Social Media and Branding

Selling your personal brand has been around for a very long time. In the last decade or so, the promotion of your brand has moved from an offline platform to an online platform called social media. Through social media, we can make connections with people all over the world out of thin air. We cannot forget that as there were rules in offline brand promotion, there are ways to conduct yourself online as well. One of the most important guidelines to promoting your brand via social media is to be consistent. Online consistency consists of many categories. We will cover three categories; the look and feel across various platforms, the way you post content and the way you post pictures.

Starting with the look and feel across various platforms, it is recommended to use similar colors and cover photos. “Consistent, reputable information will give your brands credibility on all current and future profiles” (Rocheleau, 2011). You should pick a color scheme that is easily transferrable across all of your platforms, if possible. For cases when it is not possible there is one simple trick you can use. For example, Facebook allows minimal customization to the page. You can take your custom color scheme and incorporate it in your cover. A company called Quotery is a perfect example of this practice. This will help people to quickly identify your brand’s identity.

In addition, branding online is not only about having consistently designed pages. The pages show your brand but your voice is what promotes your brand. Your voice should always reflect your values and morals, if you have any. This includes reading your post twice and edit it before clicking submit. Furthermore, be patient when reacting to snarky posts. It is never a good idea to post while in an emotional state. Moreover, you should know your audience. For example, if your followers are not technical try to avoid complex language. Another thing to consider, if your boss or school professor follows you, posting how drunk you got at last night’s party is not a good idea either.

After discussing posting appropriate content, the next thing to cover is posting pictures. According to Jim Joseph (2014), “your pictures say volumes about your personal brand, so look closely before you upload”. If you are trying to maintain a professional brand, pictures of family and pets are the best and safest type of pictures to post. You could also post pictures from an event you attended recently or the building of where you had your latest job interview. If you do not care about what you post, at least consider the aspect ratio of the images you take. All platforms require different resolutions. You may need to enlarge or shrink your photos without compromising the quality of the photo.

In conclusion, the world has gotten a lot smaller in the last decade or so. Whether you use social media to connect with your family or old friends, a consistent color palette across various platforms and thinking about what content or pictures you post will create you a credible brand online. Some of you may have a moment you wish you could take back but I hope you do not. Remember, what you post online will be online forever.

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References

Joseph, J. (2014 , June 25). Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media, Moment by Moment. Retrieved from Marketing Edge: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235073

Rocheleau, J. (2011, January 25). Powerful Branding Techniques through Social Media. Retrieved from hongkiat.com: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/powerful-branding-techniques-through-social-media/

Social Media Mashup Image

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/powerful-branding-techniques-through-social-media/

Quoto Facebook Image

http://99designs.com/social-media-page-design/contests/239718/entries/26436172

Quoto Website Image

http://www.quotery.com/