Building your personal brand isn’t a vanity exercise, it’s a necessary part of remaining competitive in a context where people have become accustomed to consuming content and have access to information through multiple channels.
It used to be that to have a successful business, you just needed to be good at what you
did and make sure customers could find you – via your website, your advertising, or the trusty Yellow Pages. However, in the social media age, that's no longer enough.
With trust in institutions on the decline and scepticism towards polished corporate messaging on the rise, we’re seeing a shift towards human-first branding. If you lead a business, your personal values, leadership style, and lived experience are assets.
Community, connection, and authenticity are cultural currency, and showing up as a real human leader is an essential part of both reaching your career goals and driving growth for your business.
Power of personality
Leaders in organisations are brand amplifiers, and the data supports this, with global studies like Edelman's Trust Barometer showing that employees and founders are now more trusted than CEOs or government officials. In Africa, 86% of Gen Z and Millennials say they trust a business more when the leadership is visible and vocal on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram.
At a time when authenticity has become prized, brands see higher perceived authenticity, especially when executives post behind-the-scenes, thought leadership, or values-based content.
If the idea of putting yourself out there on social media makes you break into a sweat, consider this your playbook.
Choose your core platform wisely
You don't have to be on every social media platform. A good place to start is by picking a platform that is best suited for your brand, message and industry. Pick one core platform to master and repurpose your content across others – don't try to be everywhere. Consider each platform's strengths and tailor your content to match.
LinkedIn: The most effective B2B platform; it’s great for thought leadership, values-based posts, and industry insights.
X (Twitter): Well-suited for commentary, real-time insights, and networking. However, be mindful of tone and polarising topics and be wary of engagement from bot accounts.
Instagram: If you run a start-up, Instagram is a great platform to showcase founder-led lifestyle brands or those in fashion, food, and wellness. Use this platform to highlight the people and personalities behind the brand.
Other platforms include YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. It all depends on what works best for you. The key is not to be everywhere – but to be intentional about where and how you show up.
How often should you post on social media for business?
Posting frequency is largely dependent on what's most sustainable for you because consistency is the key to success. Even posting just once a week can significantly shift how your brand is seen.
You want to be visible but not post so often that you come across as spammy or disingenuous. One to three times a week is a good start. However, remember that it's not just about uploading a post and then disappearing. Moderating your own comments, engaging with other professionals on their posts, and responding to questions on topics you're knowledgeable about is an important part of building your brand. So, factor that in when you consider how much time you realistically have available to devote to social media.
What should you post?
Use a mix of professional insight and personal anecdotes for authenticity.
Consider your message and point of view before posting to help you remain consistent but intentional. The key is to be authentic, curious and interested in the topics you are discussing – this goes a long way to building trust and credibility. Use the “3P Rule” – Professional, Personal, Point of View – to vary content and keep it interesting.
The idea is to humanise your business to build a connection with your audience. So, use platforms like LinkedIn to frame your perspective around issues your industry or community faces – and how your business is responding.
Track the metrics that matter
You need to track performance to know what content is working to meet your goals. However, vanity metrics – such as likes on a post – may not be the most valuable. Instead, consider metrics like engagement rate (how many people are engaging with your posts), connections growth (are you gaining more followers? Is your network expanding?), inbound leads (are people reaching out for partnerships, sales or interviews?) and sentiment (are people talking positively about you and your company?).
Set yourself a goal and optimise your content approach and messaging based on your content's performance.
But I don't want to be an influencer!
The misconception about being visible on social media is that you have to be an influencer. You don't. You can start by commenting on other people's posts to build visibility and credibility (especially beneficial if you’re stretched thin).
If being the face of your brand or business is really not your thing, consider creating a brand persona or voice that you can leverage to give your brand a recognisable online personality rather than relying on your own. Brands like Wendy's, Nando's and Duolingo, for example, are great examples of how a business can be instantly recognisable through its mascot or brand voice and how you can signal your business's values through strong branding.
This approach works better for some industries and brands than others, so be mindful of the audience you’re trying to engage, the platform and your industry.
Another way to create an online presence for your brand and business is through employee advocacy. This is a more diplomatic approach and gives a view of your organisation from multiple perspectives.
Featuring customer stories, user-generated content, or collaborations can also display your personality without it being your face that everyone sees.
Create a strategy, not just content
Social media may appear playful and spontaneous on the surface, but a well-executed social media presence – whether it’s your own or your business's – requires careful strategy.
Planning your content in advance can help you manage your time, craft your message and develop a point of view on a key industry trend or update. Spend one hour every month recording your thoughts or anecdotes; this single hour of input can be repurposed into weeks of content.
You can draw inspiration by reflecting on an insight you’ve learnt on a project or dictate your thoughts after a meeting and use that to develop content. Getting help from a content strategist or copywriter can capture your tone, organise your thoughts, and ensure your message lands.
In business, visibility drives value. Social media may feel daunting at first, but like all things, it gets easier with practice. Start small but remain consistent. You don’t need to be an influencer – but you do need to show up. The future of leadership is not just about the decisions you make in the boardroom – it’s also about how you lead in the feed.
Originally published in Financial Mail.
