Building your brand on social media can be intimidating, especially if you’re attempting to stand out in the viral landscape.

While becoming a content creator has advantages, it can be difficult to monetize — especially with the controversies surrounding Facebook and the YouTube monetization program.

Emerging blockchain technology will give creators the opportunity to communicate directly with advertisers, fans, and sponsors — yet, additional outlets for new content won’t be beneficial if you are not using social media in the most efficient way possible.

When I first began using social media to build my brand and advance my professional career, I was blown away by the number of individuals you can reach and how consistently carrying yourself with professional eventually leads to connecting with credible individuals.

However, there are several key aspects to follow if you’re going to effectively use social media to its maximum potential.

Avoid Shouting Matches

This is especially relevant on platforms where belligerent behavior is rewarded by some. Yet, if your goal is to build a credible and professional brand — it’s important to stay away from trolls who are looking for a specific reaction. While building your brand requires interaction with customers and/or fans, far too many independent content creators, journalists, and small businesses ignore their supporters in favor of arguing with detractors.

Show Some Personality

Brands like Wendy’s have used social media in creative ways in order to improve their online presence. While talking about wrestling or freestyling on social media may not fit your style, it does offer insight on how to help your brand shine. Developing your brand persona will allow you to comment on viral content which will increase your social media presence and expand your reach in a short period of time.

Know Where To Focus

Despite popular belief, every social media platform has different demographics. Post-millennials are far more active on Instagram and Snap Chat than any other outlet. Generation X is mostly active on Facebook, while Twitter seems to attract a sizeable fraction from each generation. If your core audience is the youngest generation, your brand should focus on building up a presence on Instagram and SnapChat while using YouTube, Verasity, and other video platforms to supplement your content. While it’s beneficial to have a presence on every platform, knowing where to focus your efforts result in greater returns.

Know Your Audience

The best aspect of social media is that there is a corner for everyone. If your brand encourages in-depth discussion, Reddit is a platform which could be utilized. Brands built on visual images may see a benefit from using Instagram. However, it’s also vital to your social media strategy to know what your audience doesn’t respond to. For example, if you are an emerging gaming company it wouldn’t be in your best interest to share articles which feature unfair attacks on gamers. Getting advanced data on your audience’s interests may take analytics — which could be gathered through basic surveys or poll questions.

Be Genuine

Being genuine is absolutely necessary for any brand producing video content; especially, if your audience is comprised of millennials and post-millennials. Enjoying what you do and producing solid content will help you increase your fan base and establish credibility, resulting in the organic growth of your brand.