Whether you want to get a job in fashion, start your freelancer career or your online business or brand, building your personal brand online is crucial today.
It is not enough to post on Instagram any photo to build a personal brand. We need to know what to
So you need to develop your personal brand to:
- get a job: by showing your expertise, you increase the chances of getting the job when you apply and the chances of being contacted by recruiters directly.
- find customers for your freelancer job. Social media is the simplest and most effective way to show what you are able to do. Whether you want to work as a writer, social media manager, stylist or photographer, social media will serve as a portfolio to show your skills.
- build brand awareness and boost sales for your brand. If you have a new brand to launch or you want to give your business a boost, it is impossible not to have an online presence today. Social channels are the first thing customers look at, even before the website. So do not forget to take care of your social media, prepare a well-designed post schedule to get closer to your customers, understand what they need and establish personal relationships that then lead to sales.
There are different social platforms and you have to use them all differently. The message we want to share must be consistent but the way we use the platforms is different. LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter are the best platforms for personal branding. You can use Twitter a couple of days per week, while I recommend you to use both LinkedIn and Instagram multiple times a day!
All the tips below apply whatever the purpose of your career: starting a business, getting a job or starting your
How to use LinkedIn for your personal brand
LinkedIn is the social media of professionals. So here no personal status update, no photos of the weekend or your evenings. On LinkedIn, you talk exclusively about career and you have to do it every day. Just as you check Instagram every hour or so, you should do the same with LinkedIn. Start by building a professional profile that reflects your resume. Update it with your latest experiences every time and add your professional skills that will be the keywords to make to those who land on your profile, what you do. Adding skills is useful when you apply for a job through LinkedIn because many recruiters do not consider profiles that do not have the required skills. So if you are an expert in SEO or photography do not forget to add them to the skills on LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can share articles related to your industry. Have you read about a new trend in the fashion industry? Share it. You must be active on LinkedIn, so try to share at least one relevant article you read every day.
For example, if you want to work as a social media manager, you can share the post you read on a site related to the new Instagram algorithm. Share articles, reports, podcasts related to your industry. Always think that the public who is on LinkedIn is interested in news about career and business. By sharing these posts, you show to your network what topic you’re an expert. After creating a profile complete of a professional photo and a brief description that summarizes your skills, it’s time to add your connections. LinkedIn is not the place to make friends, but the one where professional connections are cultivated. Then start adding your colleagues, professors and even people in the industry that interest you and whose career you admire. When you contact strangers that you do not know, it is better to send a note explaining why you would like to add him/her to your network: you admire their career, you know about a new project they are working on, you want to ask some questions because you are interested to work for them? Write a short personal note so that people are more inclined to accept your invitation. Do not accept connections from anyone. There are still those who have not understood what LinkedIn is used for, so if you receive requests from people you do not know and whose professional profile is not useful for your career now or in the future, then do not accept them.
If you have a brand, create the company page where you will share posts, your interviews or press coverage of your brand. Even if you are the only one to work at your company, it is much more professional to have on LinkedIn a company page like any large company. The page can be followed by people who like your brand because they want to be informed about new job offers, who you hire and the goals of your brand.
Download the app and use LinkedIn daily by sharing updates and adding people to your network. It is also the perfect place to read career and business related articles.
How to use Instagram for your personal brand
Probably your favorite platform and app, where you spend hours watching the updates of friends, influencers and celebrities. It’s time to take care of your profile and use Instagram to convert your followers into new jobs and opportunities. This does not mean that every photo must be perfect before you publish it. More and more people are interested in real photos that represent everyday life. Instead of just sharing photos of your dog, try mixing them with pictures of you at work. Take a picture in the office, a screenshot of an article you read relevant in the industry, a work project you’re working on. To understand what to publish, imagine that when someone arrives on your profile, he needs to understand what you are doing before reading your bio. If you’re a fashion photographer then your feed will have to be mostly composed of your best shots, of you during a shooting or a new camera that you have bought. If you want to become a fashion buyer then there will be photos of the collections that you will be viewing, photos of fashion shows or of you working on an excel sheet. Think about the things that most represent your work and share them to build your personal brand. Also, write an effective bio with your job title and do not forget to add your email so you can easily be contacted and even the city, if you want to connect more with people nearby. If you have a new brand, Instagram is your place to be. Even before your brand is born, it must have an Instagram profile to build Brand Awareness and to spread it to as many people as possible. Post to Instagram if you can at least once a day and do not forget to use relevant hashtags. Interact with other profiles by commenting in order to establish a relationship and also to make yourself noticed by other people. If you are a freelancer, do not be afraid to reach out to people you would like to work with. Make sure, however, that your profile is up to date and shows your best work because it will be the first thing that people will look at when they decide to answer. Imagine Instagram as your portfolio and resume. Take a look at what your competitors, other fashion professionals or freelancers post to understand what you like and what works best. Take inspiration but create an original profile.
How to use Twitter to build your personal brand
Twitter hashtags are particularly useful if you want to find interesting people. Try searching #fashionbuyer, #stylist #fashionjobs to find new people to work with or collaborate with or just talk to. For your personal brand use Twitter to create new connections, share the posts you read on a certain topic using hashtags to start a conversation (there are twitter chats, where people talk and exchange opinions on a certain topic) You could look for some or start yours!
Building your personal brand takes time, so start today and keep growing your social platforms and you’ll see the results!
