Building a unique and consistent brand is the single most important thing you can do to ensure success. Consider this; do you browse the web or do you Google it? Do you order a sugar free zero calorie soda or a Diet Coke? Do you participate in high-intensity circuit training or are you a proud member of the CrossFit Community?
Compelling brands attract loyal followers who will enthusiastically promote your business and products and you don’t have to be Apple to create one of your own.
So how do you do it?
A WEBSITE OF
YOUR OWN
According to Shama Hyder of Forbes, one of the most important ways to establish a personal brand is to have your own website. Your website is a foundation upon which you can build your brand and echo it through other social media platforms. Without a solid and personal website, you risk losing credibility.
With your own website you can:
Define your target audience and construct a personal brand, voice and story around that audience
Develop an eye-catching and inviting design
Write compelling content that will be both educational and help you rank on Google searches
Have a foundation to link up other elements of your web presence (i.e. Facebook, YouTube)
Make it easy for prospective clients to contact you directly
Feature testimonials from satisfied clients
Websites must be clean, easy to read, personalized and responsive (able to reformat to look good on any device). If building your own website sounds like a daunting and time-consuming task, check out Winning Agent’s selection of themes for responsive and professional websites that don’t require coding experience or a huge time commitment. Once you have your website up and running, you’re well on track to creating your personal brand!
COMPLEMENT YOUR WEBSITE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Statista, a service that conducts market research over a number of different industries, put together a chart showing the most popular social media websites in the United States as of August 2016. The two overwhelming leaders with nearly 67% combined market share were Facebook (42.4%) and YouTube (24.3%).
Other platforms came in at a fraction of the share, with Twitter picking up 5% of market share- 8.4 times less than Facebook. While it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a robust presence across all platforms, let’s look at the place where we can get the most traction.
Your first step is to create a Facebook business page. Maggie Aland of FitSmallBusiness.com gives you complete instructions, with pictures, on how to do this if you need more help. The essential steps are:
Create an account
Create a Business Page from the drop down menu at the top of your screen
Establish what category your business falls into and identify your address and contact information
Identify audience
Link to your website
Write a brief (155 character) description of your business
Upload professional and appealing profile and cover pictures that are aligned with your brand
Invite your friends to like the page
Make sure you link your Facebook Business Page to your personal website. This is a very important step because it will help you generate traffic both ways. If you decide to use other social media platforms, remember to link them as well.
Once you have your Facebook Business Page ready, it’s time to begin posting content. Keep in mind that content must be compelling, engaging and informative. It must also be reflective of your personal brand. For example, if you are building your brand around being a resource for first-time home-buyers in their early 20’s, your content could be informational videos that demystify the process. Make the videos short and make sure to feature yourself giving advice and reassuring your audience. Recruit clients to make video testimonials as well!
Infographics are another amazing type of content you can use, as they are visually appealing and useful. Experiment with different types of content to find what works best for you, but always remember to be cognizant of your voice and the brand that you want to convey.
Consistency and timing are also very important. If you find yourself overwhelmed or forgetting to post, you can find resources to help you here . Social media scheduling tools allow you to compile all of your posts and set them to publish at times of your choosing. This is especially helpful when dealing with multiple social media platforms!
KEEP IT CONSISTENT
A personal website and Facebook presence will set you aside from the pack and help your business grow. Keep your clients and prospects engaged through fresh and targeted content. Experiment with other platforms to reinforce your message!
You don’t have to be Diet Coke, Apple, CrossFit or Google to establish a solid brand. With a personalized website and Facebook presence you’re well on your way.
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