Tweet for Success: Boosting Your Personal Brand with Social Media

Some of my biggest pet peeves are: businesses without a website and young professionals without an online presence. Seriously, it’s 2014! People don’t just talk on the phone or email one another; they meet and connect through social networks. For young professionals, this can be both a blessing and a curse especially when you want to establish yourself as a leader or credible resource in a particular industry. You have to be aware that every public online action you take helps build your personal brand. That leads me to the “blessing” of social networks; they are a great, free tool for building your personal brand.

The first step to building your brand online is figuring out what your brand is. Your personal brand is the image people think of when they hear your name. No it’s not your job title; it’s the unique strengths that you posses. Once you figure that out, you want to then think about which social media platforms will enhance your brand, because everything is not for everybody.

Here are a few tips on how you can use the big three social media networks (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) to enhance your personal brand. 

FACEBOOK (Users: 845 million+) 

• Publish useful content in a conversational tone
• Don’t flood people’s timeline with hour-by-hour updates, that’s what Twitter is for!
• If you want to separate your personal and professional followers, consider creating a Page for yourself.
• Join or create a Facebook Group where you can others in your industry can come together to discuss topics, ideas, etc.
• Provide content that your followers can’t get anywhere else. For example, maybe do a contest or special offer on a product. 

LINKEDIN (150 million +) 

• Post links to your website, blog posts or other sites that showcase your work.
• Participate in discussions and leave your thoughts on the content other people post.
• Endorse and recommend other people, as well as ask others for endorsements or recommendations.

TWITTER (Users: 140 million+)

(I must say this has become my personal favorite brand building tool. I’ve connected with so many amazing and talented people. Twitter makes it very quick and easy to connect with people who you wouldn’t necessarily be able to connect with face to face.)

• Just like LinkedIn, post links to your website, blog posts or other sites that showcase your work.
• If you’re a very busy person (like me!) you might want to consider using an app (I use Tweetdeck) to schedule some of your general tweets, like links to industry articles or your work. But don’t just rely on scheduling tweets you need to also tweet in real-time as well!
• Don’t get Retweet happy, remember to tweet your thoughts and opinions too.
• Use hash tags, but don’t overdue it! Everything does not need a hash tag. #ImJust Saying
• Sometimes it can be hard to fit everything into 140 characters so you can use abbreviations, just make sure people can still read and understand what you’re trying to say.
• Participate in Twitter chats to connect with like-minded professionals and gain credibility in your industry. See list of Twitter chats here (http://tweetreports.com/twitter-chat-schedule/)
• Create lists of people you look up to in your industry, other like-minded young professionals, etc.
• Twitter is all about engaging with others! If someone tweets you, reply back. And if someone follows you, follow them back (if you’re interested in following their tweets).
• Tweet during an event that relates to your industry. (EX: awards show, conference, networking social, etc.) And remember to use hash tags!

Some final takeaways that are very important to keep in mind for ALL social media sites: be CONSISTENT! Don’t update your profile just when you’re looking for a job, you need to check your social networks daily and stay fresh and current. Also, don’t use these sites to just boost yourself. Someone told me about the 80-20 rule, engage with others more than you promote yourself.

I hope this post has inspired you to get tweeting or posting and build your personal brands. If you have any follow-up questions feel free to tweet me @LynnGilchrist.

Written by: Lynette Gilchrist

Allergic to mediocrity and comfort zones, Lynette Gilchrist is a strong believer that God has a plan for every single one of us and it doesn’t include settling and being unhappy about our current situations. Instead, she believes we should fulfill our purpose and passion in life, which led Lynette to creating Young Dream Diggers, a movement to connect like-minded young people and inspire them to turn their dreams into a reality. Currently residing in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lynette is also a television news producer andmotivational speaker. She is also the President of the National Student Business League Alumni Chapter, an organization that focuses on entrepreneurship and professionalism. Lynette’s ultimate calling in life is service, and she will continue to honor her calling by empowering and uplifting communities to rise above their circumstances and soar into greatness.