In a sea of content creators and online businesses on social media that offer similar services, your personal brand is what sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Yes, we don’t need another [insert product or service here] but we do need your unique point of view, your story, and how you package it for us. 

So how do you create a personal brand on social media to stand out and attract brand sponsorships and new clients?

I will tell you how….

First, let’s define what personal branding is. 

What is a personal brand?

Personal branding is basically the way you position yourself and your expertise within your industry. 

It is how you package and design the impression that people will associate with you and your services when they come across your social media account.

Your personal brand helps build trust between you and your followers (read: potential clients).  

Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with you.

Why is personal branding important on social media?

I’m sure you heard the phrase “People buy people”.

We like to invest our money in what makes us feel good about ourselves and what makes us feel like we are part of a community.

Therefore…

Personal brand = Money

Your story and branding are such essential factors for making money on social media and standing out to clients or brands you wish to work with.

You want people to trust, recognize, and stay loyal to you. You want to make them like you so much that they keep coming back for more. 

Think about brands or content creators that you currently follow and love on social media.

Why do you buy from them? Why do you follow them and feel connected to them?

They probably have a strong brand presence, a consistent look and feel, and a message that you relate to! 

How to create a personal brand on social media?

A great personal brand on social media starts with a theme and a unified look.

It takes less than 60 seconds for someone visiting your Instagram feed to decide if they want to learn more and follow or bounce out. 

In order to create a unified theme and look on your Instagram feed, you will need to:

1.Create a mood board for your brand on Pinterest or Instagram

A mood board will help you understand what you visually gravitate towards, the look and feel for your brand, and how to best represent it online.

It’s basically visual research!

You can start by saving images from the brands you already love and Pinterest will start suggesting similar images for you

It’s definitely a rabbit hole, so try to set aside time for the mood boarding process. 

Other things you can add to your mood board are textures, fonts, places, nature, editorial photoshoots, product shots, and graphic layouts. 

You can also use the Vision Book I created for creating an entire vision board for yourself and your brand!

2. Pick 2-6 brand colors 

You can choose colors based on the colors you already love (tip: you will find those in your mood board or closet) or on color psychology.

Pick 2-3 colors that you can use as your main brand colors and 2-3 colors as accent colors. 

Just make sure not to use all of your colors at the same time!

Also, make sure that at least 2 of your colors are in high contrast to avoid eye fatigue.

My friend Cynthia Pong introduced me to coolers.co; an online app where you can play around with various color combos and find your brand color palette. 

3. Decide on 2-3 brand fonts 

The fonts you should decide on are your header font, subheader font, and body font. 

You can use Canva.com to play around with their font combination options, then you can add that to your Canva brand kit.

That way you can come back to your brand fonts every time you are designing in Canva.com. 

4. Choose your brand elements

Brand elements are basically any shapes, textures, or icons that make your brand more recognizable on social media.

You can choose things like stripes, dots, leaves, circles…etc. 

Here is what my brand elements look like:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_pxcWRHWrJ/

5. Define your brand voice & language 

This step is very important as it will make a huge impact on how people on Instagram relate to you and your brand. 

It will also help you create the community that you want and that will support you in whatever you do. 

You need to look into who you want to attract as clients or sponsors on Instagram and keep them in mind when coming up with your brand voice and language. 

6. Create branded graphic templates 

Templates are pre-designed visuals where you can simply drag and drop new content into when creating posts for Instagram. 

Templates make it so much easier to stay on brand and never miss a day in your posting schedule for Instagram, as they cut down the content creation time.

You can actually buy templates pre-designed and 100% customizable for Instagram and simply switch out the elements with your brand colors and fonts.

Or…if you’re an entrepreneur ready to bring your big brand vision to life, the Social Media Branding Package may be just what you need. This is a one-stop shop service for building a cohesive, stand-out brand AND content strategy that work hand in hand. 

7. Use presets for your images

Presets are filters that you can use on your images when editing. Using the same filter helps keep your Instagram feed consistent and on-brand. 

You can create your very own presents on the Adobe Lightroom, purchase presets from photographers you like, or use apps like Tezza and VSCO. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAJBxFKnV1D/

Now that you have all the tools to create a branded social media presence, you will be able to start monetizing your content and attracting new clients before you know. 

Remember packaging is just as important as the product you are trying to sell.

People buy you before they buy your services, so make sure you are presenting YOU in the best and most relatable way possible. 

Starting a business is a journey, and it can be a challenging transition. However, with the right mindset, resources, and support, you can absolutely build a successful and fulfilling business that supports your true-to-self life. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your existing business to the next level, embrace the process and take the first steps towards building the business and life of your dreams.

If you are ready to build an online brand that allows you to live a freedom and joy filled life, check out my brand development coaching program. This program gives you hands-on experience creating your brand from scratch, including messaging and social media strategy.