When it comes to social media, creating a strict line between personal and business isn’t always so easy, especially when it comes to your personal brand and the business you’ve started.
You are invested in both, and often your personal brand is an extension of the business you created. Just look at Pete Cashmore and Mashable – he uses his own Twitter handle to promote Mashable content every day. Additionally, the Mashable account is still under his name because he has built such great recognition for his personal brand.
This is not to say that’s for everyone, but let’s look at a few best practices on how to approach personal and business in social media.
Facebook Fan Page – A Must
There is definitely a line drawn when it comes to Facebook. You don’t want your business to come from your profile page when that’s about you, not your business.
A fan page is meant for a business specifically and is a much more appropriate way to sell one’s ideas, offerings, services, and products – especially since you can create ads for your posts to increase the amount of people who may see the content.
Cross promotion is great
Cross promotion through one’s personal accounts is a great way to add traffic and increase eyeballs. Your friends will support your work and hopefully share the content as well.
Furthermore, if your personal brand has more followers than your actual brand, then it’s a great way to help direct people to your fan page or website or whatever your objective may be. Use the audience you have!
The channels that may blend
Now of course there are some channels that you’ve built on your brand which are easier to keep as your own and still promote your business.
For example if you’ve built a large following on Instagram and Pinterest, it may be easier to use it for both your brand and yourself.
You may want to promote your new product offering, and that’s great – add a new board on upcoming products and let your followers see what else you have to offer. Additionally, Pinterest and Instagram both act as gateways into the world of the creative mind behind your business brand- you.
The “behind the scenes” aspect of Instagram and the “personal loves” aspect of Pinterest allow for current and potential customers really feel like they get to know you. This can do wonders for your business brand.
Note – this works better if your personal brand is already full of followers who are interested in what your brand has to offer. I refer back to my motto on test and learn and see what works!