The Importance of Personal Branding and Social Media
Posted on: Aug 06, 2024
Photo Credit: Oatawa // ShutterstockNowadays, our social media platforms are basically our resumes. They can broadcast to the world the high moments in our careers and what we’ve accomplished, showing what we are capable of. But what about the branding aspect of social media? What differentiates making “humble brag” posts and branding yourself on your socials? Here are some examples of why personal branding is important and how social media can benefit you along with your personal brand:
E-strangers Can Become IRL Friends
People tend to follow the pages of those who are in the same field as them, even if they haven’t met. This isn’t anything new, but I can tell you from personal experience how much “internet strangers” have turned into friends in real life! We’ve been able to support each other’s endeavors, but also become leads for one another and help each other to get work in our respective fields. Anyone can come up with an internet persona that’s completely opposite of who truly are, so making those connections offline adds to genuine relationships and trust in you as a person, your brand and/or business.
Monetize Your Creativity
Creating content that shows our brand and what we offer can gain traction and drive traffic to our pages, giving an idea of all the other services we may offer. The pictures, videos, language and links you post in a creative field such as film or TV can “work” for you. It’s also a great way to manage time in the case that you do work a 9-5 or additional jobs, as you can schedule curating content ahead of time and not only decide what to post, but when. Curating content is surely a job, no matter how much you might think otherwise. Not only can it be a way to make income passively, but it can be a way to expand your audience all over the world. Which leads to my next point.
Expand Your Audience
Focusing on a target audience, instead of just trying to reach everybody, helps to solidify your personal brand and niche. This allows you to get creative and find what’s missing in your market, which helps you stand out and make you indispensable in your field. This will subsequently create more impressions and views that will digitally expand your audience. Your social media content can get in front of the right eyes to garner coverage via news station interviews, magazine articles, panel discussions, etc., which will further build your audience outside of the digital space.
Inspire and Be Inspired
Putting your creativity out there is a great way to inspire others to do the same, whether it’s showcasing their talents, using their voice or informing others with their expertise. It’s also a way to be inspired by someone. Think about the number of creatives and/or influencers who remix each other’s videos on Instagram or TikTok, adding their own spin to things. Or maybe they are recreating videos, and (hopefully) they’re giving credit to the originators, which is something that shows your integrity as a creator, building your reputation for being credible.
Building your personal brand is a great way to grow and develop in your career. It can grow your confidence in your skill set, and identifies what sets you apart from others in your field or niche. People who you e-meet through a screen can turn into people who become a major part of your real life—maybe even your village. By building your brand through social media, you are able to expand your reach to people all over the world, and it doesn’t require you to travel to make an impression on them.
Andrea Tucker is a writer/producer in sports and entertainment.
Browse thousands of jobs and find your next gig! Sign up or login to Staff Me Up and get on-set today!
You may also like: