You've heard the phrase bandied about more times than you can count, I have no doubt, but I'm going to bandy it about again today because it bears repeating but this is no regular blog on personal branding and its importance. This is a blog on personal branding and its importance backed up with actual, physical real life evidence and results since  I, Hannah Adams of Heyday Digital Agency, decided to spend a bit more time and effort on my personal brand across social media.

Here are 5 things I now do to share more of my personal brand on social media:

1. I give my audience a glimpse into my life
   ‍If you have been following me on LinkedIn or Instagram you'll all know that it started with an office redecorating project / Heyday HQ to be exact. I shared progress on the office space, how I found working in a literal building site and ways I was managing my time, which really resonated with my followers.
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2. I interact daily on my stories
   ‍Sharing snippets of my daily life, what my job entails and the results I was seeing in real time for clients and even some fabulous small businesses I love to visit.
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3. I pose questions to my audience
   ‍I make it a two way conversation, I hate the feeling of simply posting sales messages and client call outs on my social channels and love to make connections with people. I have been asking followers to share their favourite small business, coffee shops and even hosted polls on things like what colour I should paint my walls!
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4. I let them see my face more
   ‍Sometimes when you run a social media page for your business it can feel unprofessional to post a selfie, but as a one woman show (for the moment anyway) most of my clients interact with me personally on a weekly basis and prospective clients want to know who I am, what I look like and what makes me a good fit for them. Showing face is part of that!
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5. I started writing in the way I would have a conversation
   ‍My communication style is quite chatty, informal and a bit fun, so I've let that show across social media, which you already know if you follow me (and if you don't, why not? Go on you know you want to...)

And as a result, here  are 5 things that have happened since I started to prioritise sharing my personal brand:

1. I got more enquiries
   ‍With the consistency of posting regularly and daily via stories, coupled with a more  personable, less sales based approach I started to see more enquiries come in through social media.
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2. I made new connections
   ‍Not only has my workflow increased but I've met some fabulous new small business owners as a result (which, yes I admit, has not helped my bank balance as I splash out on new products!)
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3. My analytics went through the roof
   ‍My impressions on Instagram alone went up by 176% and engagement was up by 45% and on LinkedIn I saw my impressions increase by 160% and engagement rise by 248%. With numbers like that I'd show my face every day!
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4. My following grew
   ‍By 20% on Instagram.
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5. I secured 3 new clients in 1 month
   ‍Those new connections I made? New clients, who I love, cherish and adore!

So, if you're on the fence about sharing more of yourself and the brains behind your brand, my advice would be to go for it, you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking a more personable approach to your small business marketing efforts.