Social Media: Marketing Super Juice for Your Personal Brand

Oreo, McDonalds, Ford and Starbucks. All brands that have built a loyal and passionate legion of raving fans. How did they do it?While product and innovation were key ingredients to their success, they also learned how to leverage social media to extend brand reach and supercharge their marketing efforts.So, how can you use the power of social media as marketing super juice for your personal brand? The answer is twofold.First, you must be able to combine multiple social platforms and second, you need a deep desire to differentiate yourself in an ever-growing sea of the same.If you're eager to separate your business from the competition, read the ten steps below to supercharge your personal brand using social media!

Position Your Online Brand

Transitioning your established offline presence to an online powerhouse takes finesse. While this first step may not be the sexiest way to get started, it is imperative that you take the time to properly define your brand for your new online audience.

As Dharmesh Shah, Founder/CTO of HubSpot says,

"The goal of positioning is to create an immediate and direct connection in the minds of consumers; that’s what branding is all about. Individuals need to think about positioning, too.”

A personal brand that embodies your beliefs, expertise, unique abilities and personality will allow you to stand out and shine.Conveying your message effectively opens the door to attraction marketing and your ability to draw the right consumer to your business.

Manage Your Online Brand

Whether you like it or not, people are forming perceptions about your business on a daily basis. Take a moment to run a quick audit of your online presence.When consumers land on your Google Plus or Facebook page, do they find that information is outdated and the last post is months old? How about Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn?While social media can be an enormous benefit, it can also be a reputation killer. Don't leave public perception to chance.[clickToTweet tweet="Take control of your online persona. Actively portray the values that make you, YOU! via @rebekahradice" quote="Take control of your online persona. Actively portray the values and virtues that make you fabulously YOU! "]

Build a Strategic Road Map

Social media moves at a rapid pace and can easily become an enormous time-suck if it isn't managed and your goals aren't strategically set.Build an architectural blueprint that encompasses your social media marketing strategy. Begin at a high level including each social channel and their corresponding goals.Then begin to add the steps it will take to meet your goals. Answer the questions below:

• How often will you post?
• What type of content will you post?
• Where will the content come from?
• How will you execute your strategy consistently?

Get in the Conversation

Believe it or not, you actually have to use social media in order to be effective. I know, crazy right?If you plan on marketing your business through social media, you must make a commitment to consistently show up. There is nothing worse than setting up a social media profile and then halfheartedly stumbling through the motions of posting and interacting.The way I see it, you have two choices. Step it up or step out altogether.

Blogging Builds Thought Leadership

While blogging isn't social media per se, it does directly relate to your content strategy. It is also the best way to share expertise and build thought leadership.It encourages growth and interaction if properly promoted across multiple channels. Don't believe me?Just take a look at these statistics found by Technorati in their 2013 Digital Influence Report.

Own Your Niche

Determine who your target audience is and then build a following around that niche. For example, "The Pioneer Woman" is a blog which talks about ranch and homeschooling and is normally visited by close to four million people in every month.The key to her success? She determined who her audience was and set out to own that niche.

Discuss issues, provide content and actively offer solutions that connect with your followers and fans. It's all about identifying a need and then filling that need day-in and day-out.

Be Approachable and Friendly

My motto has always been "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Granted, people are by no means flies, but you catch my drift.No one wants to hang out with a negative and defeatist person.Be friendly, affable, helpful, approachable and always genuine in your willingness to serve consumers needs.

Promote Authenticity

And that leads me directly into my next point - stay true to who you are offline in all of your online dealings. Always say what you mean and mean what you say.Remember, building your brand in social media takes time and that means that you must have patience. People will connect with someone they sense is an authentic representation of their brand both offline and online.

Don't Be Everything to Everybody

It is not possible to win the heart and minds of every person. It is important for you to find your niche and strongly stick with it.Figure out who you are and what you stand for. Ensure that your personal brand connects with the right people.Streamline your brand so that you can produce results that matter!

Share Freely

Want to attract quality prospects to your business? Freely give of your time, knowledge and expertise.Social media allows you to spread your message to a larger audience than ever before.Don't miss that opportunity to showcase your talents and the many benefits associated with working with you!

How are you building your personal brand through social media? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!