What does your social media presence say about you?
You don’t want to take one step forward with your career yet take two steps back with your social media brand, so take these steps to elevate your digital domain.
Do you come up blank when asked “what do you do?” by a new contact on a Zoom introduction call?
Nail down your digital elevator pitch ahead of time to make a great first impression. Spend 10 minutes crafting your value proposition with a three-line review of your background. Take time to consider:
How can you help the company?
How can you help their customers? How can you help your new team? How can you help this new contact?
If you can articulate your value proposition in an elevator pitch, you can create a compelling LinkedIn and Twitter profile. Practice, practice, practice to be sure it’s succinct and compelling.
PRO TIP: Include your elevator pitch in all your email introductions. It’s an easy way to provide the context of your role in the company or to potential hiring managers.
2. Update your LinkedIn profile picture.
LinkedIn profiles with pictures get 21 times more views than those without, so start by adding a nice headshot to your profile.
PRO TIP: Update your photo twice a year. Ensure your network privacy settings allow others to see when you refresh it. This way, you’ll provide a trigger for others to check out your profile.
3. Replace your job title on your LinkedIn headline with a compelling statement.
Your LinkedIn headline is like the title of your personal book. It catches the reader’s attention and gives them a reason to read on.
Since your LinkedIn headline shows up as the first line in a Google search of your name, you must make it count. Tell your story. Use relevant keywords and compelling phrasing to make a significant social media branding impression. This headline should be a part of a quarterly LinkedIn refresh.
PRO TIP. The worst type of headline is “Sales Representative for (insert company here).” That type of description is limiting, boring, and a waste of valuable space.
4. Rewrite your LinkedIn summary (About) section.
People don’t want to know about your accomplishments. Instead, they want to know how your experience can help them. So, rewrite your LinkedIn About section to present your expertise and show how you can help your customer or others.
PRO TIP: The first line of your summary shows up in your Google search results, right after your headline. Make sure your first line captures attention to get people to click through to your profile.
5. Use a grammar-checking tool.
Typos make you look sloppy, unprepared and apathetic. Poor grammar can also lead to confusion, and it positions you as a poor communicator.
Use a grammar-checking program such as Grammarly, and frequently scan your social media profiles, updates, and articles to make sure your copy is clean.
PRO TIP. Use a second app, such as Hemmingway Editor, to ensure your tone, voice, and readability align with your editorial strategy.
6. Work on your storytelling skills.
Messages delivered as stories can be up to 22 times more memorable than mere facts.
People listen to stories. So, transform your fact-based pitch or presentation into a story. If you provide some relatable context to help your audience “get it” more efficiently, you will increase your brand’s positioning by appealing to a broader audience.
PRO TIP: Choose a clear and straightforward storyline to tell your story. Don’t overcomplicate it. Make sure the audience doesn’t have to think too hard to understand your main point.
7. Follow five people on LinkedIn weekly.
Frequently follow new LinkedIn users who resemble your target audience to build your network “nest” every day. You’ll find your brand’s footprint will quickly increase.
Strategic following allows you to see a person’s posts and articles on your homepage without being connected to them, but they won’t see your posts. This organization will make it easier to engage with their posts — and perhaps start up a conversation.
PRO TIP: Use LinkedIn’s search feature and participate in relevant industry LinkedIn Groups.
Your social media profiles will show up on Google when people search for your name. If you have a horrible profile or a dormant account, you are heading toward a branding disaster.
Ask a co-worker or friend what they really think of your Twitter, Instagram, or even Facebook profile. What do your pages say about you? You can always develop alternative social profiles if you are concerned about your feeds.
While you should be somewhat active, most users are not content producers. They are consumers. Ten percent of users who are most active in tweeting are responsible for 80% of all tweets created by U.S. users.
PRO TIP: Google yourself monthly, and observe if your other social media profiles and activity are representative of your personal branding goals.
Conversations on social media start with you! Ask questions on Twitter. Answer questions in LinkedIn groups. Leave comments, and ask questions on your LinkedIn status updates. Start to comment on blogs. Good things will follow if your brand engages with others.
PRO TIP: Commenting on a post means much more than saying “I agree.” When commenting, write in a manner that encourages a response so you can continue the conversation.
Digital resources such as HootSuite, Buffer or Sprout Social can help you schedule and streamline your content stream activity. Use this type of tool for 10 minutes daily to maximize your time.
PRO TIP: Use your social media publisher to publish at the same times every day to develop consistency. This regular publishing schedule makes it easier to create content people will expect and anticipate.
Do you have another tip to increase your brand’s currency on social media? If so, please comment below.
