In today\u2019s very digital world, giving out your card during networking events isn\u2019t enough. But creating a social media following <\/strong>is the ultimate branding tool.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To get you started, I wanted to give you a starter pack to personal branding on Twitter. So, without further ado, here are the first 5 steps to start your Twitter empire by building your personal brand on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Table of Contents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Choose Your Twitter Handle Carefully<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Choose Your Brand’s Imaging<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Find Your Brand’s Voice<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Start Building Connections and Influence<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Become a Master Tweeter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
1. Choose Your Twitter Handle Carefully<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You may be a great chef and a fun comic book fanatic, but handles like @Cooking4Life or @GimmeComics123 won\u2019t fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you started a cooking blog and you want your brand to revolve around that, something like @JeffTheChef is both straightforward and memorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s ok to play around with something funky, but it\u2019s not okay to create a cryptic handle of a middle schooler.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is a great solution for bloggers. For inspiration, here are two bloggers that took their URL and made it their handle:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"twitter](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNow, if you\u2019re not a blogger, or an advocate for your business (or place of work) like someone like Ann Handley<\/a>, you can simply use your name. It\u2019s the easiest way for people to find and recognize you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One last thing to remember about Twitter handles, is that although you can change them as you please, it\u2019s better not to change it up too often. Once people start to recognize your handle, it won\u2019t be easy to let every follow know that it\u2019s changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A strong personal brand needs to be consistent and recognizable, and that includes your usernames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Twitter Username Generator<\/a> can help you create memorable and recognizable usernames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Choose Your Brand\u2019s Imaging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your profile is like an online business card of sorts. People need to see who you are (not what coat your cat has), and what you\u2019re all about. Use your profile picture and header photo accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can have a fancy business-professional picture, a simple selfie, or a funny photoshoot-style picture (Chris Goward<\/a> nailed this one.) But, as far as covers go, there are a few different approaches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Promotional<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This one is for those who are more advanced in building your personal brand, since you need to have something to promote. You could also promote your blog or the company you work for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a book coming out, are speaking at an event, or have any other kind of \u2018gig\u2019 coming up, make sure that you let your followers know via your cover photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not everyone will see your tweet (remember that they have a very short lifespan on Twitter), but more will check your profile, or hover on your handle to see your info.
Take a look at Marsha Wright\u2019s cover photo:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nDo \u201cYour Thing\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you have a catchphrase, a signature color (Joe Pulizzi<\/a> sure does), or a specific place\/event that relates to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re just starting out, think of something that you\u2019d like people to associate with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every influencer<\/a> has their own \u201cit\u201d thing. Whatever you choose, put it to work on Twitter! One of my favorite examples is Andrew Davis and his famous \u201cYou\u2019ve been Drewed!\u201d phrase:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSimple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes less is more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Branding doesn\u2019t necessarily mean promoting yourself in every aspect of the word. Whether you\u2019re just starting out or are more established on Twitter – a simple photo will do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main rule for this strategy is to post something relevant, but not overly splashy. Kittens or ponies may not necessarily work, unless that\u2019s you and your brand (Seth Godin<\/a>\u2019s Twitter profile is pretty catchy.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All in all, give it a vibe that portrays your professional environment. Learn from Guy Kawasaki:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n3. Find Your Brand\u2019s Voice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t make a professional branding tool all about what you ate for lunch. There are a couple of questions that you need to answer before you click that tweet button:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Is this relevant to my followers?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Does this piece of content promote your values or business ideals?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Does this help your followers get to know you better?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s okay to post a panda video here and there, but keep it occasional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most of us, just one profile will do. However, I\u2019ve noticed a trend of influencers with two profiles. One just to post content, and another profile that\u2019s professional, but still engages people and showcases their personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve already mentioned Ann Handley, but take a look how she\u2019s created two profiles:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHer second, more personal, profile shows how great of a communicator Ann is – which brings me to my next point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Start Building Connections and Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The point of building a personal brand is to become someone that has the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You want to be the guy that marketers, social media mavens, and CEOs look to for inspiration? Then you need to roll up your sleeves and find the time to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From observation, and personal experience, there are a couple things you can do to stay engaged:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twitter Chats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Chats are an extraordinary way to meet new people, attract new followers, and gain more information about what\u2019s going on your field. Most Twitter chats take place weekly on the same day, at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My personal favorite is The Content Marketing Institute\u2019s #CMWorld chat<\/a>. The people I\u2019ve tweeted with during these chats ended up being the people I got coffee with during conferences, later on leading to professional relationships and coop projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Respond to Mentions and Shares<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This one seems obvious, but a lot of people forget about it. After a couple of years on Twitter, I\u2019ve noticed that nothing strengthens professional relationships and loyalty like a little love here and there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could once again throw in an Ann Handley example (can you tell I\u2019m a big fan?) but I won\u2019t. Instead, I\u2019ll encourage you to check out her profile and take a look at how engaged Rick Short was during CMWorld 2015:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI really liked Rick\u2019s session, so I tweeted a quote (remembering to give credit by tagging) and I got a response from the author himself. Be like Rick – respond and converse to create loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Share, Tag, Talk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If the author of an article you\u2019re sharing is on Twitter, tag them in your tweet. Ask other people what they think. Don\u2019t be afraid to start conversations by mentioning someone. It\u2019s good to ask and engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Become a Master Tweeter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now that you know what you need to build your personal brand, it\u2019s time to share some tools to help you tweet better.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Save Time with Scheduling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes, the tool no one wants to admit to but everyone<\/em> uses. There are dozens of great scheduling tools that will help you choose the date and time of each tweet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social scheduling tools, such as Mention’s Publish Feature<\/a>, is a great way to plan out your content in advance, to make sure you are sharing high quality pieces of content. Plus, you can schedule up to 1 month in advance, on multiple social media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find Conversations to Join<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Monitoring and listening to what\u2019s happening on and around your brand is a great way to stay ahead and interact with your Twitter Followers. Mention<\/a> is an awesome tool to find conversations happening around (and about) you, and you can also respond to them directly from your Mention account – another great time saver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hand Out Your Handle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Having social media buttons (in this case, Twitter) in your email signature, on your business cards, and in all your bios are important. People are more likely to log on and follow you if you plant the idea in their head first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mention has a free email signature generator that will help you create yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mention also has a free Twitter Bio Generator<\/a> that can help you create the perfect Twitter bio for your personal or professional profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The reality is that if you know how Twitter works, what your goals are, and who you want to reach – you\u2019ll be able to build a brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jump in the deep end, and start connecting, engaging, and sharing your opinions on social media platforms. With some time and consistency, you\u2019ll find what works best for your personal brand, and what to stray away from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stay true to who you are, but just like with any branding, you need to think about what your audience wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have the hang of things, try creating a campaign around influencer outreach<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working with like-minded colleagues will help you establish your position and set a seal on your Twitter personal brand. Happy tweeting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Choose Your Brand’s Imaging<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/twitter-bio-personal-branding-1024x512.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/marsha-wright-twitter-branding-1024x835.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"twitter](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/twitter-personal-branding-1024x362.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"GuyKAwasaki\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/GuyKAwasaki-1024x365.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"ann](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/ann-handley-personal-branding-1024x512.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"personal](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/personal-branding-engagement.png\")
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