Pick and Choose the Chickens You Want to Hatch

When it comes to personal online branding, I've had people ask me, in anxious and sometimes frantic tones, if they need to open every social media site possible to create and cultivate their business brand.

Apprehension about transforming their private or personal Instagram, figuring out twitter hashtags and discussions, worrying about Facebook and the necessities of blogs....these are all very common and I'm here to tell you it's okay.

I still go through this myself. I was worried about separating my business and personal accounts. Here's how I came about it though, I realized, I allow people to see what I want them to see. Sure, you could look at my sidebar right now and find my Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn...etc. but I've carefully thought through how I approached this. 

My social media is mine. The sole purpose of my Instagram or Pinterest or Twitter isn't to garner a following for profit. They are a part of me and my web presence so I link them on my page as to avoid the misconception I may be hiding something.

But for you, I'm here to tell you that when it comes to branding, you don't have to do as I did. 

For instance, if you're launching an independent business that depends on visual mediums (photography, video production, graphic design, painting/drawing), you're really going to want to focus on the social media platforms that are going to give you exposure of your product....and real exposure. Nowadays you can post an image or video almost anywhere, but strategize where your market is...where your audience is.

Photographers and Graphic Designers, you're going to want to utilize Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Video-Media, utilize YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, even Instagram.

And that's a really small yet general selection pool. You don't have to utilize every single one. But prioritize those in which you'll use them. 

Some people create separate accounts for their art, and that's completely acceptable, just put a real conscious effort into keeping your art there. Others just end up mixing it up on their personal social media but keep their accounts public. That's what I choose to do, myself, except for my Facebook Business Page. 

On Instagram, if I want the public who doesn't necessarily follow me to see what I posted, I'll use the proper correlational hashtags to garner attention, if I just want my friends and general followers to see, I'll post without hashtags, or if I do, I'll use minimal or simple fun "inside joke" hashtags that really won't attract others. 

The most social-business mixed account I have, outside of my blog, is probably my twitter account. I use it for personal tweets but also for business generation and fielding. I feel comfortable managing the way I do.

My snapchat account and my private Facebook account are that....private. I don't add people I really don't know or haven't had a sort of mutual introduction of some kind. I'm really selective. And it's not because I think highly of myself or because I don't genuinely like people, I just have to draw the line sometimes with business and personal. It's not to say I'm not friendly or don't appreciate the companionship and support of others, just while I work, I really have to keep a line drawn where I can and hopefully it isn't a hard or crass line the others see, just a way of respecting our relationship for what it is at the moment.