How To Use Social Media To Your Full Advantage For Branding

You’re probably worried about papers, tests, work, clubs, and friends. It’s very unlikely you’re thinking about using social media to your full advantage for branding purposes. However, think about the following. While papers, tests, work, and clubs are important, your brand is going to have a bigger long-term impact than all of them.

#1 Goal: Happiness

Notice that friends wasn’t included in that last sentence above. That’s because people you love and care about are more important than anything else. That’s an article for another time, but it should be noted that this isn’t a financial-success-only type of page. Those pages are missing the point of life, which is that happiness should always be your #1 goal. If you brand yourself on social media correctly, then you’re much more likely to be happy because you will be setting up a life where you do what you love.

The Key To Branding Yourself

Prior to getting to some tips, there is one key point that is more important than anything else: “Branding yourself isn’t about creative ads and bright colors. It’s about how you make people feel.”

If you make people feel good, they’re going to keep coming back for more. It’s human nature. Therefore, if people are attracted to your page, you’re going to get more exposure, which can then lead to more networking. When you network, you find yourself with more career and job opportunities, and you have the luxury of choosing between many different options.

Money Second

Most people you know are going to approach life with a money-first attitude. How many times have you heard someone say, “That’s a great career. It pays well.” If you truly want to be happy, then you need to put your passion first and money second. The money will follow. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg.

During the first few years, Facebook wasn’t making any money. People would ask him how he planned on monetizing the site. His reply was always something along the lines of: “As long as we get people to the site, the money will follow. Plus, I’m doing what I love. As long as I do that with passion, the money will follow.” That’s not word for word, but it’s pretty close.

New Content

If you want to build a following, then you need to consistently post new content. Studies have shown the college students use Instagram the most. If you’re on Instagram, you should be posted 1-3 times per day. This will keep the story of your journey consistent.

Snapchat and Facebook finished second and third, respectively. You don’t have to worry about branding on Snapchat because that’s used for other things.

For Facebook, this is a great place to use words opposed to just photos and videos. If you have something you want to say, this is your best platform. Facebook is still more than double the size of Instagram when it comes to Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Facebook has 2.3 billion MAUs and Instagram has just over 1 billion MAUs. Instagram is growing faster, but it’s going to be tough to catch Facebook.

College students use LinkedIn and Pinterest the least. This makes sense, but you should set up an account on LinkedIn for potential internship opportunities. If you were to post new content on LinkedIn while in college, you would be way ahead of your peers.

Important Tip

The best way to attract new followers and to keep current followers engaged are stories and video content. Don’t shy away from these two avenues. If you start using stories on Instagram and Facebook, you’re going to see much better traction because they’re much more visible than your regular posts, especially on Instagram. Video content is always on the rise, but it should never be viewed as a replacement to written content and photos. It should be viewed as an added element.

The Bottom Line

In regards to branding yourself, the keys to success are to focus on what makes you happy, to remember that it’s about how you make people feel, to put money second and passion first, and to post stories and video content. And don’t forget to start today. Take the first step. The rest will fall into place.