Hi everyone! This week we are chatting about how to brand yourself on social media. The reality is your branding doesn’t stop with your website, it should be carried out into everything you put out to the world – including your social channels.

The biggest and most important lesson is to BE CONSISTENT on all channels. In this episode I am going to walk through 3 key areas to do just that on your social media.

YOUR CONTENT

First up we’re talking about how the actual type of content you post on social ties into your branding.

I actually have a system for deciding what type of content to share – I use this myself and encourage my clients to do the same.

It’s very simple – but it’s also really effective with making sure you’re sharing content related to what you do of course (your products and services) but also tying in some other fun aspects of your brand. This makes sure you’re not just pushing your offering down people’s throats – because EW – no one likes that.

Come up with 5 main brand categories for your business, and cycle through them regularly in your social media posts. It doesn’t have to be exactly 5, but something around there. A great way to think about it is it kind of like the different categories you may have on your website’s blog.

You would probably talk about some topics more than others, but you want to filter in other layers to your business besides just what you sell.

Sharing a variety of content allows others to connect with you on different levels.

This is especially important because oftentimes people might not need what you’re offering RIGHT THEN. If all you’re talking about are your products and services, and they don’t need it at the time, it is likely they will pass you by.

But if you’re sharing other things like personal stories, other hobbies and passions of yours, or things you struggle with they have more of a reason to hit that follow button. Then if they DO end up needing your offering down the road, they already have an idea of who you are.

I’ll use my own brand as an example for you.

My brand topics are:

• Branding and Websites (duh since that’s what I do)
• Business & Marketing
• Women Empowerment
• Travel & the Beach
• Personal Stories

The first 3 are the topics I talk about most since they are what my business is all about – but I still weave in some of my own personal journey and my love for travel and beach into my marketing.

And guess what – I’ve seen how beneficial this can be! Multiple times I’ve had a potential client mention to me how they also are travel addicts, or the beach is their happy place, or how my own story inspired them. I’ve actually had someone tell me they chose to work with me over others because the felt we had more in common.

People are craving connection and finding other people out there they can relate to!

Another bonus about adding more layers to your brand is your topics won’t be exactly the same as someone else’s in your same industry. This puts your own personal touch on your brand instead of just blending in.

For example – I don’t have kids yet right? So I don’t talk about them. I talk about my fur baby but obviously not the same thing, even though in my mind it might be.

Now someone else in my same industry who IS a mom might share her own journey about being a mother and balancing both her business and family life. There are SO many women out there who relate to this – and they will be able to connect with those women in an area I am not yet able to.

See how adding more layers to your business and what you’re sharing on social media can work in your favor?

Okay let’s dive into the next area of branding yourself on social media – your visuals!

YOUR VISUALS

Again, the key here is the be consistent with your branding on all social platforms.

So often I see people just pull a quote they like from someone else and repost it. It’s often not in their brand colors, fonts, or style – so it doesn’t feel like their brand at all.

Take the extra step and remake the quote or message using your brand visuals. This can be as easy as using those phone apps and selecting colors and fonts in line with your brand. Or you can take it a step further and have a few Canva templates ready to go with our branding so you can just drop in the new text and you’re ready to go.

Seems like an annoying extra step sometimes when you’re in a rush but it makes a difference. People start to recognize that as YOUR brand instead of it looking like something totally unrelated to you.

A great tip for creating your own branded quotes for social media is I batch create them.

I keep a collection of quotes I like whether it’s on Pinterest or I file them away whenever I come across something I like. Then I open my Canva template, plug in about 5 to 10 quotes, and now I have a little database to pull from whenever I want to post a quote on social media.

This can save you from having to stop what you’re doing and make a graphic all the time. Batching is always the more efficient way to get things done, so why not apply it to creating graphics for your social media posts.

The most common excuse people use for reposting other people’s graphics is “its fast and easy”, so spending 5 minutes creating a bunch of social graphic at once makes it fast and easy in the future to post your own branding images.

The images you choose to post on social media are also a big part of your branding, and again it’s all about consistency.

You don’t want your images to have all different filters and editing styles – it will make them look like they’re coming from different places and brands.

Even if you do pull images from multiple places (for example your personal pics, stock photos, or a brand photoshoot) try your best to have them LOOK similar as far as lighting, coloring and quality.

This is why I budget in 1-2 brand photoshoots a year, and I encourage my clients to do the same. Having a library of your own images, all with the same editing style, allows your visuals to be consistent with your brand. And best of all… They’re YOUR images!

No more searching around for what image to post each day – you have a library of unique images ready to go.

YOUR MESSAGING

Lastly we’ll talk about how your messaging also plays a part in branding yourself on social media.

I’ve seen this much more in Network Marketing – but a big no-no with your messaging is just copying and pasting someone else’s written content.

I actually saw this a LOT in network marketing when I dipped my toes in that world for a tiny bit – and it was frustrating to watch. Copying someone else’s messaging completely loses the authentic voice your brand should have. And oftentimes, it will feel way more salesy when you do this too.

Your written copy on all social media channels should always remain in your brand voice. And when you’re the face of your business, ESPECIALLY when its a personal brand, it should be how YOU actually speak.

A great tip is to remember it’s okay to recycle some of your past content! If you have a website – use some of that copy on your social media posts? And those post descriptions from MONTHS ago that no one even remembers – don’t be afraid to reuse them here and there.

Alright guys I hope this has helped bring you some clarity on exactly how to brand yourself on social media!

I’ve created a freebie for this episode all about outlining what your brands top 5 brand topics are. As I mentioned this will add variety and depth to your brand, and just makes it way easier to decide what to post about when you are cycling though them each week and month.

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