The business of branding yourself almost always includes a social media strategy. The benefits of having a strong business presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are well documented, and will expand your personal brand. Those aren’t the only places you can promote yourself successfully in social media circles, though. By expanding beyond the “big three” of social media promotion, you can interact with a larger audience and meet people in new ways.
Take a look at three social media apps you should definitely use if you want your personal branding to boom:
Snapchat: What started as an app designed for the disappearing pictures of teens has evolved into a social media powerhouse. Big-name brands like ESPN and McDonald’s have a presence on Snapchat and are seeing plenty of engagement from users. Individuals working on their own branding can use the format to reach new fans in short, engaging ways that are visual in nature.
Periscope: If you are looking for a conversational way to reach potential customers or build a following in your industry, Periscope is the perfect tool. You can broadcast yourself live talking about anything, or even demonstrating a product. The appeal of Periscope is that everything is live streaming – there is no room for editing or no need to upload anything. This brings an edge to what is presented on screen and appeals to viewers in a different way than a pre-packaged YouTube or Facebook video might. There is a live interactive element, too. Viewers can type things into a chat box that is then visible to the broadcaster. Periscope has its own “like” system too, in the way of digital hearts that can be tapped to appear on the screen.
Instagram: As long as you make smart use of hashtags, Instagram can be a boon for your personal brand. When you connect with others through Facebook or LinkedIn, there is usually some sort of predetermined reason (maybe you were friends in high school, maybe you share a connection in common). None of that matters on Instagram where you can find other people with similar interests very easily – and they can find you. Unlike Twitter, which is also designed to find accounts through hashtags, Instagram provides an enhanced visual element. People also tend to follow less Instagram accounts than Twitter ones, making it more possible for your posts to show up regularly in their photo streams.
