How Should You Use Facebook for Personal Brand Success? 

Facebook is the biggest social network, with over 3 billion users (roughly 37% of the world’s population).  More people spend more time on Facebook than any other social network. This means that if you want to regularly get in front of people, Facebook is the place to do it. 

Facebook is a challenge for many individuals looking for personal branding success; they aren’t sure if they should use their personal profile, a page, a group, or some combination of the above. There isn’t a single or simple answer to this question – it largely depends on how you currently use Facebook and how you want to use it for your personal brand – including how much time you realistically can dedicate to it. 

Facebook for Personal or Facebook for Professional? 

Since Facebook is a personal social network and most people view their personal brand as professional, many people think that Facebook isn’t relevant. This couldn’t be further from the truth.  

Professional and personal contacts are often the same, as most people find job opportunities and clients through their friends. Also, more and more people view their professional contacts as friends too, so it isn’t as simple as personal vs. professional. People on Facebook are also open to professional content – even LinkedIn advertises on Facebook for their ad platform, making it a great space to increase your personal brand success. 

I get lots of professional support from my personal and professional connections on Facebook. Even your friends will enjoy hearing and learning about your professional successes and be inspired by the content you share. Plus, they may, at some point, be in a position to connect you with an opportunity.  

Regardless of how seriously you want to use Facebook as a part of your personal branding strategy, you should assume that the people you are connected to on Facebook are linked to your professional success, so you’ll want to at least partially use it to bring your personal brand to life. 

Benefits of Facebook for Personal Branding 

There are “more than 200 million businesses (mostly small businesses)” using Facebook. Even business professionals are using Facebook as an extension of their personal brand. Some people use it as their primary platform to grow their business and find new customers. There are a few benefits to using Facebook as a part of your personal branding strategy, including: 

• Your audience is there – Almost everyone is on Facebook, so your audience is most likely there, and they spend a lot of time there. This makes it an ideal place to grow your reputation. 

• Your friends can help – Most people get jobs, clients, and opportunities through friends. While your Facebook friends may be more “personal” in your mind, they can connect you to opportunities, but you need to position yourself well. 
• Greater visibility – If you use a Facebook Page and advertise, you can reach many new people on Facebook cost-effectively and easily.  
• Expand your reach and network – Many people use Facebook groups (creating or participating in them) to reach new people and grow their footprint on Facebook beyond their actual friends. 
• Build your reputation – Posting regular content on Facebook is a good way to build your reputation. The challenge is ensuring it is appropriate for Facebook and not overly business or promotional. Make sure your Facebook content comes across as personal and authentic vs. too business-focused.

Need help learning how to build your professional presence on Facebook? Learn how to use Facebook for personal branding success!

The information is taken from an excerpt of “Launch Yourself” by Krista Neher. For your free action planner and bonus resources, visit www.LaunchYourself.com/book.