5 ways to integrate your personal brand, and the results

You've heard the phrase more times than you can count, but it bears repeating — and this isn't the usual personal-branding blog. This one comes with real, physical evidence and results, because I, Hannah Adams of Heyday Digital Agency, decided to put real time and effort into my personal brand across social media.

5 things I now do to share more of my personal brand

1. I give my audience a glimpse into my life. If you follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram, you'll know it started with an office redecorating project — Heyday HQ, to be exact. I shared the progress, what it was like working in a literal building site, and how I managed my time. It really resonated.
2. I interact daily on my stories. Snippets of daily life, what my job actually involves, and the results I was seeing in real time for clients and a few small businesses I love.
3. I pose questions to my audience. I make it a two-way conversation. I hate just posting sales messages, so I ask followers about their favourite small businesses and coffee shops, and even ran a poll on what colour to paint my walls.
4. I let them see my face more. Posting a selfie can feel unprofessional when you run a business page, but as a one-woman show, my clients deal with me personally every week. Prospective clients want to know who I am — showing face is part of that.
5. I started writing the way I talk. My style is chatty, informal, and a bit fun, so I let that show. If you follow me, you already know. If you don't — why not?

5 things that happened as a result

1. More enquiries. Consistent posting and a warmer, less sales-y approach brought more enquiries in through social.
2. New connections. My workflow grew, and I met some wonderful small business owners along the way (my bank balance has not thanked me).
3. Analytics through the roof. Instagram impressions up 176% and engagement up 45%; LinkedIn impressions up 160% and engagement up 248%. For numbers like that, I'll show my face every day.
4. My following grew — up 20% on Instagram.
5. Three new clients in one month. Those new connections? New clients, who I love, cherish, and adore.

So if you're on the fence about sharing more of the person behind your brand, my advice is simple: go for it. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain from a more personable approach.

A guest post by Hannah Adams of Heyday Digital Agency. At Fifty Fifty, we help founders build brands worth putting your face to — see our brand identity and strategy work.