1K Shares

Social media is the present and the future.

If you haven’t discovered it yet, now is the time!

Your personal brand’s primary means of gaining exposure is through a strong, consistent, and creative social media plan. If you’re stuck without a vision for your online presence, chances are high that the competition will knock you out.

So don’t get left behind!

I’ve broken down some steps for how you can gain followers, build your brand, and achieve success by mastering your presence and power on social media.

Additional reading;

1. Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg’s 2004 brainchild is a gold mine of eager people who could be looking for your service, product, or brand. But you won’t be able to communicate with those people unless you’re active and assertive.

Additional reading;

What should my brand’s Facebook page look like?

Your Facebook page is the introduction to your business. It should provide high quality and consistent information that pops up on your followers’ feeds as a reminder of why you should be a part of their busy lives.

Fill out the “About” section of your page with as much information as much as possible. Facebook has options to add a launch date, list your open hours, state your mission, list awards received, give an “about” summary, write general information, state your Impressum, and pretty much give your target audience everything they need to know about you.

Your “Contact Info” should follow the same principle. The more information you’re willing to share, the more others can stay in touch with you.

How do I connect with followers?

Remember that page likes are important, but having people engage with your content is even better. Producing content that is fresh and interesting will cause people to want to like your page!

Adopt is a “giving is getting” mentality and know that if every post looks like an ad, it won’t result in a positive perception of your brand.

Share resources with your audience (blog posts, articles, quotes, videos, etc). Always consider adding more visuals with photos and graphics. Think about the content you would want to read and engage with if it were on your own Facebook feed. How can you reproduce such posts?

Have you considered Facebook Live before? Live video is growing in popularity as a means of engagement on social media. It’s much more personal than scheduled posts and gives people an opportunity to attach a face and a personality to a brand name.

Bonus: The live videos can be saved on your feed for those who didn’t get to see the actual stream.

Check out the LadyBossBlogger Facebook Page!

How can I develop relationships with my followers?

If your Facebook page is the formal doorway to your brand, you’ll also want to cultivate space inside your house. Facebook groups are an incredible way to manage this! Think of it as a narrowed focus group where you’re enabled to reach out to a specific section of your followers.

Join LadyBossBlogger’s group for Female Entrepreneurs + Bloggers.

For example, if you run a blog with advice for pet owners, consider creating a Facebook group exclusively for your followers who own dogs. This would allow you to cultivate a conversation that’s more relevant and intimate.

Finding members for your group may require some outreach, an even better way to grow closer to your audience. People enjoy being noticed as individuals, so crafting a short personal message that invites someone to join your group is an avenue for conversation and a means of saying, “I see you and I value you.”

Additionally, when your members ask a question, make sure to answer them quickly and with a full response to further establish trust, credibility, and reliability.

2. Instagram

Instagram is my favorite social media source. Because of its distinctly visual nature, strategizing for Instagram looks different. Pictures and aesthetics are key to cultivating a strong presence.

Additional reading;

How do I create an aesthetic for my Instagram page?

It’s important to remember the value of both an individual photo and the look of your page as a whole. Your Instagram page is a representation of your brand and you want it to be an effective one.

Consider adopting a consistent color scheme for your page. Determine what colors or lighting strategies you want to use for brand representation.

Are there complementary colors you can use?
Or variations of your primary color?

Each photo should be able to stand alone as a high-quality addition to your page while also contributing to the bigger picture: Your page as your brand.

Quality matters more than quantity, so strategize how you can make your photos be the best they can possibly be. Knowing a few basic rules of photography will go a long way.

If you can master composition and lighting, you’re well on your way to creating more dynamic images. You want your content to be visually pleasing and appealing to your audience.

Follow the LadyBossBlogger Instagram page!

What are the best ways to gain likes and followers?

Instagram is an amazing source for engagement. Likes and comments serve as the heart and soul of the app, so giving is the first step to receiving.

Engage with your feed whenever possible, follow new sources of inspiration, give back to the community you’re trying to cultivate! This is especially effective for when you’re working within a niche community because your efforts can be more focused.

Be consistent with producing content and post every single day to make sure the algorithm favors you. This is why it’s a good idea to use a scheduler like Planoly so you can stay on top of posting.

How do I make sure my posts are being seen?

Switch over to an Instagram business account as soon as possible to see post insights and keep track of your engagement rates. It’s the perfect option for aspiring brands and Instagram influencers, also allowing you to leave your contact information in a more accessible place.

Use hashtags! Find the best hashtags using Tailwind’s hashtag checker – it lists out the best hashtags according to what’s the best for your niche and labels them as niche, best, or competitive.

Make sure to also write killer captions, your captions are just as important as your photos. Geotagging is also a great option, as well as tagging other accounts for a feature.

Use your stats to see when to post at the right times. This increases the likelihood of your post being seen. Don’t be afraid to promote a new post on your Instagram story as well! You can simply post the title of your post and “swipe up to read” or “link in bio”.

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is another social media platform that thrives on visual aesthetics. It’s a strong marketing platform for bloggers in particular who can link individual pins back to exact links.

Additional reading;

How do I maintain an aesthetic on Pinterest?

Start with your boards. Board titles should revolve around a consistent theme and be organized accordingly. Don’t forget about board descriptions! You should also use the “Sections” within individual boards or create new ones to keep your content easy-to-find.

Creating board covers is a great way to show off your creativity and maintain visual interest. Try a minimalist approach, with a single color, font, and visual element. Less is more, especially if someone is skimming your page to see what content you’re pinning.

Follow the LadyBossBlogger Pinterest account!

What’s the best way to create an effective marketing strategy for Pinterest?

Individual pins can link back to the blog posts you want to promote! Change the pin URL and include a strong call to action in your pin description box. Add hashtags with keywords, always relating back to the original pin’s content.

Use group boards to collaborate with other pinners! Keep your content fresh and consistent. Your reach is more important than the followers you have and most of your activity will occur on the search page instead of your profile page.

The boards below are all currently open for you to join!

What are some reliable resources I can use for Pinterest?

Canva is amazing for creating beautifully designed pins for your marketing purposes. With dozens of pre-made templates and design ideas, you don’t have to be a master at graphic design. The Canva pin template is sized at 735 x 1102, which is perfectly suited for your Pinterest needs.

Don’t forget to include your blog link within your design, preferably the bottom center. Use lifestyle images for more visual appeal. People love context for a pin, how the pin’s title applies to the visual image being displayed.

Pinterest only recommends one company for scheduling pins and that’s Tailwind!

If you’re looking to optimize your pinning capabilities, you’ll find yourself more successful by using a strategic approach. Tailwind schedules your pins at prime posting times and monitors your performance, giving you valuable insight into which pins are most successful.

A successful marketing strategy on Pinterest wouldn’t be complete without the proper tools. A Pinterest Business account can also be an extremely valuable resource if you’re hoping to boost your outreach.

4. Twitter

Twitter is the best social media source for when you need to keep it short and sweet. Whether you’re sharing a link, a photo, or a brief message, Twitter can help you be much more direct.

Additional reading;

How To Turn Your Social Media Followers Into Subscribers

What does a killer Tweet look like?

A killer tweet has three parts:

Purpose
Engagement
Follow-through

Knowing the purpose of your Tweets prevents you from spamming your audience with boring, thoughtless, or irrelevant information. Just as you would want your own feed to be filled with informative, thoughtful, funny, fresh content, so does everyone else! Write Tweets that have a reason for being brought into the world.

How do you want your audience to respond to your Tweet? You need to have a method of engagement with them. Your Tweets should ask a question, propose a solution, share a message, or seek to cultivate conversation. Otherwise, you’re having a conversation with yourself. When writing, ask yourself, “How would I respond to this Tweet?”

Keep following through! Don’t leave your audience with a bunch of individual Tweets that only lead to dead ends. Your Twitter page should follow a consistent theme, one that represents your brand well. Tweets that build on one another show effort and consistency, which is something your audience will love to see.

Follow the LadyBossBlogger Twitter page!

What are some effective tools for Twitter?

The tried and true: Tagging other people and using hashtags. “@” and “#” are your best friends on Twitter! Tweet people directly, whether they’re an influencer, friend, or celebrity. Reply to the Tweets of others just as you would want others to reply to you!

Get your message out through hashtags. Whether you follow trending hashtags or not, there’s always a topic for discussion.
Find the most relevant hashtags for your brand and use them consistently so that the two can have a natural partnership.
Use hashtags most relevant to your niche, but don’t be afraid to branch out into broader categories.

If you haven’t experimented with them yet, you should check out Twitter polls. Textual Tweets operate at the core of Twitter, but asking your audience to engage with your Tweet is powerful.

Twitter polls allow you to write a question, choose the voting options, and determine the length of the poll. That’s complete control! Twitter polls allow you to try new questions with your audience and see their live responses.

5. YouTube

YouTube is by far one of the most interesting platforms to build an audience. If you’re able to cultivate a brand that’s particularly video-oriented, this might be your best source for building community and generating conversation.

Additional reading;

How To Use Video To Increase Your Email Response Rate By 80%

Should I have a YouTube channel?

That entirely depends on whether you have the time!

Pretty much every brand can find its place on YouTube. Even if your brand is not distinctly visual, you can still showcase it by filming informational videos or collaborating with others in your niche. The question is not whether you’ll be able to find material for your videos, it’s whether you’ll have enough time to produce them.

Video editing tends to be more time consuming than other forms of media production. Brainstorming, writing, and preparing for filming, then the actual process of filming, and finally post production can easily suck away at your time. However that being said, videos are extremely effective for marketing and worth the time.

Check out the brand new LadyBossBlogger YouTube channel!

What should go in my video’s description box?

Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted YouTube video description box. A video’s description should expand beyond what’s in the video and serve as an outreach to both your current subscribers and potential subscribers.

Leave some expanded details on what your video includes.

Why should people be watching this video?
Who is it for?
What do you cover?

These are things you might not be able to cover fully in the video itself.

If you reference or recommend any products or services within your video, make sure to put in all of the links! This is also the place to mention any sponsors, especially if they have a special offer for your audience. Link to any collaborations or features, whatever is most relevant.

Lastly, reach out to your viewers with all your social media channels. List every platform where you can be found and don’t forget your blog or website! This is your chance to help your audience find even more of your content.

Don’t forget to link to your channel’s homepage as well.

People who watch your video might not be subscribed yet, but you’ll want them to be!

Go dive in!

Now that you’ve read some of the tips and tricks behind building a brand on social media, it’s time to implement them. Whether you’re only using a couple of these platforms or all five of them, there’s always room for improvement. Refining your presence on social media is a surefire way to build your audience and authenticate your brand.

Pin the summary image below!

Mercy Barrial is a senior at Wheaton College (IL) studying Communication Media Studies and Journalism and planning to enter the marketing industry after graduation. She serves as Chair of the Media Team, Arts and Entertainment Editor for the Wheaton Record, and she works as a Media Relations intern for the Marketing and Communications Department.