When it comes to your personal brand, knowing what to share on social media can feel overwhelming, unclear or completely haphazard. If you’re finding yourself running out of ideas or even stopping before you start because you’re not sure where to begin then something as simple as a personal brand prompt sheet could be the answer.
Why staying active on social media boosts your professional profile
Being active, visible and engaged on social media can be one of the most effective and simple ways to keep your profile visible. It’s a presence that not only keeps you front of mind and keeps your network in the loop with what you’re up to, but it also helps you position yourself in line with what you want to be known for. It’s not just about popping up in people’s feeds (although that on its own can be helpful), it’s about engaging, keeping connected and being helpful and valuable with your content and comments.
This may seem like a lot when you’re currently drawing a blank and actively avoiding posting to your profile. So using a cheat sheet or prompt can not only make it easier to create regular content and engage more with social media - but it can also make it feel completely authentic and more aligned with your personal brand.
Your personal brand topics prompt sheet
It’s easy to create your own personal version of this or you can download the simple template example below to get you started. For a more detailed spreadsheet get in touch to get a copy that is ready for you to populate, keep on your desktop or stick on your wall next to your laptop.
Products & Services
A handy reminder of the main services you offer (especially your specialist areas, or the subsets of services that make up your main offering) - it helps remind you to post about them and share useful info about them.
Sector Topics
What sectors / industries / types of business do you typically work with? What topics are of interest to you in your sector, are there any sector topics / issues that you're passionate about? It can also help you to zoom in on what you want to be known for or topics you want to ‘own’ in your sector or industry.
Publications
What publications, websites, forums are your go-to for industry news, and professional interest? Having them listed means you’ve always got a good source of breaking news or articles of interest to talk about and share.
People
Who are the influencers and thought leaders who always have great info and news to share and comment on? Who are the influencers in your own network? Remember to keep in touch, like and comment on their posts.
FAQs
What questions do you often get asked about the work you do, your industry, your specialist expertise? Are there any interesting questions that you've had recently that would make a great post?
Clients
Who are you working with? Make a note and remember to check out what they're sharing, talking about, working on and like, share and comment - especially the individuals, not just their company brand. This also serves as a great follow-up and client relations prompt too.
Events
What events have you been to? What are you going to attend? Share that you'll be there, or you've just been. What did you enjoy? Add value to the conversation, share what you learned. Who did you meet… follow and connect with them (in a personable genuine way).
News & Popular Culture
This can seem like a broad and vague catch-all. But are there things happening in the world that you're really interested in - sporting events, global summits, stuff happening in your local town that you want to share? Are you so excited that Bake Off is back that you’ve taken to turning your kitchen into a patisserie every evening? It's fine to go off business topic and show your personality and personal interests as long as it feels authentic to you.
If you want a copy of the prompt sheet, I use so you can get started just drop me a line sarah@wildepurpose.co.uk
Get your ideas down, keep it handy and use it over time to build up not only a helpful prompt sheet but also a helpful summary of what your personal brand is all about, the expertise you’re passionate about, the thought leaders you follow, the contacts you align yourself with and the topics and areas that you really want to be known for.