Just like your thumbprint, your personal identity is totally unique because it’s formed through a lifetime of personal experiences. On social media, your personal brand should reflect your personal identity and authentically showcase the unique value you provide.
Like corporate branding, a personal brand should be a reflection of your core values and the service you provide the world, while maintaining a consistent theme and tone in all published content. It takes work. To be successful, you must understand the foundations of marketing, branding and networking, and more importantly, know yourself and the unique value you provide.
There’s a reason the macro and mega-influencers you see on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok have achieved that status. Many of the micro-influencers emerging in various markets, industries and platforms are also nailing their branding. Here’s how to follow suit:
Complete Your Profile
First things first, make sure your social media profiles are complete and presently accurate with the most up-to-date information about you. If possible, use the same handle and username across all social media platforms to make it easy for followers to find you wherever they are. Having a fully completed profile gives you more credibility and helps potential followers know what to expect from you as you’re growing your profile.
If you’re trying to break into a brand new market, consider creating a new profile on the platform you feel most comfortable using. Just make sure the new profile has all of the information followers would expect to see, including a bio, profile photo, and feed content at minimum. Spend some time posting to your profile and setting up the basics before you dive into acquiring followers.
Find Your Niche
With more than 4.7 billion global social media users, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. Finding and promoting niche content is a great way to quickly connect with a core group of people who share similar interests with you. For example, I’m a huge plant person. We’re talking 50+ potted plants in my house and counting. But, rather than clog up my family and friends’ feeds with endless plant photos and videos, I have a separate account dedicated solely to indoor gardening and plant care.
It is possible to have more than one niche, but be careful not to overdo it. Too many opposing topics can lead to confusion and unfollows. When in doubt, employ my KISS method (keep it simple, Skylar).
Maintain Consistency
Your brand voice, image and tone should be consistent throughout your content. Ideally, you should be speaking in your own voice to your followers, making it easier for you to keep up with content creation. One of the easiest ways to achieve consistency is through the creation of campaigns or series. This recurring content will keep your followers engaged and coming back for more, while also lightening the requirement for you to come up with new ideas each week. Consistent content will also inform new followers at a glance on what they can expect when they follow you.
Connect with Similar Users
Remember my plant-stagram? It’s essentially a curated feed of other plant-stagrammers with whom I engage and learn from daily. This account is as much a place for me to ask questions and share advice with other plant lovers as it is for sharing photos of my own plant babies.
Finding these common connections with other users has allowed me to grow my account organically to 2,500+ followers in less than three months. You’d be surprised how many people you know personally have two or more Instagram accounts for their various interests. I have three.
Be Active and Responsive
It’s not enough to follow users with similar content and interests. One of the best ways to grow your audience and earn engagement is by first engaging directly with your followers and members of your ideal audience. These active follower acquisition tactics work for any brand, including your personal one.
A good rule of thumb is to engage with every (non-spam) comment or message you receive, and to both like and comment on posts from accounts you want to follow you.
How has your unique brand developed? What is your niche interest? Let us know below or by tagging us @dittoepr.
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