What’s branding? Why should one brand oneself? What is a slide deck? Why are these so important in today’s landscape? Well, there are more answers than one for each of these questions. But the more essential ones are, how can one brand oneself and stay relevant on social media?
With so much noise on the internet, how does one optimise social media? Here are 3 gems that you need to follow to elevate your professional brand image. However, these are not ‘One size, fits all. You will have to make your dressing. Mix and match a bit. Identify your target audience, where they are populated and how can you benefit from each platform. Let’s visit these:
LinkedIn as your elevator pitch: If you are a start-up founder, or a CTO, a tech co-founder, or a CIO and just beginning to get your footsteps right, looking to attract that million-dollar VC funding, then here’s where you need to be making all the noise. Identify LinkedIn influencers, follow them and maintain a consistent routine in posting. Look for start-up related topics, post relevant content and try attracting eyeballs. Believe us, LinkedIn is a powerhouse. The more you bask in it, the closer you are getting to that 1 million seed. Remember, the life of a post on LinkedIn is far superior to any other platform. This is how it works.
Person one posts (500 connections) —— Person 2 likes (1,000 connections) —— The entire network is now notified —— People from the network view your profile —— Like your post >——Comment on it —— Bigger network is notified—— Reaches the decision-makers —— Your initial pitch is done!
LinkedIn is your elevator pitch!
Which other industries can benefit from LinkedIn? A plethora of them of course. To name a few though, advertising, event management, L&D and technology.
2). Instagram as your elevator pitch: An entirely different world out there. Youthful, vibrant, fun! You are a food blogger, a content creator, an emcee, a fashionista, a photographer, what have you? Instagram is your go-to solution to gather traction. Staying consistent, posting at least one reel, one story and one feed post is mandatory along with related hashtags. Hashtags gather more attention. People following hashtags especially on Instagram, get notified instantly and begin following you. The greater your following is, the closer you are getting to being an Influencer.
What happens when you become an Influencer? You attract brands. You attract more businesses. It could be as simple as this. Assume, somebody has just launched his/her cookbook. You are a food blogger. You get approached to promote the book subtly through your food blogs. You get paid. Ho ho ho! Christmas time!
Which other industry or category of people can benefit from Instagram? As we mentioned, fashion & Lifestyle, public speaking, content creators and photographers are a few to name.
3). Quora, Medium and Facebook as Your elevator pitch:
While the task can be mundane, and less vibrant, Quora helps build your brand like magic. Follow topics relevant to your business or service. When a question is asked, answer in crisp sentences, give them the requisite information in not more than 400-500 words, add a few pictures, infographics that you can, to make your answer attractive and communicate the right message. But before that, create a great Quora profile, with all your co-ordinates, for people to reach out easily in case they found something relevant and useful.
Build a brand on Medium by posting short blogs and articles, again not more than 400-500 words. Remember, attention span is limited in today’s social media landscape. Now you can share your Medium articles across platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. While you’re at it, consistent updates related to your subject on Facebook could help gather traction as well. Organic growth is the best way to crunch numbers and build a sustainable brand, whether personal or professional.
One thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is image management. Social media can make or break one’s image. Instead of looking to fix bits later, maintain your brand’s image along with your personal, with a lot of hygiene.
The world is watching you and this can directly impact brand persona. Have you gotten down to working already? We wish you luck!
PurpleClap Digital | Your story telling partners
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