How to Make it OBVIOUS That You're an Expert on Social Media

No matter your intended niche, you want to position yourself as an expert. Your personal or company brand is not only what makes you recognizable, but also what communicates to your target audience what you do and how you do it.

Follow these three points to guarantee the growth of your brand and attract more business as a social media expert.

Optimize your Facebook profile

Social Media accounts serve as a portfolio of your Social Media Marketing brand. It’s important to make all of your profiles optimized, but Facebook is most often where people are going to look for you.

There are a few keys to making a strong impression:

Get a professional headshot

Spend the money to hire an experienced photographer. Look for a photographer that translates personality into the photo, someone who asks questions about who you are. This is a small investment that will make a huge impact on your personal brand and can be used repeatedly.

Get found on Facebook

Make sure your profile is public (setting > privacy > who can see my stuff) and fill out all information using correct spelling and grammar. All this information makes you more searchable and easier to find. Don’t keep a separate Facebook profile for personal use, just don’t share anything on Facebook you wouldn’t want the world to know.

Allow followers on Facebook

People can follow you if they want to see what you’re posting, but don’t want to be a friend. Ensure this feature is turned on in your settings. Anyone whose friend request you decline will also become a follower. This is a great way to maximize your audience.

Position yourself as an expert

To be considered an expert, conduct yourself as one. Being an expert is about being in control.

Be specific on what you will and won’t do for clients and avoid disputes by using SMART goals in your project outlines. Never agree to do something that will not bring your client value, even if asked for it. This is a manner of professionalism that will position you as an expert.

The aim is to have fewer clients and make more money, so don’t be afraid to say “No” to a prospect that isn’t a good fit. Work with people who will collaborate as a partner.

Stake your claim as the go-to person in a particular network, industry (i.e. dentists, business coaches), campaign (i.e. viral contests), or transformation, and your ideal clients will be knocking down your door.

Develop your personal brand

When people search for you, you want them to find you in as many ways as possible. This starts with claiming your online space, specifically buy ‘yourname’.com (i.e. mattastifan.com). If that domain isn’t available, use a pen name or put a “the” in front of your name.

Next, sign up for 10+ social sites and optimize for your name and your company name, if it’s different. Make sure you have a personal and business page on all of the major social sites (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat) and also sign up on Quora, Klout, and Branded. me.

On all of these sites, use your professional photos and get a professional writer to put together a bio for you. You’ll want to keep your username consistent; have one for your personal, and another for your business accounts so people know how to find you. Use namechk.com to see what names are available and check in with your community for suggestions.

Finally, you want to have a video of yourself uploaded to your YouTube and optimized for your name. Speak at live events and film it or have a professional videographer help you create something professional.

The last step to developing your personal brand is creating your own reality show.

Grow your brand with these guidelines because when you look like and act like an expert, people will regard you as an expert

For more information, check out the following guides:

• How to Price Your Social Media Services (The Fair Way)
• How To Make Money On Instagram (With Only 1k Followers)
• How to Create a Viral Social Media Contest