8 Ways Content Marketing Will Amp Up Your Personal Brand

By Aby Nicole League
Guest Contributor

How would you assess your personal branding in relation to content marketing? Are you fully satisfied or is there room for improvement?

According to Entrepreneur magazine, your personal brand is a crucial key to drive sales and marketing. The global research giant Nielsen backs this claim in a comprehensive study, which found that 92% of consumers worldwide trust individuals more than anything else.

The first thing to remember is that content marketing and your personal brand strategy should work hand-in-hand.

At its most basic, personal branding is essentially content marketing that caters to yourself.

If you think that establishing your online presence and increasing your value is impossible, think again. These 8 tips will help you make content marketing work for your personal brand.

Tip #1: Focus on your unique story

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It’s easy to lose your identity in the saturated online world, but capitalizing on the unique and interesting things about you is a great way to build your personal brand.

Action Step #1:

Think about your unique experiences, characteristics and strengths. Use these as part of your content marketing.

For example…

When Mark Zuckerberg made a point about supporting parents and upholding gender equality in Facebook, he anchored this on his personal experience of becoming a dad.

Another good example is BuzzBallz, a thriving company that sells single-serve cocktails that come in brightly coloured spherical containers. It is owned by Merrilee Kick, a former high school teacher. She promotes her company with an amusing yet remarkable story: her company was inspired by a crystal snowball that caught her attention while she was grading papers.

Whether you’re starting out on your business or you’re an established figure in your field, the content of your personal brand can greatly benefit your social or business goals.

Tip #2: Make a splash with fresh insights

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You social brand is more than the pictures you post on your social media accounts. Much of what people see in you as valuable has to do with the power of your opinions and ideas. These are the assets your audience will evaluate and trust. Think of it as being in a one-sided interview in which you get to provide your audience with valuable answers.

Action Step #2:

Think deep about fresh insights that will be helpful to your audience. What new knowledge or idea can you offer?

For example…

Making your personal brand valuable does not necessarily mean relying on popular or likeable content. When Steve Jobs initially proposed his ideas, they were seen as outrageous and impossible. But now, even after his demise, his personal brand lives on as visual quotes shared all over social media.

Tip #3: Make a content plan based on your goals

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You are building your own personal brand, not another person’s. It can be tempting to pattern your brand and content on what influencers in your niche are doing, but this will make you lose something extremely valuable: yourself.

Action Step #3:

When planning your engaging content marketing strategy, build your persona based on your own goals and target audience. Plan the kind of content that would best serve each target goal.

For example…

If your goal is to become a thought leader, then your content needs to be keen, relevant, and innovative. When Jon Steinberg founded a media content startup called Cheddar, his overarching objective was to creatively present business news to millennials.

Tip #4: Connect with your audience through the power of emotion

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Never underestimate the power of emotions when promoting your personal brand through content. By emotions, I’m not suggesting that you act melodramatic. The irony here is that honing your capacity to connect emotionally must not begin with your heart but with your keen understanding of your audience.

Action Step #4:

Connect to your public’s emotions by addressing their challenges, needs, fears or aspirations. Compelling content requires true understanding of your target market. Present a solution that you think will be of great help to your target market.

For example…

When Talmon Marco saw how Uber was not as friendly to drivers as he hoped it to be, he launched a startup called Juno. It’s a new ride-sharing app in New York that promises higher pay and more benefits to drivers.

Tip #5: Make yourself easy to find and recognize

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You’d be surprised at how often this common sense tip is overlooked. When creating a presence on social media, make sure that you are easy to find.

Action Step #5:

In your bio, state clearly and creatively who you are. Your page should clearly contain your name and what you do.

If you need help creating or revising your social media bio, check out 5 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Bio in 5 Minutes.

Or you can get a free printable PDF of the article, and work through it when you have time.

The 5-minute social media bio beef-up | BloggingBistro.com

Click the beef to get your PDF!

For example…

On the Facebook page of The Social Haven, you’ll easily find on who they are (a consulting agency for small businesses) and what they do (drive sales through social media). Making yourself easily recognizable will reduce the chances that someone will guess wrong and mistake you for another brand.

Tip #6: Optimize your content to gain traffic

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No matter how ambitious your branding goals are, it won’t matter if you do not properly optimize your content.

Action Step #6:

Use optimization tools such as Grammarly and Headline Analyzer to make content production easier.

When it comes to keyword usage, avoid keyword stuffing or using the same keyword excessively in your content. Google’s algorithm is smart enough to detect keyword stuffing.

Don’t force keywords. Instead, use them as naturally as possible and place them strategically in your content.

A more technical yet vital consideration is to keep your URLs short. For reference, the URLs of top-ranking pages have an average of 59 characters.

Tip #7: Take firm control of your brand

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Keep your brand under strict control and supervision. You are not revealing all of yourself online, but rather creating your brand with a purpose.

Action Step #7:

Ensure that privacy settings on your social media accounts are in place. Avoid posting content that isn’t associated with your brand.

For example…

While your brand should be consistent, you can definitely combine interconnected attributes that support your brand. Celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge is known for her beauty tutorials in YouTube. Millions of women go to her videos for tips on applying mascara or finding the right shade of foundation.

Recently, she announced that she has allowed YouTube advertisements in her channel on the condition that all profits will go a charity that advocates education for young girls. Talk about beauty with a purpose.

Tip #8: Avoid hate and offensive language

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You don’t want to alienate your audience and potential customers.

Action Step #8:

Create your personal brand that will inspire rather than offend your target market. Ensure that your personal brand will never be a place for gender or racial insults.

There is no shortage of brands who have suffered the negative impact caused by erring CEOs on Twitter and other social media platforms.

For example…

In content marketing and brand building, remember that the line between the personal and professional gets blurred. Joe Wicks, a fitness coach known as “The Body Coach,” regularly posts Instagram stories of his daily routine while encouraging his followers to reach their personal fitness goals.

Your Mission

Your content is your personal brand. Following these 8 tips will help you establish your place in the online world. Your overall mission is to share your own story that seamlessly integrates with the brand you want to create and promote.