How to create your "digital business card" on social media?

· Social media has become an extension and amplifier of brands. This article will explore how entrepreneurs can build and make good use of their personal social media to create more opportunities.

· There are three core principles for social media image display: memorability, compatibility, and authenticity. Displaying a clear personal positioning according to these principles can help opportunities find you quickly.

· Entrepreneurs can allocate their posted content on social platforms according to the 5:3:2 structure, and build their social media image from three dimensions: professional authority, real and three - dimensional, and sense of responsibility.

· The user attributes and functional positioning of different platforms vary greatly. Entrepreneurs need to select 1 - 3 core platforms to focus on based on their own business types and core goals. At the same time, they also need to master the communication skills with different audiences on different platforms to unlock potential cooperation opportunities.

· There are three high - frequency pitfalls in social media management: excessive marketing, inconsistency between words and deeds, and loss of emotional control.

Sequoia Capital once shared an article about dressing, providing a reference for entrepreneurs' image management. In that article, we discussed how entrepreneurs can convey professionalism and trust through their clothing. In the digital age, our image is also read and defined on glowing screens - personal social media has become an ever - updated "digital business card" for entrepreneurs.

If dressing management is about others' first - impression judgment of you, then the management of your image on social media determines whether they will have in - depth subsequent connections with you. Here, every piece of your thinking, every record of your breakthrough, and even the occasional confusion you show are all subtly enriching others' impressions of you.

Regarding social media as an extension and amplifier of personal brands is no longer an option but an essential entrepreneurial quality. For entrepreneurs who aspire to expand their business territory and connect with more cooperation possibilities through personal social media, this article has compiled a guide on shaping social media images, hoping to bring some help to you who are on the entrepreneurial journey.

Image Display: Clearly State Who You Are in One Sentence

There is an overload of information on social media, and others' first - glance attention is extremely precious. A clear personal positioning can help opportunities find you quickly. The following three core principles are the compasses to avoid a vague image and inefficient investment, and can help you achieve the most accurate value transmission with the least effort.

Memorability: Focus on Traits and Extract Professional Labels

This is the cornerstone of your identity. Avoid generally calling yourself an "entrepreneur" or trying to build a "jack - of - all - trades" slash entrepreneur image. Instead, extract 1 - 2 of your most core traits and turn them into personal labels. It can be professional ability or value proposition. As long as it enables the target audience to quickly capture and remember you in the information flood, it is a success.

Formula: Specific field + Your role/expertise.

For example:

· A brand founder focusing on healthy snacks for Generation Z.

· A practitioner enabling traditional manufacturing with AI.

· A service provider helping small businesses save costs.

Compatibility: Match Your Image with Your Business Track

Your personal image must be deeply bound to your entrepreneurial field and brand positioning, forming a conditioned reflex of "thinking of your business when seeing you", which is the key to reducing users' cognitive costs.

Having a sense of contrast is good as it can deepen others' impression of you, but you also need to understand the principle of "too much is as bad as too little". If technology entrepreneurs overly display entertainment - oriented content, it will dilute their professionalism; if literary and artistic entrepreneurs pile up data throughout their posts, they will lose their core aesthetic traits. Just like a serious science - popularization account suddenly starts reposting low - quality funny videos, you will probably wonder if the account has been stolen.

Finding the right expression direction that matches your field can make your personal image the most vivid extension symbol of your brand. For example, entrepreneurs in the artificial intelligence field can focus on sharing the difficulties of technology implementation and interpreting industry policies; entrepreneurs in the Chinese - style clothing industry can focus on restoring traditional craftsmanship and sharing the concept of dressing aesthetics, making their personal image an extension symbol of the brand.

Authenticity: More Penetrating Than a Perfect Persona

Trust is the foundation of all business relationships, and a perfect persona is actually an invisible barrier to trust. Users and investors are more willing to connect with "warm and perceptible" entrepreneurs rather than chasing an unreachable image benchmark.

Therefore, there is no need to hide the small setbacks on your entrepreneurial journey, such as the review of a failed new product test, nor to avoid the confusion in industry exploration, such as the thinking in the face of market changes. These authentic expressions can break the sense of distance and let the audience see your vivid side. Compared with industry experts who never make mistakes, practitioners who grow through trial - and - error are more likely to gain others' emotional recognition and cooperation trust.

Content Allocation: The 5:3:2 Rule

Entrepreneurs' social media image needs to maintain a balance between value and intimacy, with both stable output of core values and consideration of emotional connection and long - term trust. It is recommended to allocate the posted content according to the 5:3:2 structure and build the social media image from three dimensions: professional authority, real and three - dimensional, and sense of responsibility.

Professional Authority: Provide the Fundamental Value for "Daring to Cooperate"

This is the core pillar of the image. The reason for its highest proportion is that only by continuously outputting professional value can you attract attention and cooperation intentions based on rational judgment, and make the labels of reliability and cooperativeness deeply rooted in people's hearts.

· Content Focus: This part of the content is your hard currency on social media, aiming to prove your industry insight and execution ability. It is recommended to focus on displaying in - depth industry insights, reusable practical methodologies, and high - quality reviews of pitfalls. It tells followers that you are worthy of being taken seriously.

· Presentation Form: Mainly short pictures and texts (extracting core ideas in a few hundred words), case analyses (a three - part structure of "problem - solution - result"), and data charts (such as industry growth rate comparison charts and cost - optimization line charts), which are suitable for the short - and - fast reading habits of most social media.

· Key Skills: Each piece of content must have a clear conclusion, either giving suggestions on what to do or warning about what pitfalls to avoid. You need to create fixed series to strengthen your labels, such as "one industry observation article per month" or "one practical skill per week", so that the audience can form the expectation of "learning practical knowledge from your content".

· Posting Frequency: As the main content, it needs to maintain a stable output to ensure the continuity of the professional image.

Real and Three - Dimensional: Build an Emotional Bridge for "Willing to Get Closer"

Professional authority determines "whether others will notice you", while a real and three - dimensional image determines "whether others will like you". This part of the content injects warmth and soul into your professional image, making others not only respect you but also want to understand and support you. It is the adhesive for building in - depth relationships.

· Content Focus: It revolves around your work and life. In your entrepreneurial daily life, you can shoot the moments of team discussions on plans and the details of product polishing. In terms of your personal state, you can share your insights from learning new skills and your thoughts on restarting after setbacks. For your hobbies, you can show activities such as running and calligraphy that can reflect perseverance, and avoid content that is out of tune with your entrepreneurial tone.

Sense of Responsibility: Prove the Steady Foundation of "Believing in the Long - Term"

This part does not require high - frequency posting, but each appearance should carry weight, directly addressing the core demands of users, employees, and partners for long - termism and value alignment.

· Content Focus: It is divided into "internal responsibility" and "external responsibility". Internally, you can share team growth stories and employee care measures; externally, you can publish customer service cases, small public welfare actions, and industry contributions.

· Presentation Form: Mainly documentary pictures, customer/team testimonials or thank - you letters, and long project - summary articles, using real details instead of flowery words.

· Key Skills: Refuse to shout empty slogans and support your statements with specific cases. For example, instead of saying "we value customers", you can detail how you solved customers' product - use problems through on - site communication. Instead of saying "we have a sense of social responsibility", you can record the whole process of donating books to children in mountainous areas. Every piece of content should make the audience feel that you are really doing something rather than just talking. Most importantly, there should be no traces of posing in pictures and videos.

· Posting Frequency: It doesn't need to be high - frequency, but the content needs to be solid, making each output a plus for trust.

Choose the Right Platform and Learn to Communicate

Match Platforms According to Your Needs and Avoid Blind Layout

There are so many social media platforms, and choosing the right ones is very important. The user attributes and functional positioning of different platforms vary greatly. Entrepreneurs need to select 1 - 3 core platforms to focus on based on their own business types (B - to - B/B - to - C) and core goals (customer acquisition/financing/brand building), avoiding the dispersion of energy.

Master Interaction Skills and Activate Users at Low Cost

Entrepreneurs' interactions on social platforms don't need to pursue high - frequency investment. The key is to make every follower truly feel that you are seriously treating every communication with them. This kind of attentiveness can turn strangers' attention into trust and then unlock potential cooperation opportunities.

· Identify High - Intention Objects: Pay attention to users who often interact with you repeatedly and note down their needs.

· In - Depth Private - Domain Connection: Occasionally, you can take the initiative to send them private messages for communication, such as "I've sorted out some targeted suggestions for the question you asked before".

Avoid These Pitfalls!

Building a social media image is a process of building up step by step. Sometimes, a small mistake can damage the reputation you've built up over a long time. The following are three high - frequency pitfalls in social media management that entrepreneurs need to be vigilant about at all times.

Pitfall One: Excessive Marketing

· Typical Performance: Every piece of content directly promotes product information, repeatedly floods the screen, and even maliciously implants advertisements in others' comment sections, completely regarding social media as a sales channel.

· Harm: It consumes the audience's trust, turning the entrepreneur's image into that of a salesman. Not only will you be blocked by a large number of people, but you will also lose the attention of potential cooperation partners.

· Avoidance Method: Adhere to the principle of content priority. Product implantation should be subtle, replacing hard - selling advertisements with successful cases. At the same time, control the proportion of marketing content, and it is recommended not to exceed 10% of the total content.

Pitfall Two: Inconsistency between Words and Deeds

· Typical Performance: Creating a down - to - earth and approachable persona online, but being bossy to employees and shirking responsibilities offline; claiming to put customers first online, but perfunctorily handling complaints offline; even exaggerating the team's strength and fabricating project data to create a false prosperity.

· Harm: The connection property of social media makes the spread of a collapsed persona extremely fast. Once exposed, you will not only lose current cooperation but also damage your industry reputation, completely cutting off long - term opportunities.

· Avoidance Method: Don't deliberately create an image beyond your own ability or values. Your entrepreneurial image can have flaws but must be real. For example, admitting that you lack team - management experience and are learning to optimize is more likely to gain understanding than pretending to be a perfect manager.

Pitfall Three: Loss of Emotional Control

· Typical Performance: Arguing with others in the comment section, posting complaining remarks due to industry changes, venting negative emotions due to personal life setbacks, and even expressing controversial views such as regional discrimination and gender opposition.

· Harm: It exposes your lack of vision, making potential investors and partners question your emotional management ability. Controversial remarks may also trigger discussions about values, causing the audience to lose their good impression of you and your company.

· Avoidance Method: Establish an emotional buffer mechanism. Calm down for 10 minutes before expressing your views to avoid impulsive expressions. You can pour out your personal negative emotions in a small private - domain circle, not occupying public - domain image resources.

It should be noted that the essence of avoiding pitfalls is not to "pretend" to have a perfect persona, but for entrepreneurs to keep the bottom line of their social media remarks. Only by not consuming trust, not going against your heart, and not spreading negativity can your social media image become a long - term plus on your entrepreneurial journey.

An entrepreneur's social media image is not about "performing" but "precipitating". There's no need to envy those entrepreneurial IPs that suddenly become popular on social platforms overnight, because the image that can truly bring high - quality opportunities always grows in the soil of persistence and sincerity. Respond to needs with professionalism, convey warmth with authenticity, and win trust with responsibility. Those cooperation opportunities, resources, and chances you're looking forward to will naturally come to you at the right time.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Sequoia Capital" (ID: Sequoiacap), author: Hong Shan, published by 36Kr with authorization.