Here are 20 key focus areas you can do to build your personal brand. Some are specific actions, others ideas you can apply across your social media participation, but collectively, this will help establish you as a social leader in your field

1. What is being a social leader?
It’s taking the story of YOU. What
YOU stand for. What YOU believe in.
How YOU think. How YOU act. YOUR
eminence.
You package up the essence of YOU
and amplify it online.
A Social Leader takes the magic of
who they are in the physical world,
and magnifies it digitally
20 Steps to Building
Your Social Leadership
Brand in the Digital
World
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Spend time reflecting on
what you want to be
known for – your
eminence. It’s not your
job, it’s your passion, your
magic. What makes you
great, unique, compelling?
Answer this question and
ask those closest to you
for insights. Align to
passion, because people
can’t resist passion. Then
own this topic digitally
Think about your ”why”
- why do you want to be a
social leader? Do you
want to elevate your
profession or educate your
peers? Be a role model for
the next generation or a
thought leader? Maybe
you’re ready to launch
your entrepreneurial
dream? A powerful “why”
gives your presence
meaning.
Identify up to 5
publications that inspire
you and align to your theme.
Subscribe to emails,
favourite sites, follow social
pages, etc. Make it a habit to
share awesome information,
but always offer an opinion
on why you’re sharing. Our
audience needs us to
highlight content worth their
time. Always add value,
that’s how you build trust.
If you want to build a
powerhouse personal
brand, create your own
content. Start blogging on
LinkedIn, but build your own
site too (e.g. WordPress)
once you commit to
blogging. It’s important to
own your content platform.
Don’t know what to write?
Answer the questions you
are always asked or share a
learning journey.

2. Be selective about
what rules your follow
e.g common advice is
blogs shouldn’t be longer
than 400 words and yet
the average word count
of top-ranking content (in
Google) is between
1,140-1285 words
(SearchMetrics). Focus
on being awesome and
learn what works for you
as you go. Screw rules.
With 74% of all internet
traffic expected to be
video (Syndacast)
should video be part of
your strategy? We are
seeing an increase in
video content across all
social platforms, so keep
it in mind as you grow
your brand. Video is a
great alternative for those
who struggle to write. Or
Podcasting?
If you are employed,
make a commitment to
share one piece of
company content a
week – but only share
content you are proud of.
Many employees share
boring content. Employee
Advocacy is about you
first, the company
second. You benefit from
alignment to a company,
but always put you first.
There are five reasons
people share content :
Curiosity; Amazement;
Interest; Astonishment;
Uncertainty – keep these
in mind when you share,
because this is what
your audience wants –
great quality content that
makes a difference in
their lives. Always think
of your audience – will
they value it? Will it help
them?
Be committed to wowing
your audience. Don’t be
there because you think
you have to. Be present
because you have the
desire to help people and
change lives. This will
help you stand out above
all the noise of social
media. Link your presence
to real meaning and you
will succeed. This is the
secret to success.
Get into the habit of
using #hashtags – it
connects you to ideas and
people. Hashtags are core
to building a brand beyond
your immediate network.
And yes – use hashtags
on LinkedIn. Research
industry leaders in your
field – what hashtags are
they using? I always use
three #PersonalBranding.
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Personal branding is the
health insurance of your
career. We, the people, are
the voice today, but we must
step up and own it. Get help if
you need it, but own your
voice if you want to be a star

3. Businesses now understand the
power of employees as
influencers. The collective power of
the employees is today’s edge.
Employees are more trusted than
brands, and that’s why you must
own your voice
On LinkedIn, write an
amazing summary in the
first person. Tell your story
but don’t repeat your career
– we can read that in the
job descriptions. Who are
you and what do you care
about? Include personal
information if you are
comfortable. Vulnerability
increases success. Write
your story. Use it as your
bio everywhere.
Again on LinkedIn, under
your name, you have 120
characters to write your
professional headline. It
automatically populates
with your current job title
but why not tell a story?
Never miss an opportunity
to tell stories and position it
towards who you – Help?
Inspire? Motivate?
Enthuse? Encourage? This
can be your Twitter bio too
What social platforms
should you use? The
answer is always: where
your audience is.
LinkedIn is critical for any
professional but Twitter,
Instagram, Google+,
Facebook, Snapchat,
etc… are they relevant to
you? What about local
platforms like Wechat,
KaoKao, etc… are your
customers there?
Persistence is key to
success, so make a
commitment and don’t
stop. It can feel like you get
nothing back sometimes, but
keep going and consistently
build your presence and
credibility. Your value
increases over time, so
persistence is critical. This is
where most people fail. Grit
is required if you want to be
a successful social leader.
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Before updating LinkedIn,
understand where you are
today with your Social
Selling Index (SSI):
linkedin.com/sales/ssi. Get
the measurement, know
where are you in relation to
your industry / connections,
then set a goal to increase
it. Get your SSI above 65 or
if in sales, above 80. On
Twitter, average followers is
200+. Do you need more?
Update your social
profiles and take
advantage of the visual
opportunity. Include a
great profile photo and
meaningful banner. On
LinkedIn, insert photos,
links and articles in your
summary and for each
role you’ve had. 63% of
the world learns visually,
so tell a visual story
every chance you get.
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4. Be brave.
Be bold.
Be awesome.
Be you.
Join the
#GivingEconomy –build
your brand by building
others up, help them
succeed. Comment on
their posts, share their
blogs, tell them they’re
doing an awesome job.
This will help you build a
powerhouse brand faster
than anything else you can
do. Be engaged and
engaging.
Most important, don’t
compare yourself to
anyone else – run your
own race. There will
always be people with
more followers, more
interactions, a higher
profile. It’s not a
competition. Just focus on
being awesome and
valuable. You will find
meaning and success with
this mindset.
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Success is about being
consistently present –
however regularly that is
for you. Sit down every
week to schedule your
content. Automation (i.e.
Hootsuite) helps you
manage your presence and
time. However, automated
responses are a no no –
because it’s annoying. Be
personal. Engage
genuinely.
Be kind and THINK –
there are many trolls
online. Being respectful
and not criticising people
is the right thing to do.
Move on if someone
annoys you and never be
unkind.
T - is it True?
H – is it Helpful?
I - is it Inspiring?
N – is it Necessary?
K - is it Kind?
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Building a powerful personal brand
is an act of service. It is always
about your audience – helping them
to be more and achieve more. Be
engaged, serve your audience and
you will be a true Social Leader.
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