3 Things You Need to Consider Before Building a Brand

“With great power comes great responsibility.”??

-Uncle Ben

Building a brand has the power and potential to further your academic career and change your life. But it can also expose you to challenges and hatred you’ve never even considered. So before taking the plunge and diving headfirst into a brand-building strategy, there are three things I think every academic should consider. They are:

1. The more followers you have, the more criticism you receive.?
2. If you can’t appreciate 1 follower, you don’t deserve 1,000s.
3. When people follow you, they trust you. And they act on that trust.?

Let’s go through each of these points and consider whether or not building a brand is the right move for you.?

1. The more followers you have, the more criticism you receive.?

Having more social media followers can feel like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can bring validation, affirmation, and recognition to your brand. But it can also lead to increased scrutiny and criticism. So ask yourself:

Do you believe, in your heart, that your need to positively impact people’s lives is?greater?than?your fear of public criticism??

If you answer yes, then your brand-building journey will require leaving your comfort zone and navigating the hatred that comes with building a large online presence.

In my journey, I’ve received hand-written hate mail and wishes that maggots would crawl from my eyes. Online hate is abundant and unavoidable, so it’s important to be mentally prepared for any backlash you may face and remember that the potential for a positive impact can be worth the negative exposure for some people.

2. If you can’t appreciate 1 follower, you don’t deserve 1,000s.??

Building an engaged audience takes more effort than people often realize. Even having just a few followers who actively engage with your content can be incredibly beneficial to the growth of an account. So rather than constantly chasing after new people, take some time to focus on the few that you have and show appreciation for their support. By doing this, you’ll give them reasons to stick around and even tell others about your content. It may not seem like much, but it’s a great start at creating a loyal fan base, which will ultimately bring you long-term success.

Creating and managing a large social media presence also takes a ton of work. While it might not be difficult to launch an account, it takes a significant amount of time and effort to master skills like strategic messaging, photo editing, content research, audience targeting, and analytics tracking. It’s only over time that you’ll build up the skills you need to manage the thousands of followers you hope to have. Appreciate your small beginnings, and give your initial followers the recognition, attention, and love they deserve.

3. When people follow you, they trust you. And they act on that trust.

Being an influencer on social media means more than just growing your follower base. It also involves cultivating relationships with these followers, who can come to rely on the advice you post and promote. As a result, and contrary to what you might see in the news, having a following requires a strong moral character.?

Establishing yourself as an online authority requires much more than just expertise, it relies heavily on trust between you and your audience. As you develop trust with your following, people are more likely to listen to and believe in whatever message you share. Are your intentions to support the community and followers you’ve gathered? Or are your intentions driven by self-interest? Answering this before you put in the many hours to build a brand will help make sure you’re starting on the right foot and for the right reasons.

Final Thoughts

Overall, building a brand is a lot of hard work. But if it’s done correctly, it can be incredibly rewarding. It’s important to remember that the more social media followers you have, the more criticism you may receive. But don’t let that deter you from your mission. Hundreds and hopefully thousands of followers are out there waiting to find the support and help you have to offer.?

Building your brand requires mastery of certain skills, and those skills won’t come overnight. So don’t get discouraged when your accounts don’t blow up or your videos aren’t going viral. Consistency and dedication will bring the right people to you.

And finally, treasure the trust people give you. Your followers’ trust is valuable. It’s up to you yo make sure that any strategies or methods you use will build trust between you and your fans in the long term!