As a decision-maker and employee of your company or medical practice, you’ve likely heard the term “personal branding.” Personal branding for professionals can help build a stronger company presence, increase your network, and establish expertise in your field. Using social media to develop your personal brand is a great way to get started.
But if you’re aren’t sure what exactly professional branding is and how you can use social media to build your personal brand, the experts at Lenz Marketing are here to help.
First Of All: What is Personal Branding?
Before we can begin to explain how to use social to build your personal brand, we want to define what exactly it is.
Personal branding is the practice of marketing yourself, your experiences, and your career. A well-established personal brand helps define how others perceive you, and it’s an ongoing process that should evolve as you do.
Are you a credible professional, an industry authority, or a seasoned executive? Developing your personal brand can positively influence future relationships with clients, colleagues, and other industry professionals. That’s why, in our digital world, social media is a great outlet to build and showcase your personal brand.
How to Use Social Media for Personal Branding
If you aren’t currently active on social media, there’s no time like the present to sharpen those skills and start branding yourself. Social media platforms are an excellent resource for highlighting your successes, connecting with others who might want to do business with you, and solidifying the culture of your company.
While posting regularly and engaging with comments may seem tedious, it’s worth the effort. Building your personal brand via social media strengthens your network, builds credibility, and showcases you as the best representative of your company.
If you’re overwhelmed on how to get started or how to identify the best techniques, we’re breaking down eight easy ways you can use social media to build your personal brand!
1. Pick Your Platforms
If you’re not already active on social media, LinkedIn and Twitter are excellent places to start building your personal brand and professional presence. While other platforms are fine, LinkedIn and Twitter really stand out for making genuine connections and establishing yourself as an industry leader.
2. Introduce Yourself Properly
Use your full name and relevant certifications on your profile display, update your username or handle to reflect your name consistently across all your platforms, and include an updated, succinct bio. This will help people find you. Let’s use a fictional pediatrician as an example:
Name: Example Dan, MD
Username/handle: @ExampleDan
Bio: Pediatrician at Example Hospital with over 20 years of specialized experience.
3. Add a professional profile photo
A professional headshot is key in developing your personal brand and influences how others perceive you. When people see the face behind the company, they’re more likely to connect with your brand. Use a recent, high-resolution photo of just you (no outdated or cropped photos). Here are some tips for taking better LinkedIn headshots.
4. Update Your Job Experience
Here’s where you really want to lean into LinkedIn, because it’s important to highlight all your experience and successes to build your personal brand. Make sure your headline and current position reflect your most recent title and that you’re connected to your company’s official LinkedIn page. Not sure if you have one? Ask your marketing team or contact Lenz Marketing to help develop one.
5. Connect With Your Industry
If you don’t already, start following your company or practice’s official social media profiles. You should also follow relevant thought leaders, publications, and industry hashtags. Connecting with your team and people in the same industry can help teach you to value social media best practices, inspire you to share experience, and build connections in the industry that might prove useful one day!
6. Join the Conversation
Now that your profiles have been fully optimized, it’s time to start sharing and establishing your expertise. Share recent posts from your company’s official social media profiles, long-form content, or research you’ve worked on, and insights you’ve learned along the way. For inspiration, here are six types of content you should be sharing on LinkedIn.
7. Stay In Touch
Remember, you should be social on social media! Set aside a few minutes each day to seek out conversations and news about your industry. Engage with content from others, share your thoughts, and make a goal to post at least a few times a week. Building your follower count shouldn’t be your primary goal, but you’ll notice it growing organically as you lean into building your personal brand.
8. Protect Your Privacy
As a representative of your company, it’s important that your content reaches the correct audience. LinkedIn and Twitter are great for publicly sharing career-related updates, but you may wish to keep Facebook and Instagram accounts private to friends and family. For example, it’s not appropriate for physicians to accept Facebook friend requests from their patients. Your personal and professional lives influence each other, but know where to draw the line as you build your personal brand on social media.
Personal branding for professionals doesn’t have to be a hassle. By following the best practices for each social media platform and making strategic choices when it comes to how you represent your professional brand, you’re sure to succeed. If you need help building your company or medical practice’s brand, the experts at Lenz Marketing are here for you. Contact us today to start a conversation.