Social media first started as a way to stay in touch with family and friends, and to showcase the fun details of one’s life to the world. Today, it’s much more than that. Even a simple social media profile on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn can stand on its own as a brand if you do it right.
Entrepreneurs and business owners can’t afford to turn their noses up at social media, even if it’s trivialized as a distraction. Done correctly, it plays a powerful role in defining who you are to the world.
In this article, I’d like to share how to build a strong personal brand in 2023. Many of these tips are from my own experience of conscientiously building a brand online. Read on to learn how you can shape your online presence into a powerful brand.
FIRST, DO NO HARM
I think it’s important to get this out of the way: The first rule to building a personal brand is to avoid anything with the potential to stir up controversy. Think a dozen times before you say something provocative or harmful and follow the rule, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all.”
This simple practice ensures you maintain a positive or, at worst, neutral brand image over time and makes you relatable to audiences around the world.
EMBODY YOUR VALUES
I try to behave consistently with my company, i.e., my partners and employees, as I do with the world at large. The only exception is that I’m often more personal and friendly with the people in my business from having worked with them for so long.
My point is that it is important to be consistent both inside and outside your organization to be authentic and keep your reputation strong. A great way to do this is to list your most important beliefs and values and embody them. In my business, this means putting people first, right from our employees to our customers.
We also believe in doing the right thing. By being vocal about our beliefs, we’ve been able to run our business smoothly, empower employees to make decisions, and build a personal and business brand that’s powerful and consistent.
Ask yourself what your values are and find ways to make them real within your business. Doing so will end up with your branding messages reflecting who you are.
CREATE A BLOG
In my experience, the most important online property you can own for your personal brand is a website with your name as the domain.
It’s critical to have a personal brand website even if you don’t have the time to update it regularly. By building a blog or a website with relevant content, you “own” the top results that show up on search engines when people research who you are.
You have a lot of leverage in getting your message out over everyone else who speculates about your business and personal life. It’s also important to make the effort to speak to your audience at large. You want to be present, vocal, and engaged to avoid appearing disconnected and cold.
Here’s an interesting way that I used my blog: I discovered that people were looking for my net worth online. Instead of having random people cover this topic, I wrote about this myself. As a result, my website appears as the very first link for this topic on Google. This has allowed me to address an issue that could easily lead to unhealthy speculation and it allows me to share some insights with my audience.
There are many ways building a blog helps. So, make sure you create a personal branded blog outside of your business’ blog.
GET ON SOCIAL
Just like you should “own” your name in the form of a domain, you should own your personal brand on social media. This means creating Facebook profiles, LinkedIn profiles, and so on, even if you have no intention of using them.
It’s critical to own and protect your name online. Besides being present on social media networks, choose one or two of them to be active on. I often post on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) and use automation tools that schedule and publish to them from a single platform. This allows me to save time and get my message across faster.
With AI making such strides today, building your profile on social media is easier than ever. So, take it seriously and use these places as a means to directly engage your audience. Post about content that isn’t “official” and get real whenever you can. This can go a long way in building rapport and boosting your brand image.
BUILD YOUR BRAND THROUGH THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Finally, you should think of yourself as a thought leader when it comes to your personal brand. A thought leader is someone who shares new, insightful, and interesting content in an arena.
Being a thought leader is about going beyond generic messages and sharing your life and business lessons as well as new ideas.
Post content regularly online and relate to your audience through your stories and insights. Share what you think through different online channels and avoid negative topics. As long as you’re authentic and consistent, you can build a strong personal brand that supports and grows your business.
Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site used by over 15 million website owners.