Harnessing the Power of Optimized Social Media Content in Personal Branding

In today’s world, if you’re not using social media to grow your personal brand, you’re missing out. According to Forbes, around 4.9 billion people worldwide use social media. Of those people, 76% of users have purchased something they’ve seen on social media. Social media content is no longer about sharing photos with friends. It’s a vital digital marketing tool consumers use to seek out personal brands they love. So, how do you get in on the action?

Stand Out With Personal Branding

Personal branding is what makes your business unique. It allows you to stand out from the crowd and connect with your consumers. It’s why someone drives past three coffee shops on the way to the one they love. It isn’t about convenience but consuming a brand they know and love. Personal branding isn’t an option; it’s a must if you’re going to grow your business. How do you build your personal branding? Cue, social media.

Social media is your brand’s megaphone. Your content showcases who you are, increases your brand visibility, and helps you achieve your branding goals.

Optimizing Social Media to Increase Brand Visibility

Social media optimization (SMO) is using social media to enhance a company’s brand and online message. SMO drives your audience from your social channels to your company’s website. Search engine optimization (SEO) alone will no longer cut it; consumers want a brand that feels relatable. This step is where SMO comes in. Social media allows your audience to familiarize themselves with your brand. In return, you create an engaged, connected audience.

Ochsner Health System found engagement success on TikTok. They created medical content that was approachable and intriguing for their followers, simplifying medical jargon into digestible posts. This strategy resulted in a user engagement 3x higher than the median engagements across all other industries. You can optimize your healthcare content similarly.

4 Strategies for Creating Optimized Social Media Content

A successful SMO marketing campaign uses the following key strategies.

1. Define your personal branding goals

Clear and measurable branding goals make your social media content effective, relevant, and engaging. Your messaging will vary based on your goals. Are your goals to gain more sales leads, audience engagement, or brand visibility?

ZocDoc launched a successful brand visibility campaign through its hashtag “unsick day.” The idea encouraged employees to take time off to seek preventative care, reaching over 70 million impressions in two weeks.

2. Create content that is engaging and relevant

To gain an enthusiastic following, your content should be engaging. Understanding your target audience and their behavior is crucial for SMO. When your messaging speaks to everyone, it speaks to no one.

For instance, Luminis Health uses Instagram to focus on the human side of healthcare. Their posts include touching patient stories and employee recognition. When your content is personable, you gain a following that trusts your brand and looks to you as the expert.

3. Use analytic tools to check for optimized content

Use analytic tools to measure your branding goals. These tools collect data from your social channels to assess various metrics. They look at user engagement, demographics, and conversion rates. For example, Brand24 tracks content performance, audience growth rate, and campaign performance to improve your online presence.

4. Be consistent with your social media content

Using social platforms means you will encounter algorithms, so consistency is key. Content planning depends on your platform. TikTok recommends posting one to four times daily, while LinkedIn recommends posting once each business day. Algorithms favor consistency, and so does your audience. Every post allows opportunities for brand visibility and connection with your audience.

Tools and Resources for Optimizing Social Media Content

Many companies can help streamline your SMO strategy.

• Sprout Social is an all-in-one management tool that works with different platforms to help with publishing, analytics, and engagement.
• SocialPilot is a scheduling tool that helps you streamline posting and simplify your content with an AI assistant.
• Preview works exclusively with Instagram and TikTok to help you visually plan out your feed and schedule posts.

Social media is a crucial digital marketing tool for your business. Clear personal brand goals and understanding your audience lead to successful, optimized social media content. When your brand is relatable and honest, an engaged following is a byproduct. Review your social media content for optimization and make adjustments.

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FAQs

How do I begin optimizing my social media content?

Create content that builds an engaged audience and showcases your brand. Ensure it provides opportunities for your audience to interact with you through features like calls to action or polls. Share stories that provoke emotions, such as patient success stories. Use high-quality personalized photos instead of stock photos.

What are the key metrics to track for optimized social media content?

Key metrics measure user engagement, click rates, and conversion rates. Tools like Google Analytics help you track these metrics. They allow you to see if you’re achieving your brand goals or if and where changes are necessary.

When should I post social media content?

SMO requires that you navigate different social media platforms and their algorithms. For example, the best days to post on Facebook are Mondays through Thursdays, while the best days to post on Instagram are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Your posting schedules will vary, but all platforms agree that weekends, specifically Sundays, are the worst days to post.
To start, become well-versed in SMO on one platform before expanding to others. This process will help you develop consistency and stay focused.

What are common mistakes to avoid in social media optimization?

• Not being specific enough or not niching down your content: Trust that your brand is what your target audience desires. Going too broad with your messaging dilutes your voice.
• Not using analytic tools: These tools save you time and take the guesswork out of optimizing your content.
• Not getting started: Stop wasting time with “What ifs” and learn as you go.

How can optimized social media content boost my personal brand’s visibility?

Optimized social media content puts more eyes on your business to help you create audience engagement, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to your website. More exposure for your business and more engagement will make your brand well-known.

References

Aboulhosn, S. (2023, May 2). How to craft an effective social media content strategy. Sproutsocial. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-content-strategy/

Bagadiya, J. (2024, April 12). 14 best social media analytics tools for marketers in 2024. SocialPilot. https://www.socialpilot.co/social-media-analytics-tools#:~:text=SocialPilot%20is%20one%20of%20the,growth%2C%20demographics%2C%20and%20influencers.

Barnhart, B. (2023, February 9). The complete guide to personal branding. Sproutsocial. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/personal-branding/

BloomCreative. (n.d.). 5 social media standouts in healthcare marketing. Retrieved June 26, 2024, from https://www.bloomcreative.com/5-social-media-standouts-in-healthcare-marketing/

Kenton, W. (2023, June 2). What is social media optimization (SMO), and why is it important? Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media-optimization-smo.asp#:~:text=Social%20media%20optimization%20(SMO)%20is,and%20mitigate%20potentially%20damaging%20news

Nguyen, T. (2024, January 14). The top healthcare brands on social media. RivalIQ. https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/top-healthcare-brands-on-social-media/

Wong, B. (2023, May 18). Top social media statistics and trends of 2024. Forbes Advisor. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/social-media-statistics/#source