Photo: jeffsmallwood (CC)
“Personal brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.” –Jeff Bezos
Whether you like it or not, you already have an online personal brand. Most of what you do online (and also many things you do offline) is on the world wide web–and traceable. So, in order to build up your online personal brand, the first step is to Google yourself and learn what people can find out about you. Is that the image you want the whole world to know?
If not, follow the steps to make sure you build a great personal brand:
1. Optimize your name
People will search for your name online, so it’s a good idea to have your name stand out. If you want to position yourself, it would be ideal that search engines show your profiles/websites in the first entries. This can be hard when you have a common name, specially if you share it with a famous person. Of course, you don’t want to change your name. But you can optimize it. How? First of all, google your name and see where it shows on the results list. If you don’t appear in the first entries, make different combinations using your middle name and initials, until you find one that looks unique. Use this new, optimized name everywhere –from email accounts, to social networks, blog and website.
2. Your photo is your logo.
Use the same photography in all your profiles so people can easily recognize you. You don’t need a professional photographer to take your picture, but there are some things you should have in mind when choosing your profile photo: First of all, photos of your kids, pets or similar are absolutely out of place. Furthermore, since profile pics are small, your photo should show only your head and shoulders or you’ll be unrecognizable. Extra tip: the background must be a neutral, preferably light color (but not completely white) and your clothes must reflect your personality. Don’t forget to show a broad, confident smile.
3. Be authentic.
Somebody said that you have to be yourself because everybody else is already taken. To pretend you are different than you really are or that you know more than you actually do, may help you get a job but note your flaws could show very weekly resulting in losing your job and ruining your reputation. Be authentic but not egotistical!
4. Social Media
Social media –particularly LinkedIn– is an awesome tool to meet and network with other professionals. Don’t be shy, look for interesting people and join their conversations. Besides that, social media can make it hard to separate personal and professional lives -don’t worry, you don’t need to create a wall between them. But you must be careful: there may be personal aspects of your life that you don’t want to share with your professional contacts, and viceversa.
5. Create a blog
A blog is a great place to introduce yourself and write about your professional interests. Create a nice portfolio showing your previous works and achievements. You can also invite others to write on your blog (which can also be great to attract traffic and connect with others). If you decide to open a blog, just keep this in mind: although you don’t need to post new content everyday day, you should try to update it regularly and make sure to answer comments.
6. Be proactive
The Internet is huge, no one will find you unless you go out and yell “hey, I’m here!”. There are several ways to drive attention to yourself. If your goal is to get a new job, look for the most suitable job-listing sites, apply and create a profile. Also, you could find the most interesting and popular forums about your professional niche and participate actively. Another way to advance yourself would be to follow influencers’ blogs and try to interact –but don’t self-promote, just be yourself and let your opinions and knowledge shine.
Well, this is my short list. Go and polish your personal brand now :)