The world of personal branding and online profiles is cut-throat; your online presence can make or break your business. As an entrepreneur, there are specific things you can do to create a winning online presence through your profiles. There are also a lot of mistakes you should avoid. Put your best foot forward by learning the insider tricks to having an awesome online entrepreneur profile. Keep reading to find out the dos and don’ts of profile creation!

Tip #1: Have a Killer Website

Before you jump onto any social media platform, you should have a current, stylish, and easy-to-use website. Social media profiles give quick and easy snippets of who you are and what you do; your website is where hot leads will find more information and potentially make a purchase.

Tip #2: Fill Out Profiles Entirely

Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all have multiple fields where you can enter information. You should be using every opportunity your profile offers to get your brand and message across.

This is especially true for LinkedIn where the more detail the better connections you can make. On Instagram, use your bio wisely. It’s a small space that can showcase your brand, your mission, and your personality as an entrepreneur.

Tip #3: Use a Professional Picture

Each of your online profiles needs a picture. As an entrepreneur, you should hire a photographer to take professional headshots for this. Depending on what your brand and business are about, you might make it more casual or more professional. What matters is it’s a high-quality image that followers will want to click on.

Tip #4: Post Stuff People Want to See

This is an incredibly crucial tip: post content that adds value to your target audience. You could post statuses about lots of different things, but make sure they’re related to your niche, your brand, and what your customer wants to see. Irrelevance will cause you to lose followers that could potentially have been hot leads or great connections.

Tip #5: Great Graphics

Most online platforms are visual- people will look at your picture before their read the text. You should ensure all the graphics you post are branded so that followers will know right away that the image comes from you. It also adds consistency and professionalism to your profile’s feed. Creating branded and consistent graphics takes time, but there are lots of online tools that make it easier.

Tip #6: Consistent Branding

Across every social platform, you’re on, your entrepreneur online profile branding needs to be consistent.

If you use specific colors or a logo with your personal brand, use it on every platform as well as your website. Followers should be able to switch from Facebook to Instagram and find your profile based on your specific branding.

Tip #7: Be Present

If you commit to being on a platform, be present on it. Research when your target followers most often check their feeds and try to post your content regularly around those times. The trick is not to overdo it and spam your followers, but to be active and involved in their feed.

Tip #8: Be Sociable

They’re called social media platforms for a reason! Be social with your online profile and interact with your followers. When someone comments on your post, reply to them. If someone likes a bunch of your pictures in a row, go to their page and like their content. Not only will the person you’re interacting with appreciate it, but everyone lurking will see how generous you are with your interactions and they may start following you too. Your online profile template needs to interact with other accounts to gain followers and build relationships.

Tip #9: Track Your Engagement

If you have a website, you’re likely familiar with using Google Analytics to assess your traffic and see what’s working for you. You can use the analytics of each social media platform (if you sign up as a business account) to see what content attracts engagement and what content doesn’t work. Use your analytics to curate what you post and add more value to your follower’s feeds. When people trust you because you provide value to them, they become supporters and customers.

Tip #10: Stick it Out

Personal branding online takes time. You have to be consistent for a long time to build up a following. Having a successful entrepreneur profile requires a period of trial and error to see what content works and what doesn’t. You may have to hire professionals to take your profile to the next level.

Here’s What You Shouldn’t Do

Now that you know all the insider tips, read the following 10 mistakes most beginner profiles make. Everyone makes mistakes, you can learn from these ones so your profile is successful!

• You don’t have a purpose or mission in your bio, about page, or description

• You post WAY too much about how great your brand is

• You don’t promote how great you are enough

• You STILL don’t have a website (really??)

• You post pictures that are irrelevant to your brand’s niche

• You’ve completely neglected a platform you’re on, ghosting all your followers

• You don’t go to networking events or outings IRL because you’re online all the time

• You’ve complained about past clients or customers publicly online

• You exaggerate in your stories and brag a lot (people can tell when you’re lying!)

• You post filler content that you don’t really care about just to post something

If you’ve done any of these things, don’t worry. There’s always time to reevaluate your entrepreneur profile and online presence. Refer to the 10 tips above and make your profile the best it can be.

Ready to Create Your Entrepreneur Online Profile?

You know the 10 best tips to create an awesome online profile, and the 10 mistakes you need to avoid. Now you can create an awesome profile and watch your business succeed! If you want to learn more about building your online presence as an entrepreneur, check out our blog for exclusive how-to’s and guides!