Digital Presence: Building Your Personal Brand Online

One of the most intriguing quotes that I have recently come across is - “New streets should be Twitter friendly and be named with hashtags up front. I’d build a house on? #‎LoversLane?.” -Jarod Kintz

In the 21st century, the digital space reigns supreme. And consequently, it is your digital footprint that is one of the strongest expressions of your personal brand. This is primarily because in today’s world, meeting someone in person is rarely the first point of contact or someone's first impression of you. It is common practice, before meeting face-to-face for the first time, to Google the name of the person and form an initial impression. Most children as young as two already have some kind of digital trail on social media thanks to posts by indulgent, social-media- active parents. The question no longer is ‘should I have a personal brand’ – the question now is ‘how best can I manage my personal brand’. And a lot of the ‘managing’ is best done online. That is why it is important to take control of your online presence, understand what footprint you already have, and make sure that it reflects you.

Why is online branding important?

Chances are that you already have a personal brand online – hence it is best that you control it, rather than let others define it for you.

Perception is reality - How you present yourself online will colour how you’re perceived in the “real” world.

A strong and clearly articulated personal brand sets the tone for prospective contacts and relationships – it is your first impression (the one you never get a second chance to make.)

Before going online ask yourself these questions:

What is your purpose - why are you doing it?

What do you want to say about yourself?

Who are you talking to – who is your audience?

What is your story - what value do you bring?

On the internet, a digital footprint is used to describe our journey, activities and behavior online. The information collected and recorded can be activities such as uploading video to YouTube, logging in and out of social networks, emailing and visits to a website etc. All these activities can leave personal information data that can be accessed by third parties. Here are some ways to keep your digital footprint positive:

If what you do online is positive, then your digital footprint will be. Think about what image you are communicating when you post comments, upload images or videos of yourself and your friends.

Search for yourself online. This is a great way to check whether anything negative or discomforting comes up.

Manage your privacy settings wisely.

When you stop using a website or social network, then make sure you delete your account so it’s not open to being hacked without you knowing.

Learn to use online media to your advantage:

Considering the time investment involved, be selective in choosing the right online media for you, and then complete your personal or professional profiles with your branding messages.

Making LinkedIn work for you: If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you need to open one up. LinkedIn can be used to easily get in touch and interact with professionals in your field.  As you continue to use the site, you’ll quickly build more of an online presence. You will be missing out on a great opportunity to build your personal brand if you don’t have a presence on the site.

Twitter and Facebook: Create social media accounts on some of the biggest sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and ensure that you use these only for business and job searches. It is best to keep your personal and business accounts separate while using these 2 social media sites and manage your privacy settings intelligently. Consider creating a fan page on Facebook that you can post to from your personal account yet still keep them separate. You can then link that page to your blog, your Twitter, and your LinkedIn accounts.

Blogging is an effective way to establish thought leadership online. Establish a website or blog under your full name. This will enable you to own the first result for your name in Google and other search engines. This should be a separate site than your company's website. After purchasing your domain name, add your picture, a bio, your e-mail address and links to the rest of your online presence (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter). This way, people can get in touch with you in their medium of choice.

Join brand-related communities on social media (such as LinkedIn Groups), in discussion forums, newsgroups and mailing lists. Share links and resources that you know people will enjoy.

Post questions for others to answer, post relevant comments and suggestions and make sure that you do this in a professional, polished manner.

Generate brand awareness through networking.

Networking is one of the best ways to become known in your industry. By forming relationships with people in your audience you can grow your business and your brand long-term. Networking on social media allows for wider reach and access to multiple networks without geographical or physical constraints.

Personal branding is an ongoing process and you will need to spend a fair amount of time building up your online brand presence. Practice makes one perfect and the more time you spend online, consciously building a positive, winning image, the better your digital footprint will turn out to be.

“Brand yourself positively because whoever gets to know you when passing by takes your image along!”

Israel more Ayivor, Daily Drive 365

Image Source- Google Images