SAN DIEGO – , the first question to ask yourself is why.
“Why are you doing this, and why does it matter?” she asked attendees at the annual Masters of Aesthetics Symposium. “If you know why, then you can answer a lot of questions.”
Dr. Day of the department of dermatology at New York University, said there are at least four quadrants of personal branding. The first is personal (who you are, where you live, family, hobbies, interests, education), and the second is professional (where you work, training, important skills and experience, and what sets you apart). The last two are thought leadership and legacy, “which is not your image,” she said. “It’s what you do for others; it’s the teaching you do from day to day.”
She noted that 74% of people look to social media networks for advice on buying decisions, and 40% of people purchased an item based on seeing it promoted by an influencer via Instagram or Twitter. This extends to aesthetics as well. “We need to become the influencers,” Dr. Day said. However, social media “is not all always about you; it’s the message, so knowing your medium is important. Each medium has its own velocity, its own type of follower, its own best practice to attract the best amount of viewers. Consistency is important. You have to reach your target generation.”
According to Dr. Day, Millennials (those aged 20-35 years) spend an average of 8 hours per day online; 70% use Facebook, 63% use YouTube, and 43% want brands to reach them via e-mail. “They’re a little more concerned about their financial future than other generations,” she said. Meanwhile, 76% of the demographic Generation X (those aged 36-49) access some form of social media. They have an annual buying power of $200 million, and 68% make decisions based on reviews like those on Yelp. “Reviews matter,” she said. “It’s only the people who are unhappy with you who are happy to go out and talk about it. People who are happy with you are going to need more encouragement to write a review.” On average, baby boomers (those aged 50-65 years) spend 27 hours per week online, and nearly 16% spend at least 11 hours on Facebook. Nearly half (48%) rely on credit cards for their purchases, and 13% use LinkedIn.
Achieving success in social media takes patience, perseverance, and authenticity. “The more you do, the easier it gets,” said Dr. Day, who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU. “I have a group of people who tend to like my posts consistently, comment consistently, share consistently, and I respond consistently. That’s how you build relationships. When somebody posts, respond.”
Video content is being consumed online more than ever before, but Dr. Day emphasized that such visual content should “have a purpose and be directed to your specific audience – not just making video for the sake of it.” She recommends being selective when choosing your content, and where you post it. “Don’t stretch your brand over multiple [social media] channels if your team can’t support it.” If you thrive in a multichannel environment, BuzzBundle integrates Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, blogs, forums, and Q&A sites for posting with a purpose and a converged strategy across all sites.
“As with any smart strategy, make sure you are tracking your progress,” she said, suggesting AddThis analytics as one way to track how, where, and by whom your content is being shared.
Dr. Day reported having no relevant financial disclosures.