There are quite a few careers that are very personality oriented like those in the domains of communication, advertising, fashion, beauty, etc. Your profile and following on the social media can literally make or break your ambitions of making it really big in these sectors. If you have a large number of followers, it can mean the difference that makes you stand out in a niche occupied by thousands of people who may be as talented or proficient as you are. There are some who are naturally adept in molding their social media profiles to leverage the best advantage but the rest of us have to learn the ropes of mastering social media like Instagram to get into the fast lane. Some practical tips on building a personal brand to give your career a boost:-
Tips to Build Your Personal Brand for Enjoying a Fulfilling Career
Be True To Yourself
When you are out to project your personality, there is no way a mish-mash of photos posted on your Instagram account will help. Just food, fashion, and travel are some of the hottest trends on Instagram it does not mean that you need to post content on these subjects even if you are not seriously into them. Rather, take time to analyze what your real interests are and how you can display images that not only are true to your passions but can also act to boost your personal branding.
See Also- How to Make Instagram Work for your Business
Whether it is your target audience or a potential recruiter, most people really do not care how many followers you have but whether your Instagram account has the desired style, tone, cohesiveness, and personality that proves its authenticity. Despite your best efforts, if your posts are not authentic, the lack genuineness will show through and you will not get the sort of follower engagement you wish.
Ensure Cohesiveness of Posted Content
The extent to which, you can build your personal brand successfully on Instagram also depends on how easily recognizable your content is. Personal brand building in this respect is just the same as product brand building; the packaging of your account has to be consistent and distinctive so that just by looking at it, your followers can make it out that the posts are by you. Since all Instagram photos are the same in dimensions, you need to make them distinctive with the color scheme; treat the color scheme as the extension of your brand so remember to keep it consistent and claim it as your own brand attribute.
Use DM to Build Relationships
While the photos that you post on Instagram will attract eyeballs and even get likes and comments, you should aim to build and consolidate the relationship with your followers not only by responding to the comments but also by selectively using DMs to make the engagement more personal and intimate.
However, engaging followers via DMs should be done selectively and only when there is something worthwhile that you have to share. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the follower profile and content posted by them so that you know what their preferences are.
Up The Appeal Factor of Your Photos
Regardless of what you are posting on your Instagram account, you should keep in mind that the users are extremely discerning. With 95 million photos and video posted daily on Instagram, over 70% go unseen so unless your photos are brilliant, you may not well take the trouble.
Therefore, you need to ensure that the photos you post are shot well and the composition, as well as the lighting, is good. Follow all the tips of professional photography for your Instagram posts and you can’t go wrong. Highlight the best points and cover the defects with impeccable editing and you are good to go. Of course, you should ensure that the photo resolution is high because,otherwise, the super clarity of modern-day mobile screens will show up every defect there is.
See Also- 5 Effective Ways to Build Brand Trust Using Social Media
Comment, Reply, Interact, and Engage
With most Instagram users having to deal with thousands of posts by their followers, it is quite obvious that most tend just to scroll through without liking or commenting. If you take the trouble to comment or reply to a comment, it is quite likely that the follower will not only remember you better but would want to take more interest in you and engage with you.
However, it does not mean that you have to like and comment on every post of all your followers; if you do it consistently enough, you will spark off the interaction that is so vital for trust and engagement.
However, if a follower has cared to comment on your post or asked you a question, you must necessarily respond; not doing so translates into not caring and that is something you really do not your personality to be associated with.
According to https://sproutsocial.com, only 11% of businesses care to reply to the comments of their followers, it really is a tragic loss of opportunity to connect with the target audience.
Decide Who to Follow and Engage With
Most users on Instagram are usually in a major rush to acquire a large following without really caring about the profile of the followers.
While it is obvious that the success of Instagram to market your personal brand will only be successful if you have followers, it does not follow that only the number counts. In the initial stages, when you are yet to get traction on Instagram, it may be worthwhile to consider using services like Gramblast to acquire real Instagram followers.
To make your Instagram account really vibrant, you should try to follow the people you respect and start engaging with them with regular interaction and asking questions and responding to their queries.
Conclusion
Like any brand building exercise, building your personal brand on Instagram requires sustained effort and the ability to look back and rectify errors of omission and commission. Social media is dynamic and keeps on shifting focus, however, irrespective of trends; you should always remain focused on your goal of building a social media personality that will shine through and be the differentiating factor in your efforts to carve out a successful career.