I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but in today’s digital era building your personal brand is important. People see it, people group chat about it, and organizations take it into consideration while hiring – Tyler, for example, was hired by OEG after an interview process that included two phone interviews but was assured that through extensive social media research (creeping), they knew exactly what type of brand they were hiring.
Essentially, your personal brand is who you are. It’s marketing you and your career as its own self-packaged brand. And here is the thing, every post or like on twitter or instagram, that’s all part of your personal brand.
And because every click is so important, you should consider the following ways you can build your personal brand:
Know your brand – First things first, understanding your brand is the foundation for building that brand. What do you need your brand for? What do you need it to look like? Maybe your brand is funny or edgy, maybe it’s conservative or maybe it toes the line. Take time to consider what your brand is because when you have a strong foundation, it will act as a guide and will answer any questions about what you should/shouldn’t be doing.
Start with your social media, make it a positive reflection of you – Although your online presence doesn’t start and end with social media, it’s a good place to start. It’s important your brand, including social media use, is aligned with your career aspirations – if your brand intends to work for a sports team, partaking in social media activity that is negative regarding a certain team can hurt you. This includes liking tweets, comments or photos. If your brand is a professional one over a fan, be aware of the difference. Be conscious of what your social media says about you.
Google yourself & improve your SEO – Unless you have a unique name like Sara Campbell for example, your name won’t always be the one that shows up near the top of searches – so to help improve your personal brand it’s good to focus on your SEO. I did lie when I said my name was unique, I had to really focus on mine to even be visible in google searches. Writing is a fantastic way to do so – whether it’s creating a website or using LinkedIn as a place to publish articles, just get writing. There is no fast recipe to improve your SEO, but if you focus on putting in the work then over time you’ll notice a difference.
Remember, you are what you like – I mean this in the most literal of senses. With the way newsfeed algorithms are generated, everyone sees everything that you like. We’ve seen athletes take heat over the comments they have liked on social media as it was taken as a notion that they are in support of its message. Be aware of what you like and make sure it is in line with your brand.
Happy personal branding!
Sara
