Whether you realize it, people on social media have already formed an idea about you. Like it or not, you have already made an impression. This is how branding starts.
What impression have you made? Does it embody you? Is it in a way that you like?
Branding takes place with or without your participation. You might as well take your hand to it and guide its process.
I can almost hear you now, “I’m writing. I don’t have time for social media. Now you want me to take on branding?” Believe me, I would have said the same thing but, now I know better.
Having time is the difference between being used by social media and deciding how you will use it. More on that later.
What Branding Means
The professional image you present helps people identify and distinguish you from others in the field. It helps people because it lets them know what to expect from you each time they show up. Think of it like a short cut that leads people to you now and in the future.
People visit your social platform when they know what’s to come and trust you will deliver it. They are more likely to follow you when you come through for them.
Likewise, people that have selected you have some common areas of interest that overlap with yours. Look them over and see if they complement you in any way and follow back.
Begin to build your network and in this way, and you’ll have a vibrant community. The more of a group you have of like-minded people, the faster things will go.
Assemble all the pieces in place, and in time you’ll see an increase in engagement, shares, comments, and mentions. This is the beating heart of your social media platform.
What is a Branding Strategy?
I can imagine some of you thinking I’m urging you to make a false avatar representing you. No, you’re not even close. Because if you built an untrue image, you could never keep it going in the long run. It would tire you out trying to maintain a facade since it is not you.
Think of it this way, people are a complex challenge of complementary and contradictory interest. Providing a clear and focused facet of your professional personality cuts through all this. It helps people find and come to know this part of you.
The image you create is still very much you, only one strong statement of your professional career as a writer. It must be true and representative of how you desire to be perceived on social media.
What Else is Branding?
Branding is more than your post, the content of followers shared or curated content. It is also the intangible things such as your writer’s voice, the type of followers you have, and those you follow. It all adds up and builds on each other.
Branding is being consistent. Not only constant in your selection of content and the balance of those intangibles. It also is about the consistency at which you post even if it’s one day a week. Decide when you will use social media for your purpose.
My Strategy
I’ll talk about my social media branding strategy. I put most of my efforts on one platform, Twitter. It has the type of people I want to follow and who will follow back and interact with my content. I also like that it forces you to be concise, one hundred forty-character limits, to get your point across.
I have a day job. So, I’ll spend short amounts of time on Twitter sharing my follower’s content or curated content that’s aligned with my vision.
On my days off, I’ll devote four hours to create something of mine that will be posted throughout the week on social media.
I have a couple more accounts. Facebook for its writer’s groups and Pinterest to explore ideas around a topic. But they are not my focus. I’ll quickly post the content I made and briefly see what followers have posted and share it.
Considering your social media presence as a writer at the start of your career as an author is essential. Yes, it’s time to think about branding and your social media. Because this is your career, we’re talking about.
It's All About Connection
Some writers view social media as a distraction. Something that steals time from their writing. They have never considered it as a way to connect with others. You can reach potential readers, fellow writers, authors, and bloggers in your genre. Let alone the editors and agents that are out there. Think of this as your new superpower.
If you feel social media takes too much of your time, you might be letting the media use you.
In other words, don’t just be on social media, use social media instead for your purpose.
For writers, having a social media presence is imperative. Many people, in the millions, use social media daily. That’s a lot of opportunities to make connections and an impression as a writer.
Social media, when used with purpose, can give insight into who you are as a writer. Used correctly, you will cultivate a community of like-minded people that share similar interests and goals.
Your social media account not only serves as a connection with others. It will also get you noticed within the platform when people share it. The content that you put out there when shared makes sure others become accustomed to you. They’ll notice the professional image you create.
What You Can Accomplish
Even though you don’t have a book out yet, or you’re between books it’s important to be on social media. You’ll get to know other writers and industry people. This helps give you insight into the publishing world.
It’s the long game, lay the groundwork at the beginning of your writing career. It will gain for you future benefits.
People come to social media to find community, not bombarded with, “Hey, look here. It’s me, me, me again.” Give people value and a reason to stay with you.
Post interesting details about the genre you write. A favorite book you can recommend. Something interesting about your writing life. Give a shout out to other writers and authors. These are a few of the things to share.
Again, this is the long game. Making a connection with the people who have come to know you, and it will become a supportive network to leverage in the future.
Sure, you can use social media to promote your work. When the time comes, it’s best to stick to the 20/80 rule. Twenty percent of your content is self-promotion, and eighty percent of the remaining material is for your followers.
Branding is Important for Writers
Right now, at the start of your writing career, create a professional image that will grow with you over time. Help people get a sense of you. They will develop a perception of you by reading your bio, or when they see your profile picture and seeing what you choose to post and share.
Focus, you are giving people one facet of who you are. This is important. Social media has such wide-reaching and different pools of diverse interests. That by clearly defining who you are, helps people find you.
Create your focused social media persona. That’ll help you find the followers you want to attract. When you represent your professional self, you’ll attract people who resonate with you because of similar interests and goals.
As a writer, you should think about the importance of having a social media presence. Your presence and the supportive community you grow with, you’re essentially promoting yourself even before you publish.
It’s important enough that when you’re pitching your book to a publisher or agent, they will ask about your social media. This is a must to have in today’s marketing environment. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an answer?
How Branding Helps Writers
More about followers, it’s more than just a number. It’s about having the right followers. Don’t get impatient with how quickly you can get the numbers up there. It’s best to have people who interact with your content.
Grow your following over time and have the right kind of people on your team. They’re the type of followers who will notice your post. They’ll be more likely to engage with it and share. This is a better situation.
Focus on having a large following to the exclusion of the image you want to project waste your time. These people are just numbers and could care less about your social media page.
Put into Practice
- Branding can take place without your participation.
- Use social media to your own purpose. Don’t let social media use you.
- Having time is the difference between being used by social media and you deciding how you will use it.
- Define yourself and know your core values. In this way, you will attract people of similar interests.
- Identify your voice and use it. Allow your followers to become accustomed to the sound of you.
- Be consistent in all you do. Let people know what to expect, and they’ll keep coming back.
- When you build a community of like-minded people, the faster your time on social media will be.
- Always think of the type of people you want to follow you. Will they be in support of the future you.
- Likewise, follow people who share your professional goals.
- Remember to provide content consistent with your image. Whether its post you create, follower’s content you share or curate.
- Your branding is a balance of the tangible and intangible that build on each other.
- Have a good profile picture. Smile so you look approachable.
- In your bio, mention the genre you write as well as some of your interest. This will help people in their decision to follow you.
- Make your social media a robust, clear statement of your professional career as a writer.
- Remember, branding is nothing more than a short cut that helps people find you now and in the future.