The idea behind personal branding is not a new one but rather something that has been recently re-booted due to the presence of social media. The role of social media, especially with someone looking to be in the public eye (such as a model or actor), is critical in the establishment of themselves - or, their personal brand. There is a plethora of advice on how to manage your social media accounts and social media presence, but there is very little to be said about the role of personal branding. And, even when personal branding is discussed, many people don't know the true meaning behind the phrase and can therefore miss out on endless opportunities to personally brand themselves. 

The strong presence of social media today has allowed a path for personal branding to become easier and has given us the ability to monitor what we want the public eye to see and think about us (aka, branding ourselves). 

Personal branding can be as simplistic as asking yourself, what do you want people to think of you? What message are you trying to convey about yourself? However, it can also be complex in grey areas that we typically don't think of. It surrounds us daily and nobody really thinks about it. 

Think about this - if you see a man at the store with a Patagonia jacket, North Face beanie, and wearing Timberland boots, then the automatic suggestion from his outfit alone is that this person likes to be active and seems to be outdoorsy - maybe a hiker and someone who loves adventure? This person has personally branded himself by just the choice of clothing brands he put on his body. He is conveying to people what he wants them to think of him... and it worked! 

Now take this simple example and apply it to social media and it gets a bit tricky. There exists an array of things to do before you can successfully brand yourself on social media - so, luckily, here are some quick tips on how to do just that!

1. Cultivate your personal brand

In order to keep your social media all about your brand, it should be clean of any distractions that stray from the message you are conveying to the public. 

Not only does updating your accounts mean deleting old posts that no longer serve you, but rather updating the look of your social media too. This can mean updating your profile picture, following new brands and/or people that you think best suits your personal brand, posting new content, etc. Your updated social media should have a thing or two to say about who you are professionally (and personally). A person viewing your profile should know what you're all about at first glance, and an updated profile can do wonders to achieving this.

4. Sell Yourself

By definition, personal branding is a process by which we market ourselves to others. With that being said - get used to selling yourself! 

If you are a model, sell yourself through pictures posted from photoshoots and following other models. Don't forget to promote your agent, which is a big help in not only branding yourself but networking as well. For example, if you are a model who is posting a shot from a photoshoot, consider somewhere in the caption to say: "Thank you PMTM for this opportunity! #thisisPMTM." It's as quick and easy as that! Now you have just branded yourself as a respectable model who is appreciative of her agency. People will build an image of who you are as a person over a picture and just a few short words of thanks. 

5. Stay Active

One of the most important key steps in online personal branding seems like one of the most simple, however, its importance is of magnitude - stay active with your online presence. 

Staying active on your social media accounts ensures increased engagement from your followers and it tells your audience that you are on top of things in terms of your professional and personal life. Think about it this way - you identify more with a celebrity that is constantly active on social media and regularly posts, that way their followers have something to look forward to, rather than someone who only posts every once in a while. The tricky part about getting good at being in the public eye is that the public never wants to be left alone - however, with personal branding (especially in career paths like acting and modeling) you should like the limelight in a sense that it helps build your brand organically and grow in your profession. 

A local businessman is not going to care much about his media engagement, however, the social media marketer, model, influencer, etc. will care a lot because of what it means to them in regard to their personal brand. 

So, take this all into consideration when engaging with your social media accounts. If you want to make it big in the social media world, then these things matter. Staying active on your accounts and giving your followers the content that they identified in the first place is important. 

With the new-age media, it is critical to be able to navigate social media when considering it as a tool for personal branding. Luckily, with these helpful tips and a goal-oriented personality, social media and a personal brand can coexist and leave you happy with the results. 

                                    

                                                                                                                     Written by: Alyssa Lambo