everyone, I’m sure you have a Facebook account and probably a Twitter account too…right? So, your already online creating your presence.
Creating your personal brand will essentially enhance your presence and visibility. Whether its to gain exposure for your business by using your blog or a way to display your expert status, you want to create an image that is easily remembered by others. Hone your skills and become an expert at whatever it is you do.
According to wiktionary.org an EXPERT is defined as: A person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given subject; Extraordinarily capable or knowledgeable; Characteristic of an expert
Your brand should be easily defined and consistent across all your social networks. To do this, you must know what your good at, love doing it and be willing to do it BIG! For example, I’m known as TheCEOMamma – I am a mother, entrepreneur and business owner specializing in…you guessed it, Social Media and Network Marketing.
With that being said, you must be able to wholeheartedly identify with your brand. This is what makes it unique and relative to you while standing out from the rest. When building your personal brand on social networks, be sure to incorporate YOU into it because brand YOU can NOT be duplicated.
You’ll also want to always be authentic. It’s okay to want to aspire to be like your favorite mentor, but remember to be yourself. Establishing brand YOU and building your online presence requires authenticity to your audience. This gives them the ability to see you and will encourage loyalty and trust to your brand.
Do you have a passion for what you do and what you represent? If you don’t, people will pick up on it and know your only in it for the money. You have to believe in what your doing and stand behind your company and products 100%.
Back to my main point of building relationships. To build a viable trustworthy personal brand on social networks, you have to engage and interact with your audience to create a bond and trust. Openly share your knowledge, respond to their concerns and make them feel comfortable enough to want to connect with you on another level.
Once you have created and solidified your personal brand, you can begin to shift your focus more on the financial aspect of business building, making money online. To learn more, you can watch this video: Beginner’s Guide to Building Your Money Making Business Online.
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When I first started Gems Shine Consulting, I was intimidated by the word “brand”. I always associated the term with huge companies like McDonald’s and Apple. I didn’t think that business owners who operated on a much smaller scale needed to be concerned about it. As time went on, I realized your brand is really your promise. And, as a business owner, I have made a promise to my clients which is to provide them with low cost, high-quality web development and internet marketing services. My clients know they can depend on me to help them meet their online marketing goals within their budget constraints. Whether its SEO, landing pages or web analytics, I promise to give them access to these essential services without breaking the bank. Once I realized this, it became easy to create and develop my brand.
I agree with you Lavada, I thought branding was for large companies too. Your brand is absolutely your promise to your clients and potential clients and your way of helping them recognize the benefits of working with YOU over company XYZ.