10 Social Media Profile Branding Formula

What are your Social Media Profiles saying about you on first impressions? It’s becoming essential in today’s age to have social media profiles to online personal or business branding. They provide information about you and the value you offer and gives your audience a place to connect and get involved with you.

I want you to consider each social media profile that you build a landing page for your brand. It will be the first interaction that someone is going to have with your brand or business, and the first impression will be critical to making your visitor curious to want to know more about you. Here are ten ingredients to follow to build your successful social media profile.

Social Media Profiles – The Branding Formula

1. Your Name

I once thought that your username, the name that usually shows up as the title or in the URL (https://www.instagram.com/looplinc) would get your profile at the front of the search results. However it doesn’t count in rankings like website SEO, and what I discovered was the real ranking of social media profiles follows with your name. Use the name that you want to be found under.

2. Your Username

If you already have your name, so what’s the intent of the username? If people cannot find your social media links may think it is related to something else and could search for it using that method. Think of your brand and what you would like it to relate to.

3. Your Profile Image

Think of your picture/avatar as your brand logo. It’s something that people can associate with your brand when they see it. People are more likely to want to engage when they see a person behind the profile. Make it look natural; a headshot to the shoulders is always great with the right width and height. Be consistent with the same photo across your other social media profiles so people can easily recognize you. One thing you may not have thought about, naming your photo file appropriately before uploading will result in easier search (instead of IMG0153.jpg, name it yourname.jpg).

4. Your Link

Each social media network varies from one another, but optimize on the opportunity to show your link on the main section of your profile. Many people are not aware they can add their link on the channel page of their Youtube, or in the box below their profile image on Facebook. Ensure your link is in front of your visitors so they can find it quickly on your website.

5. Your Profile Bio

This area is your bread and butter. Each profile should be a sentence or two about yourself or your business, include your main keywords, and should be written with the same rhythm. This will showcase that you are reliable and trustworthy. Never leave your bio empty and be sure to fill it out to its full potential. Some networks like Twitter may have limited words so build a condensed version with essential details about you and your brand.

6. Your Interests & Hobbies

Some networks allow an extended information section about yourself. Many people generally skip over this section but don’t make this mistake! Look at these fields as an additional area to add your keywords.

7. Your Profile Background

Although not all networks will have this feature, invest in the ones that do such as Twitter, Youtube Profiles, and Facebook. Share additional information that you may not have been able to fit in your profile on customized backgrounds or banners. It could include icons or additional links to your other networks so people can connect with you or your brand with the platform they’re most comfortable with.

8. Your Privacy Settings

The biggest mistake you could do is to make your information private after you’ve invested so much into your profile bio. Look at your privacy settings as it varies from network to network, and you will want to ensure your information is public and viewable. This is critical when you are looking to connect with others. While they may not recognize your name, they could recognize your photo or network affiliations.

9. Your Profile Activity

Determine what will be your mission and goal to maintain a robust level of activity on your main social networks. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just some networks of action, however, there are a few important guidelines to follow on ANY network.

• Friend Requests – don’t just add them, engage them!
• Groups – don’t just join them, participate in them!
• Post Updates – Don’t post only updates, share what your connections want or would be of value to them!

10. Your Profile Promotion

Last but not least, have a little healthy promotion of your social media profiles to engage more people and encourage connecting with you. Don’t forget to infuse your profiles to each other, and add your social media profile links to:

• Your email signatures
• Your website
• Your forum signatures
• Your Business Cards
• Your chat platforms (i.e., Skype, BBM, etc.)

Social Media Profile Tips for Success

These are just the basics of how to build your social media profile, and a few engagement ideas are to offer your audience helpful tips, photos, quotes, and value. It’s okay to cross-post across your networks, but it’s even better if you can customize your fans (such as LinkedIn and Google+, where people are more professional oriented).

Your Move

Keep things positive and follow all social media etiquette. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine and most of all, engage and connect with others! Were any of these points useful?

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