How-To: Build Credibility through Social Media…For Your Personal Brand

What is credibility?

Credibility is the quality of being believed or accepted as true, real, or honest (Merriam-Webster, 2014).

Credibility is an important element to your personal brand because without credibility, people will not trust or believe in you. Social profiles, professional photography, Professional website, consistency, and an email signature are all ways to give your personal brand credibility. Social media is increasing in ways to building personal brand credibility. Some great ways to build your credibility are through blogging and social networks.

Blogging

Blogging is one great way to improve credibility. A blog is a site in which a person writes about personal experiences, opinions, and activities (Merriam-Webster, 2014). When starting a new blog, remember to keep consistency. Writing a blog post at least once a week on the same day is an easy way to begin. A great way to know what to blog on different days is with Message Placemat. Message Placemat is a website that helps you create a one page grid to identify a specific message for a target audience for any day of the week, month, or year. A blog is important so followers are able to ask questions and to keep them informed with updates and breaking news.

Personal Branding

Social network sites show how a person wants to be perceived and allows people to connect with one another through these sites. A large majority of people all around the world are on social networks. To build your credibility, being a part of social network sites are great to have. Some sites that are good to have are LinkedIn, which is a business-oriented social network, Facebook, which is a social-oriented social network, and twitter, which is also a social-oriented social network.

It is good to update your status regularly on these sites because not everyone will see each post. Posts should not be all about marketing otherwise followers may get annoyed and stop following you. Posting in discussion groups is also a great way to get people talking with you and possibly interested in you. You can add past projects to your profile to show people work you have completed. Adding projects can give people a sense of true and real work that you are capable of; giving you credibility. Having a professional photo for your social network profile will catch the eye before words will. A professional photo draws people in, while great content keeps them interested.

Blogs and social networks both should include testimonials. When a person sees a testimonial from other people, it shows you are honest, true, and real. In other words, you are credible. To build a database of testimonials all you need is to provide a quality product/service, and then customers, in most cases, will be more than willing to give you a testimonial if you ask.

To build your credibility through social media for your personal brand, remember to be honest and to be you. Being yourself is what will set you apart from everyone else. When you begin using social media be real, be honest, and be true to all.

Authors

This article was written by University of Missouri – St. Louis Social Media Marketing Undergraduate students Renee Richardson, Miquel Subira Ribas, Kyle Dermody, Kathleen Harris, and Martin Gwozdz.

From: UMSL Digital Mindshare