There are many reasons why social media is important for personal branding. One of such is the amount of visibility that it creates for one’s career, business, and venture. Its wide extension across boundaries of kinds makes social media an efficient platform for business popularity and of course financial expansion.
One of the apt means of branding on social media is influencer marketing which actually is the new age version of celebrity endorsement for brands.
A social media influencer is basically anyone who has amassed a massive following on social media and is thus able to initiate and drive the conversation, generally shape public opinion concerning a topic, brand, event etc.
Brands usually hire strategic influencers to create hype around their products as a way of increasing leads and sales. Influencers will however only want to work with people with a well-established personal brand.
A business leader with a well-built personal brand on social media with enough followers is better placed to work with influencers to promote both the personal and the institutional brand.
Advantages of Having a Consistent Personal Brand
Below are some of the benefits of advantages of possessing a strong personal brand:
- Stand out from the crowd: Personal branding allows you to distinguish yourself from everyone else and become more visible.
- Increased credibility: Having a personal brand can really help you boost your credibility and showcase your expertise within your industry. It can set the path for you to become a leader in your field.
- Increase your confidence: The first step in personal branding is to look deeply at yourself and discover your greatest qualities and passion. This can be a real confidence boost – you’re building yourself up around the aspects that people praise you for.
- Become more connected: By showcasing yourself in a certain light, you’ll be able to reach and connect with likeminded professionals. This could pave the way for new opportunities in the future, even if it’s just having someone to bounce ideas off of.
Increasingly, there is the consistent growth which the use of social media prepares for those who will utilize it. So to answer the question of why social media is important for personal branding, we have garnered the points below to convince you of the fact:
1. Wide Awareness
The basic goal of having an online personal brand is to be known. Firstly, as a business leader, you need to have a recognizable online presence.
Secondly, define your area of expertise as part of defining why you and your company exists. This can be done by referring back to what your company does by sharing content from the official company page to your personal page and continuing the conversation there on a personal level. With a personal brand on social media, you become the number one brand ambassador for your company.
2. Community Building
As the pressure increases on firms to engage more in corporate social responsibility projects, an online personal brand for a business leader provides a crucial way to not only showcase what they have done for the community but also to raise awareness and address emerging issues as an authority in their field. With a proper personal brand, they will also be in a better position to mobilize influencers, people, and resources towards a cause beneficial to the community.
3. Generation of Profits and Sales
Personal branding on social media is a great way for business leaders to increase leads for their businesses by humanizing the brand. According to MSLGroup, a global public relations firm, 77% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media. This is because people buy from people and not from brands.
Read Also: How to Build a Personal Brand on Social Media
The one on one engagement with a business leader on their personal social media accounts has a personal appeal to followers that is quite different from the dissociation that is usually felt by followers when engaging on company accounts. This appeal is more likely to result in leads that eventually convert to sales.
Due to the trust built, a well-established personal brand on social media also decreases the time it takes for you to close a deal for your business hence optimizing the sales cycle.
4. Growing an Online Customer Base
Whereas advancing the brand should always be at the forefront of a business leader’s priorities, all work and no play becomes a hard sell. Social media, therefore, presents an opportunity for the business leaders to genuinely connect with their fans and share in their private fun moments.
And of course, don’t forget to share a few tips on how to succeed as an individual or an entrepreneur. Inspirational tidbits from successful business leaders reflect positively on the business. Remember, it is never always about selling, the brand is what remains after all the marketing efforts are exhausted. And nothing sticks more than a genuine connection with your audience.
5. Boosting Strong Trust
Personal branding is the process of creating an identity for yourself as an individual or business. This involves developing a well-defined and consistent look, message, and presence online and offline. There are many psychology-based reasons why you might want to work on your personal brand in association with the social media.
For one thing, it can help you build trust with your audience. When people feel like they know who you are and what you stand for, they’re more likely to trust you. That’s because they feel like they have a relationship with you. They know what to expect from you and that you’re an authority in your field.
Personal branding can also help you stand out from the crowd. In a world where everyone tries to get noticed, having a strong personal brand can make all the difference. Finally, personal branding can help you attract opportunities.
When employers or clients see you have a strong personal brand, they’ll be more likely to consider you for their next project or job opening. So, if you’re looking to build trust, attract opportunities, or stand out from the crowd, personal branding could be the answer.
