The Importance of Personal Branding for Entrepreneurs.

Personal branding through social media is a huge part for successful business owners.

Whether its a simple inspirational quote or a quick update on a business meeting your just left, this self-generated content could results in retweets, likes, share and good reviews for your business. The strategy is simple: tweet/post about your daily interactions pertaining to your business.

The internet provides unprecedented potential for personal branding, such as this. Increasingly, your personal brand is a cornerstone of your company — you’re the face of your business, a symbol of its values. Sound intimidating? It doesn’t have to be.

What personal branding means for entrepreneurs
Personal branding is about how you represent yourself online and through other outlets. Even interactions with employees are a proxy for personal branding, because they can translate into online reviews.

Let’s concentrate on what you can control directly through your own efforts online. Your brand is a symbol representing your business. When it comes to how you represent your business online, there are a number of touchpoints to consider, including:

• Your Social Media Accounts
• A personal Website
• Third-Party Websites

You can’t control what others say about you, but you can control what you say. Like anyone setting out to develop a presence online, start with social media.

Personal Branding via Social Media 
There are over 3 billion social media users worldwide, and the number of active users has gone up 4 percent since April of 2018. But as an entrepreneur, one of your primary concerns is time. It’s tempting to sideline social media because there are so many things you need to do.

Think about successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX), Richard Branson (Virgin Mobile) and Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks, “Shark Tank”). Can you imagine what it would be like if they didn’t have social media accounts? Social media is an open door policy; it’s a sign of your accessibility, transparency and commitment.

Here, then, are some strategic considerations for your social conveyances:

• Are you posting links and updates that are relevant to your expertise? Curating relevant content and commenting on it shows people you’re on top of your game.
• Are you tweeting, posting status updates and commenting on others’ posts in ways that showcase your personality? If people can tell you’re a real human being on networks, they’re more likely to follow you and approach you with questions about your expertise.
• Are you posting occasional updates with pictures about your personal life? You don’t want to overdo it, but personal disclosures are part of your charisma and charm.
• Are you posting about causes and nonprofits you support? Social media provides a great opportunity to show people what you value beyond commerce.

You’ll notice these considerations run parallel to how you operate in your daily professional environment. Social media gives you the opportunity to present your true professional self to a larger sphere.