Unit 2: Inbound & Social Media Marketing – Assignment 4

The importance of personal branding
Personal branding is more important now than ever before thanks to the internet and social media, people can promote themselves with personal branding, let’s face it we have been using personal branding without even knowing it before the internet, job interviews you pitch to your potential new employer, you meet new people or even that first impression on a date. (Ponomaroff, 2020).

When it comes to personal branding and social media you will find it virtually impossible not to come across Gary Vaynerchuck, an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and internet personality which he has become through his personal branding and his biggest piece of advice is “be who you are, not who you wish you were.” (Vaynerchuk, 2021). It is all about being you and building your brand over time and not wanting the quick fix, building your reputation is about being patient. Big companies in the world “don’t sell they brand” “Apple never tries to “convert” you into buying an iPhone. Instead, they paint a picture of the “iPhone experience.” They focus on branding.” (Vaynerchuk, 2021).

A good personal brand will help you build trust with potential new customers or individuals, and you can showcase who you are without it looking like a big promotion push. Another advantage is we are all individuals, and you can make yourself stand out from the crowd with story and vision in your selected field. (Spencer, 2020).

How to use social media for personal branding

Posting links back to your blog
Linking back to your blog is good practice with your personal branding as it is a way of linking all your social media together, helping you promote your brand. Quality content on your blog to link back to is important, you are looking to engage and educate people which in turn will help drive visitors and even linking to your blog, this means your content is good and people have trust in what you post. (Frasco, n.d.).

Posting interesting images/infographics
Ricky Gervais images on his social media platforms and a major part of his personal branding for their uniqueness, quality, and humour. Ricky likes to take photos of his wife Jane when they are out without her knowing and then posts them with a funny comment, normally about her doing something with her friends, the joke being the photos show her on her own!

mRicky is well known for his love of animals and especially dogs he also likes to make fun of himself with silly selfies, all these images are part of who Ricky Gervais is and loved for and are a major part of his personal branding.

Asking the audience for their insights

This is an example of Ricky on twitter engaging with his followers, asking them how they will be watching the release of his new series of AfterLife3.

Releasing short videos on a given topic
LeBron James has many videos on his vast social media platforms forming a major part if his personal brand, this video is shared on his Instagram story, it is about the LeBron James Family Foundation he has set up helping kids and families in his hometown of Akron, showing the work the foundation do.

Running your own podcast
A podcast is a great for your personal branding because it is what it says on the tin its “personal” it’s a unique connection with your audience, listeners feel like they know. A podcast is easy to listen to anywhere thanks to the modern mobile devices which also helps with everyone’s busy lives these days, it means they can choose to listen when it suits them. (Deeney, 2019).

Good examples of using social media for personal branding
LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of the modern game, one of the top scorers in the NBA, even eclipsing the great Michael Jordan. (Landsberg, 2021). Lebron’s personal brand is a big one, just like the man and his heart, he is a philanthropist, promoting the welfare of others, this can be seen with the LeBron James Family Foundation which helps kids and families who need it most in his hometown of Akron. He uses all his social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to showcase the LeBron James personal brand, the philanthropist, the businessman, the athlete, he is the promoter of good and not hate, family, inspiration to others as well being able to follow the great man and all he stands for.

James’ basketball talent is clear, one of the greats but he is also a great publicist and brand communicator, building his personal brand over many years with ups and downs, learning from his mistakes and building on them, controlling his own media coverage after building a close relationship with a local Akron sports journalist, then co-founded SpringHill Entertainment which produced creative content including digital, documentary and feature films, (LeBron James, n.d.) this has help with his cult-like social media following. (Flaster, 2019).

References

Ponomaroff, N., 2020. 10 Amazing Personal Branding Examples for Design Inspiration. [online] https://inkbotdesign.com/. Available at: https://inkbotdesign.com/personal-branding-examples/ [Accessed 12 January 2022].

Vaynerchuk, G., 2021. 15 Tips on How to Brand Yourself Online. [online] GaryVaynerchuk.com. Available at: https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/5-strategies-for-personal-branding-online/ [Accessed 10 January 2022].

Spencer, J., 2020. Why building a personal brand is critical to developing customer loyalty. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-building-a-personal-brand-is-critical-for-customer-loyalty-2020-9?r=US&IR=T [Accessed 12 January 2022].

Frasco, S., n.d. How To Get More People To Link Back To Your Blog – Convert With Content. [online] Convert With Content. Available at: https://convertwithcontent.com/people-link-blog/ [Accessed 19 January 2022].

Deeney, J., 2019. Podcasting For Personal Branding: The Perfect Medium. [online] Podcast.co. Available at: https://www.podcast.co/inspire/podcasting-for-personal-branding [Accessed 19 January 2022].

Landsberg, N., 2021. 17 Incredible Personal Branding Examples That Will Inspire You to Build Your Own. [online] Influencer Marketing Hub. Available at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/personal-branding-examples/ [Accessed 10 January 2022].

Lebronjames.com. n.d. LeBron James. [online] Available at: https://www.lebronjames.com/ [Accessed 12 January 2022].

Flaster, S., 2019. Mastering the Art of the Personal Brand: the Evolution of Lebron James. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/fleishmanhillard-boston/mastering-the-art-of-the-personal-brand-the-evolution-of-lebron-james-ba5ef7634b37 [Accessed 12 January 2022].

IMAGES:

Image 1. (Vaynerchuk, 2021)
Your Bibliography: Vaynerchuk, G., 2021. 15 Tips on How to Brand Yourself Online. [online] GaryVaynerchuk.com. Available at: https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/5-strategies-for-personal-branding-online/ [Accessed 10 January 2022].

Image 2. Gervais, R., 2021. [online] Available at: https://twitter.com/rickygervais [Accessed 3 February 2022].

Image 3,4 & 5. Gervais, R., 2022. [online] Available at: https://twitter.com/rickygervais [Accessed 3 February 2022].

Image 6. James, L., 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CI0wsuGAH6r/ [Accessed 10 January 2022].

Image 7. James, L., 2022. [online] Available at: https://twitter.com/ljfamfoundation [Accessed 28 January 2022].

Image 8. James, L., 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYc6elHl5ft/ [Accessed 10 January 2022].

Image 9. James, L., 2022. [online] Facebook.com. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/LeBron [Accessed 3 February 2022].