Building a personal brand on social media has never been more important for business success than now. Some even refer to it as a digital handshake, in which industry professionals, company owners, influencers and other creatives can share their authentic selves and highlight what sets them apart from others.

Social media platforms enable professionals to reach their target audience, resonate with new audiences and engage directly with users. It’s an opportunity to craft the perfect narrative and display authority and authenticity, allowing them to foster deeper connections through a memorable identity.

Why Is Building a Personal Brand Crucial for Business Success?

Personal branding isn’t just about the individual behind it. The most successful brands know who they’re serving by focusing on a distinct and engaged audience. 

For example, Marie Kondo gained instant popularity by building a personal brand around “KonMari” — helping people attain emotional well-being by living in a tidier home. Bill Gates has also created an impressive personal brand centered around innovation, philanthropy and education. 

In today’s evolving business landscape, personal branding paves the way to high achievement and recognition within a given industry. It’s critical for standing out among the competition as someone of great value, making oneself more credible and creating prospects for personal and professional growth. 

Despite it becoming more important for company leaders to establish themselves on social media, 61% of Fortune 500 CEOs don’t have an online presence, and under 12% actively engage with users on more than one platform. Some of the most prominent leaders on social media include Doug McMillon of Walmart, Ramon Laguarta of PepsiCo, Adena Friedman of Nasdaq and Ed Bastian of Delta Air Lines.

By building a personal brand in the digital networking world, individuals can cultivate connections with like-minded users and collaborators, attract new investors and customers, and attain a more fulfilling and prosperous enterprise.

5 Personal Branding Tips for Social Media

Developing a personal brand on social media requires careful planning to get it right. Establishing a professional online presence for business success is more effective if the individual has had time to think about what matters to them, who they’re trying to reach and how they hope to present themselves. These five tips can help professionals build the perfect identity across platforms. 

1. Define Purpose and Values

Anyone creating a personal brand must look beyond skills and achievements and concentrate on their purpose and values. They must consider what drives them and the impact they’re trying to make — it’s answering the question of why they do what they do. This step requires reflection and being honest with oneself to devise the desired professional image. 

For instance, a fitness instructor might want to empower people to be healthy while learning to love themselves on their wellness journeys, making them seem motivating and compassionate. Meanwhile, a business owner might want to lean into ethics and sustainability to create a positive outcome for their customers and employees. Social media influencers and advocates might also have an important cause they want to shed light on. 

2. Choose the Right Platforms

Not every social media platform is appropriate for personal branding. It ultimately depends on what an individual hopes to achieve, the content they intend to share and the audience they want to to attract. Also, do they want the content to be a more visual representation? What type of engagement do they want — to build a following, share industry insights or cultivate discussions?

The following social media networks are worth considering as individuals define their online presence:

• Facebook: Excellent for community building, sharing different types of content and running ads
• Instagram: Ideal for visual content, connecting with younger audiences and showcasing more of a personal side
• X: Good for delivering quick updates and participating in real-time discussions regarding specific topics
• TikTok: Helps reach a younger audience through short-form videos
• YouTube: Best for long-form video content for increased brand awareness
• LinkedIn: Ideal for creating a professional network and establishing oneself as an industry expert
• Pinterest: Helpful in creating and delivering visual inspiration, especially for influencers and product creators
• Snapchat: Perfect for behind-the-scenes footage and forming connections with younger audiences

Other platforms could include Quora, Medium or more specific online communities to share content and expertise related to a particular field. However, individuals don't need to sign up for all platforms at one time. Starting with a few social media accounts where the target audience is most active will allow for greater user engagement and the ability to monitor and adjust one’s strategy.

3. Optimize Profiles

When building a personal brand on social media, it’s important to optimize each profile. This includes using a high-quality image — such as a professional headshot — for the public to perceive them a certain way. A relevant username that’s easy to remember — such as somebody’s actual name — is also crucial. 

The bio should clearly demonstrate a personal brand’s mission and values, using appropriate keywords that engage others. Also, including a link to a company website or LinkedIn account underscores integrity and boosts traffic to other platforms. 

4. Create Consistency

Consistency makes a personal brand recognizable and memorable through voice, messaging and visual identity. A consistent voice carries the same tone and message throughout all networks, cultivating trust and familiarity and making it easier to reinforce individual values. The most effective way to achieve a consistent voice is to adapt one’s language and tone to the target audience.

Visual identity is equally essential for professionals to define and apply core design elements — color palette, typography, imagery and logo — across social media. Studies show people must see a brand logo five to seven times to remember and recognize it — 75% of people know a brand by its logo. 

A visual identity should reflect one's principles and evoke specific emotions from users. Utilizing color psychology can be highly influential for this.

5. Develop Engaging Content

Those who use social media for personal branding have a lot of ground to cover. In January 2021, there were 4.2 billion unique users on social media platforms — a 13% increase from 2020. On average, users spend two hours and 25 minutes browsing their social media pages daily. While it shouldn’t be anyone’s goal to reach every person, engaging content will attract many. 

Studying the types of content other industry professionals post can be an excellent starting point. A blend of visual, written and video content usually works best for engaging the target audience, as well as what each post entails.

For example, marketers might create content about effective digital marketing strategies and the latest SEO techniques, while a software developer could create tutorials, deliver code snippets or facilitate discussions about best practices. 

Establishing a Positive Image With Personal Branding

Building a personal brand takes trial and error to get it right. Many people will find themselves adjusting their social media presence and modifying content until it resonates with users. Regardless, staying true to oneself and remaining focused on a positive image will allow them to reach their business goals.