4 Important Elements to Building Your Brand on Social Media

In March, I participated in Jasmine Sweet‘s social media masterclass in Nashville. What’s been interesting about my return to Tennessee is the amount of social influencers that live in Music City. It’s amazing the type of following they have been able to build in such a small market, but what I love the most about this group is how supportive and helpful they are to one another. Some people were probably surprised to see me as a featured expert in a social media masterclass, but I’ve made social media work for me.

 

 

 

I was honored to contribute to Jasmine’s first class and excited to learn some tips from Ashley Reale of Love Everywhere, Sarah Patton of Creative Souls Tribe and Rachel Tenpenny of Brasspenny Photography. Although I had the smallest following of the speakers, my reach is mighty because I utilize social media differently.

 

Since building L2L people with influencer level following have been amazed by the fact that I have gained sponsorship, clients, freelance writing gigs, and speaking engagements. How can you possibly have this and I don’t? If you want your social media profiles to work for you in this way, the difference maker can come down to your intentions for using social media and how you use it as a marketing tool.

 

 

Your bio is important
During the class, the panel was asked what attracts us to follow people on Instagram. Most people look at the pictures. Is the person in the images attractive, inviting, and interesting? Does the grid have an aesthetic in layout, colors, or filter? However, I’m attracted to the person’s bio. It’s why one of the attendees of the class came up to me and wondered why I did not follow her back. She went home and updated her bio, and it’s made the difference in how she’s connected with people while on her job search.

 

Many people don’t realize this, but what you place in your bio helps build your brand and expertise. Your bio should tell prospective followers who you are, what you do, your location, and how to connect with you. As someone who looks for people to place on panels or profile in my writing, I want to quickly be able to see what your expertise is. From there I want to know if you are in my city or somewhere else and if I can email you by visiting a website or copying the email on your page. If it’s how I’m sourcing people, then brand managers of companies are doing the same thing. You have to make it easy for people in positions to  quickly gain a sense of who you are without having to scroll through your pictures or DM you for additional information because no one likes to do business in a DM.

 

 

Who follows you matters and who you follow does too
It’s not about pretty pictures for me. It’s about networking. I follow people who interest me, but who I also feel can help me by being a supporter of my brand. When the influencer with 2 million followers shared that she was not able to sell 36 T-shirts from her clothing line, it proved that who follows you matters. Ask yourself if you have an audience/following who will buy from you? Knowing your audience and their behaviors can help you.

 

Another question to ask yourself: Are you following people who are in the same industry as you? Following people in your industry will help to create engagement on your posts when you discuss industry topics. It also helps to elevate your expertise and builds an audience who will follow your content offline. They will purchase from you, read your content, and support you by sharing your content and showing up for you in significant ways.

 

Are you following and engaging people who can put you on stages, write about you for their outlet or invest in your brand through sponsorship? People like that don’t always have a huge presence on social media, and they don’t engage, but they will follow you back, and they will watch how you move online until the perfect opportunity to work together presents itself.

 

 

Make your content work
How are you using your images to tell a story or share your expertise? A simple picture at brunch can be a piece of content that discusses the need to take breaks that can go beyond your grid. That one picture and caption can turn into a newsletter, blog post, Twitter discussion, and LinkedIn content.

 

Your grid should give a sense of who you are
Share pictures of things that interest you and showcases your expertise and your brand. For me, I share several pictures of me speaking to display that I’m a speaker for hire. I also share photos from the #L2LMixer to show that I produce events. I share screenshots of my published articles, and I try to post pictures of myself in yellow for branding purposes. I don’t get out much, and if I do I’m by myself, so I try to mix some pictures of me enjoying myself whenever I’m around someone who can catch my good angles because I hate taking selfies. Therefore, think about ways you can make your grid and images tell your brand story or showcase who you are or what you aspire to be.

 

Jasmine is bringing her class to Atlanta this month on June 27. Make sure to follow her at @JasmineKatrina to purchase your ticket.

 

Photography by Authentic Photos and Design