When you’re starting a business, or even when you’re a seasoned business owner, you hear a LOT about making sure that your brand is consistently reflected in the social media posts you create, on your website, on your business cards and brochures and more. But what if I told you that your personal brand is just as important to your business as your business branding is?
We’ve said it before: Your business is a true reflection of you and your personality. Many business owners feel like they can’t show off who they are as a person within their business — but at the end of the day, people buy from people. More importantly, people trust other people, and when they trust them, they trust their products and services too.
How can you make sure that your personal brand is a part of your business?
We get hung up as business owners trying to convey what our products or services look like, and we forget that a huge part of our business is US, as the business owner. Try to make sure that you’re regularly reminding your customers using social media who makes the magic happen. Oh, and don’t forget to accurately portray yourself on your website, too. Here’s an example of our About page.
Even if you’re not posting publicly on your personal social media accounts, make sure that the bio sections on each of them reflect what you do as a business owner. And, make sure that you’re using the same name across each so that you’re easy to find.
Make sure your LinkedIn account is updated, too. Often as business owners we start to think “I don’t need to use LinkedIn any more, I’m not looking for a job” … but it’s still a great place for you to network and find your next employee.
One of the greatest things I did for my business was having photos taken that aligned with my brand. These photos weren’t just your every day headshot — they were photos of me and the team doing what we do best. Now, people recognize me from my photos around my local community, and I have a lot of branded content that I can use in social media posts, on presentations and more.
It’s important, too, to make sure that you’re posting on your personal accounts photos and updates that you would also share as your business. If you’re sharing content that makes people uncomfortable or is inappropriate on your personal accounts, even if your profile is private to only your friends, it could have negative consequences. Be mindful of what you’re posting and how your message can be perceived.
Ellen Matis is the owner of Hello Social Co., a social media marketing agency that uses the Focus on Local Approach to help small businesses grow within their local communities. Learn more at www.hellosocialco.com.
Tags: owning a business, personal brand, starting a business