Personal Brand Development: Part 5
In taking Emily’s insight to heart, I started to think about how I could analyze the success of my personal brand.
First of all, I decided that it would be beneficial for me in the long run to invest my time in learning more about analytics. So, signing up for some free Google Analytics courses could help me better understand how I can use analytics to my advantage. Emily advised that technology rapidly changes, so it is important that learning more about analytics and online data should not be a one time lesson. Instead, it should be a continual learning process.
Second, I realized that I should heavily utilize both the analytics features available on Facebook and Instagram. An online Hootsuite blog suggests paying careful attention to “[l]ikes, comments, shares, and saves; these interactions help you measure engagement. Take note of which posts are getting the most interactions, and what types of interactions they’re getting” (Baird, 2018). This data is vital in understanding if my brand is being seen and interacted with online.
Third, Emily also made a comment that videos are some of the best performing ways to catch people’s eye while they scroll through their social media feeds. If I were to mainly utilize Instagram to express my personal brand, then it would be to my benefit to post some Instagram videos. This way, I can creatively express myself, allow people to comment and like the post, and Instagram immediately provides you with the “views” statistic. This would allow me to immediately begin to measure brand success in terms of measuring how many people my content is reaching.
Lastly, I realized that I should be incredibly strategic with what I choose to boost. Boosting should not be over-used in order to maintain its importance and truly add value the content that I think will best serve and interest my followers. In addition, as someone who would want to use Instagram to express my personal brand, I think I would want to stay away from boosting my Instagram posts to be “sponsored ads.” While these would definitely increase visibility, I do not think it is in line with my relatable, authentic brand. Sponsored posts do not show up on Instagram feeds in a way that looks like organic advertising because it labels the post as “sponsored”. I would not want to run the risk of making my brand look manufactured and corporate. Instead, my focus should be on making sure that people know about and engage with my brand online in a way that is relatable and allows for longterm connection.