Happy New Year and a warm welcome to any new readers. With the aim of being more productive in 2015, I started by reviewing what I’d done in the previous 12 months and made a list of goals for the coming months. Having a plan is important, it helps you focus on progressing your career or another project. Over the last two years, with the help of this blog and social media interaction (primarily on Twitter), I’ve started building a personal brand. In this article I’ll talk about the importance of developing your online presence, some of the key benefits and my tips on how to grow and improve. A strong brand can help you get a new job, secure funding, start a business or attract investment. I think it’s something worth spending time to nurture, develop and build.
What do I mean when I use the term personal brand? Historically, branding is something that has usually applied to a company or organisation, however in today’s digital world we all generate an online footprint. What people can find with a simple Internet search tells a story about you, whether you like it or not. Making sure there is a consistent and positive message is your brand and your responsibility. How you portray yourself online, the themes you develop and opinions you represent are potentially available to anyone, so having a strategy and planning is of critical importance.
What do you want people to think of when they see your name? Credible, trustworthy, reliable or a subject matter expert. These are several examples of positive character traits most of us would like. If this is the case then you will need to ensure that you display these qualities at all times. Sharing evidence of your expertise that is backed up with industry knowledge and experience is highly significant. Think about a common message and be sure to focus on content which is relevant. It’s also important to be honest, if you don’t know about something it is best not to try and fake it.
Once you have a clear idea of the brand you are going to present, how should you go about it? I have found that blogging (on this site) is very helpful, sharing regular insights and views is a good way to start. Not everyone is a writer, so perhaps using social media such as Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram will yield better results. Your choices of network may be influenced by the audience you hope to reach, if you’re a professional photographer for example, then sharing your work on Instagram might be best.
Over the last two years I have built up a significant following on Twitter (76,000 followers and counting). The following 5 tips have helped me reach such a large audience:
- Don’t steal – if you are going to share someone else’s tweet or content be sure to credit them.
- Engage your audience – welcoming new followers, thanking people for re-tweets and following back is appealing and polite.
- Don’t SPAM – keep your updates relevant and don’t be tempted to Tweet too often unless it’s appropriate (20 Tweets per day on a regular basis is probably too much).
- Be regular – to build up a following you should get into a routine, I spend about 20 – 30 mins per day.
- Be patient and persistent – building a brand takes time and effort but don’t give up you will get there!
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