With ads, it’s how many people saw your ad in their feed.

Reach is different from Impressions, though — yet many of us seem to treat them like they’re the same.

For example, a Facebook ad may have achieved 12,009 impressions but only reached 7,226. Does this then mean that 7,226 people saw the ad?

Not necessarily.

Think about how you use social media feeds.

You could be on Facebook scrolling through posts from friends, family, ads and businesses. How many of them do you notice? And how does Facebook measure that?

Algorithms can, hypothetically, notice a slowdown of the scrolling that indicates that a specific post is being looked at. But is this necessarily what is being reported?

We don’t know. And we’re not likely to know.

What we do know is that Reach metrics on all social platforms (not just Facebook) is a black box of measurements that we have no visibility of.

We see a number and have to trust that it’s true.

Video views on social media aren’t what you think they are

There’s a very good reason why your video views are so much higher on TikTok than anywhere else. And it’s not just because so many people watch so many videos on TikTok.

Every platform has its way of counting video views. So here’s a quick guide to how each social network measures your video views so that you can decide for yourself if shifting all your focus to one platform is really just creating yourself a house of cards.

The short answer is no. The long answer is “maybe a little.”

Personal Brand is an incredibly personal topic. After all, you’re choosing how you plan to project yourself to the world, personally and professionally.

And while I wouldn’t say I like the idea of someone basing their personal brand off someone else’s, there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by how someone else has built theirs.

After all, I have lifted a lot of inspiration from Justin Welsh and bits and pieces from several other women and men who express themselves in a way that I resonate with.

There is a danger of losing yourself in someone else’s narrative.

• When you don’t define your values, you inherit theirs
• When you don’t refine your voice, you mimic theirs
• When you don’t have a goal in mind, you may end up copying theirs

Let’s drill down on those dangers a little more.

Having a strong personal brand is the most crucial career asset you can have, and like most assets, investing in it is essential to continue providing value for you. Many professionals who are serious about their careers are feeling a significant amount of pressure; building their brands seems burdensome to them. It’s even more hassle for small business owners and solopreneurs who have been flat out all year just getting the work done.

Many leaders and their team contributors are feeling stressed globally. According to Gallup, up to 35% of people in organisations are experiencing burnout, with managers ranking at the highest end. Right up there with small business owners. Adding another item to your To-do list seems just enough to send you over the edge.

But personal branding is not the same as working hard.

Achieving a personal brand goal is a celebration of your individuality and the value you provide when you bring your best self to work or your business every day.

The article that launched the personal branding movement was published 25 years ago this year in Fast Company magazine, so it’s no longer a new concept. But why am I pushing for you to address your personal brand shortfalls before the end of 2022?

You’ve just had your ads rejected by Facebook. They don’t give you much of a reason why. Just that you have probably violated their ads policies or community standards or something like that.

What’s next? We’re going to take a look at three main reasons why ads get rejected:

1. There’s something outside of your ads that is causing an issue
2. There’s something you didn’t know was restricted
3. It’s too easy for an algorithm to get confused about what you’re advertising

Let’s drill down a bit.

‍Today’s digital landscape is packed with opportunities, both for business and personal brands. A strong personal brand will help you stand out in a competitive market and expand your network. Personal branding can also be an effective strategy to get a job or accelerate your career. If you want to build a successful career, grow your business or just be a more interesting human being, building your own brand is the way forward. Here are five reasons to know why personal branding works so well for business.

You know that old saying: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying?” Well, it rings true for businesses today. In order to compete, you need to be thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas and creative solutions to keep up with your competitors. One way to do this is by optimising your website as a source of information and value for your target audience. Think about how many websites you visit in a given week. Probably more than you think, right? It stands to reason that these sites have been optimised for user experience. If they haven’t, they probably won’t get much traffic or views. It helps if you can leverage the tools that are out there to make sure your site is up-to-date and super user-friendly.

Email is still one of the most effective ways to market your business. But it’s also a channel that can feel saturated and cluttered. If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing strategy, asking yourself if email marketing is still relevant in 2022 might help you think about how you can leverage this tool more effectively. After all, there’s a reason so many companies use email as an outreach tool. It works!