Branding yourself successfully in social media requires both strategy and context. The rapid proliferation of content, increasing number of Internet users, and ever growing number of Web 2.0/social media sites is causing greater and greater fragmentation online. In one sense, this fragmentation is an opportunity, as it allows businesses to microniche even more deeply, and connect directly with those who are likely to be ideal consumers.
In another sense, this fragmentation is also a challenge, because it is becoming (and will continue to become) even more difficult to break through the "noise" and gain attention. The savviest marketers understand that branding in social media is crucial for standing out in the crowd.
Branding is a huge and complex process, the subject of thousands of books and case studies. Within the social media sphere, there are three simple strategies you can adopt, today, to begin the process of branding yourself. These aren't the only techniques you will want to use, but they will give you a strong foundation to your social marketing efforts.
The Three Simple Ways to Brand Yourself in Social Media
Register the same username on every social site you participate in. This means you need to make a choice of username, and stick with it. I would recommend using your firstname lastname as your username on all the social networks. If your name is common, or not available, you can add a one word descriptor to differentiate yourself. Typically, I suggest that you don't register your business name only- as social networks and social sites are about people connecting to people- and while you might be marketing yourself, you don't want to be so obvious about it. Along these same lines, avoid registering a benefit driven username as your main identity (something like "curebackpain") as this, too, may send the wrong message. You can check the availability of usernames across multiple social sites using the free service:
UserNameCheck.com
Use the same profile picture on every social site. Using the same picture on each site helps people put your face and name together. This is important, because when people know what you look like, they are more likely to like and trust you. Users who hide behind graphics, clipart or other cutesy images are doing themselves a disservice. Don't like the way you photograph? Invest in some pictures taken by a professional photographer. The expense will be well worth it, and you can use the images on your other marketing materials as well. If a profile allows multiple picture uploads, just be sure the main one is consistent across all your profiles. The right hemisphere of our brains are wired to remember faces (even better than names) so the more people see your picture, the more they will pay attention to you.
Decide what you want to be known for- and then share this. In order to be successful within social media, you must niche yourself. In the increasingly fragmented space, people will rely on quick "hooks" to assess and select. You can aid this process (and propel them to select you) by developing a strong, results driven bio, highlighting your areas of expertise. People reading your profile should know, immediately, who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. People seek out experts. Are you positioning yourself as one?
Once you have implemented these three strategies, you will have created a strong base for social media success. From here, your next steps are to support your persona, be helpful and accessible, and gradually move people off the social networks and sites into your direct marketing processes. We'll discuss these steps in more detail in upcoming articles.
