As you know, personal branding is all about telling your story. Who you are, what makes you different, how you provide value to your customers. This can be done through a variety of channels—ranging from publishing a book to appearing on local TV affiliates. But in recent years, Facebook has emerged as a powerful tool for personal branding. The social site’s massive audience and ideal format makes it an invaluable branding tool. Here are four ways to leverage Facebook to communicate your personal brand:

1)     Choose the right profile picture. Your picture is going to be the first thing that most of your friends and fans see on Facebook. It’s important that you choose a high quality, professional photo that is reflective of the brand you are building. Your “cover photo” is another great opportunity to visually communicate your brand—take a look at my profile to see how I’ve utilized that space: https://www.facebook.com/Nicknanton

2)     Fill out your profile information. Many people leave the “About” section of their profile empty or incomplete—but it’s great place to reinforce your brand. If you have a professionally written bio, use it—otherwise make sure that whatever you write reflects your expertise, your accomplishments, and what makes you different from everyone else in your market.

3)     Keep your audience up to speed on your adventures with photos and status updates. Photos are one of the best ways to build your brand and tell your story—and Facebook makes this process incredibly easy. Share photos of yourself in action—on the road, working with clients, or even out pursuing a hobby. If you take a look at my Facebook page, you’ll see that I regularly post pictures and updates from projects that I’m working on. It’s a great way to keep your audience up to speed while reinforcing your brand at the same time.

4)     Interact. This is where too many business owners go wrong—social media and Facebook in particular is not a one-way communication medium. If you expect to engage your audience, you need to interact with them. This means responding to comments they make on your page and on your photos. But it also means interacting with their presence. Comment on photos. “Like” their status updates. Tag them in posts and pictures. Facebook is best utilized when you are focused on relationships in addition to building your personal brand—so don’t forget to interact with your audience.

Social media isn’t a “new” phenomenon. As I have noted before, humans are social creatures and have been for thousands of years. Facebook just happens to be the latest and most popular way for us to share our lives and our activities with one another. It’s a valuable tool, and by every indication it is here to stay. If you haven’t yet begun leveraging Facebook to tell your story and build your personal brand, you’re missing out on a valuable resource. If you’d like to learn more about branding via social media, or personal branding in general, please get in touch with me today! 

www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com