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Building your personal brand through self-promotion on social media

Jocelyn McAlpin

Written by Lindsay Moellenberndt, Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer at Fennemore

Greater Phoenix Chamber members are often tasked with telling the story of what makes their organization stand out from the competition yet fail to do the same for their personal brands. Why? Because many of us struggle with self-promotion and fear that it will be perceived as being arrogant and self-absorbed.

On the flip side, why do we feel so comfortable and confident when doing the same for our business? What if I told you that your future success and happiness was dependent on your personal self-promotion?! Would it feel less “icky?” As professionals, if we aren’t intentional about building our personal brands and writing our own narrative through self-promotion, then we will default to that brand that others create for us, which may not be wrong, but it likely won’t be all encompassing and compelling. Your job title alone doesn’t define who you are. Below, I have provided a list of questions and examples of responses to help you with feeling more comfortable with self-promotion:

Question #1: What do you want to be known for or as?

Ex: As a business leader, I want to be known for my personal philanthropic efforts and community involvement specifically related to….

Question #2: What do you need to commit to in order to get closer to this goal?

Ex: In order to be known for my personal philanthropic efforts and community involvement, I need to minimally participate in related activities 2x-a-month.

Question #3: How will you write your personal brand narrative through self-promotion on social media?

Ex: I will further build my personal brand as someone dedicated to philanthropy and community service by posting on social media 1x-a-week about a non-profit I care about, and minimally posting 2x-a-month to display photos from my personal volunteer efforts.

Question #4: Determine your end goal (This will help you to stretch) 

Ex. I will feel like I will have accomplished my goal of becoming known for my personal philanthropic efforts when:

  • people reach out to me and ask for my advice about getting involved
  • I speak at a community event focused on philanthropy
  • my posts are tagged and shared, and I receive favorable comments

One of the most important things to do is take time to celebrate your success, and self-promotion is once again a great way to do that. Share your success story on social media to allow your friends, colleagues and clients to also celebrate your accomplishments with you. Not sure how to write a social post that doesn’t sound too boastful? Here are a few additional tips:

  • Focus on gratitude
  • Don’t make the post all about you
  • Include something for your social contacts and connections (links, tools, resources, contacts, etc.)
  • Use hashtags to amplify your reach

Example Post:

Thank you Valley of the Sun United Way for allowing me the opportunity to volunteer with the Women United event. This two hour volunteer activity helped me to reach my goal of hitting 100 volunteer hours this year. Are you interested in getting more involved with Valley of the Sun United Way? You can sign up to volunteer by visiting  https://vsuw.org/get-involved/volunteer   #ValleyOfTheSunUnitedWay  #WomenUnited  #Volunteer

In closing, think of building your personal brand on social media as an investment in yourself. Much like the advice given when creating your resume, or when you’re face to face with a decision maker during a job interview – this is your opportunity to shine. Again, consistency is key, and since the vehicle is social media; be social! You’re giving your followers a “peek behind the curtain” at the things that are important to you, so strive to be your own authentic self.

And don’t worry if your niche is too narrow. Often, by creating and sharing great content, you can eventually become a social media influencer in an area that you know unlike anyone else. Your passions, told with great stories, on a consistent basis has the power to elevate your personal brand to a new level.