5 Actionable Tips For Building A Brand On Facebook Using Your Personal Profile

One thing you need to sucessfully monetize your business using social media is someone to talk about it to. A lot of people, thousands and thousands.

Building an audience is not something one can put on autopilot, and definitely not at the very start. It is a long and somewhat painful journey, that requires being consistent, creating really valuable content and building relationships.

I have spoken to a lot of successful influencers who have built their businesses using social media marketing. Many of them admitted, it felt very slow at the start and some of them told me they were ready to give up, just when that tipping point happened and thing started working out for them. This point had a direct correlation with how many people were following them and how many were on their email list at that particular time.

On the flip side, I talk to so many coaches and online service providers who are dreaming about a magic wand or some sort of cookie cutter strategy that will make it happen for them, while in reality, I see them still hiding behind sharing mediocre articles and motivational quotes (from other people, not even their own). And then they complain about how hard things are and keep looking for that magic solution.

So is there one?

YES!

Intrigued? Keep reading!

It all starts with SHOWING UP!

It is not just about content types and engagement. In fact, it is all about showing the authentic you, and it starts with your personal profile.

Using your personal profile for commercial use is strictly prohibited and can get your account closed down. This largely refers to accounts created under company names, befriending anyone and everyone, and posting an enormous amount of low value product pictures or special offers posts. I hope you are not doing THAT. Are you?

Stop it immediately and keep on reading.

People do not like to be SOLD to. They also do not like dealing with brands. People LOVE dealing with people, or buying because they are excited, and because they CHOOSE to. This means the second most important objective our Social Media marketing has is CREATING RELATIONSHIPS (first being creating revenue, it is still business we are talking about).

It is absolutely acceptable by Facebook to mix up your personal and professional posts on your personal profile. All entrepreneurs are so passionate about their businesses, they talk about their ideas all the time to their friends and family.

And it is ok to do it in your content too!

Here is what you can do straight away to turn your Facebook Personal Profile into a Client Attraction Machine. :

1) Profile Image:

Use the best shot of your lovely face up close that you can find as your profile image. Make sure your eyes can be seen clearly with a lot of catchlight in them (those are the little white dots we get when the light reflects in our eyes, the bigger the catchlight- the more likeable you come across). Smile – look friendly, light up the day. People judge each other on first impressions and this is your chance to impress your potential clients at first glance.

The profile image is a powerful tool and is not to be underestimated!

2) Cover Image & Featured Images:

Forget your children, pets, motorbikes or any other irrelevant fluff. This is where you can really show what you do. Learn about your brand archetype, use the imagery and words that best represent you and create a stunning image with a clear call to action. Why not promote your Facebook Group here? It needs to be very clear, as the clients that get attracted to your profile image need to be directed somewhere, think of your profile as an entry level into your sales funnel!

Featured images section is an excellent place to advertise your next webinar, masterclass, or simply reinforce what you are about. You can choose to use one square image or make a collage of three. There are 5 placements available, but it will look too busy, so if you use three images, one rectangular and two square ones – the final result can look very smart.

3) Intro & Bio

Make sure your snappy e-pitch is entered in the Intro section that will show up directly under your profile. Take second guessing out of the process, make sure anyone who visits your profile (even a 7 year old) gets an idea of what you do in your business.

Your Bio section must include ONLY the following: your Facebook business page (you can set this up as a Workplace in the About section) and, if relevant, your marital status (this can reduce the amount of unwanted PMs from those who mix Facebook up with Tinder). You may show your location if you wish.

Your education, previous jobs and projects are only creating distraction and noise. Keep them off your personal profile and do not treat it as your resume. Leave that strategy for LinkedIn.

4) Long Bio & Nickname

If you go into the About section in your profile, check out the Details About You tab. Here you can add a longer description talking about how your clients benefit from working with you. Underneath that section, check out a smaller one called Other Names. You can add your title there as a Nickname, just make sure you select the option to display it under your name. (Mine is Visibility Strategist and it is visible to anyone previewing my profile – what an awesome instant clarity tool!)

5) Posts

This is the most difficult piece of the puzzle for many people. What to post. Well this is where the MAGIC happens.

Post content that inspires and creates relationships. Hone in to your favourite type of client to work with and post everything with a view to connect to them even more. This makes your message very powerful.

Talk about your business as a choice, talk about your live as an entrepreneur. The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. Ironically, people on social media love the ugly! Do not use this trick too often, but a good rant can generate pretty significant engagement.

Post your favourite foods and your pets and things around you that inspire, but always tie in something more than just every day context- it can be a mindset shift or connect it to an entrepreneurial trait. You can talk about your why, things that make you passionate, happy or sad.

Just being yourself is the secret to a successful Personal Brand. People work with people. So show up and show them who you are – you only need to appeal to the ones who you would LOVE to work with.

6) AND be consistent

Consistency is indeed the hard part, but this is where the MAGIC truly happens. Commit to taking daily action, whether it produces an instant result or not. This is why we need to have a bigger WHY. To keep us going every day. Enjoy the process. One day you will wake up and realise all of this hard work has started to pay off.

You have reached that tipping point. The point that transforms your business into something bigger, faster, better.  For more check out some of the ways I can guide you in the footer below.