Don’t count out the old ways just yet…
Despite what you think of traditional media, it’s still vital in building a personal brand.
The best content that you can share on social media that will build your personal and business brand isn’t a carefully crafted blog, it’s a legitimised piece of content published by media featuring you.
It could be a story about you in a newspaper, or a clip on the news, or an interview on radio about your brand. It might be your opinion, commentary, your response or call to action. When your followers see you on a mainstream media platform, they see you as a credible expert in your field.
If you get a chance to appear on radio, TV, newspaper, print or online media, share it til the cows come home. Share it everywhere and share it proudly. It is this content that will show you in a very different light to a beautifully manufactured piece of content that you have produced.
Regardless of what you think of traditional media, it is a trusted source for personal and business brands on social platforms because it adds a layer of credibility – if you were vetted by a journalist then you can be trusted. The faith in and recognition of the content is far more credible than a short post on Facebook or any other social media platform for that instance.
An appearance in traditional media is a rubber stamp of authority because it is quality information that you are supplying to a third party, not the paid manufacturing of a message. When you take that content and then share it on social media you are declaring that you are the real deal.
The first place you need to be sharing your mainstream media content is LinkedIn. This is the professional and personal brand platform that will thrive with content from media. Facebook works but it must have a viral aspect about for it to get real traction. Twitter and Instagram work well for the still pictures and video content.
If you have built your own audience and it is engaged and sizeable then do not underestimate your value to traditional media. Traditional media will look to engage you not just for your influence but also your ability to share the stories you feature in to your audience. The greater the number you engage the more media will be interested in you and your brand. Yes, it does work the other way as it should.
When you see a TV, radio or newspaper content amplified on social platforms you as the consumer will always see it differently to any other post or content. It is trusted, it is real and it isn’t a fabrication. Exactly the kind of content and message we all should be trying to project as a brand both as an individual and a business.
