Whether you are a thirteen year old newly able to open your
own Facebook account or a fifty year old updating their LinkedIn account.
Everyone has their own personal brand, you start building it in school. Assignments,
playground interactions, and other activities from those days follows you. With
the advent of social media, your personal brand is now broadcast to the world.
Or whoever you select in the privacy controls most social media sights have. Hence it’s never been as important as it is now
to be aware of what you post, as well as what is posted about you. It is also extremely important to network. In
today’s economy sometimes whether you get the job is not what you know, but who
you know. Having a connection can make a world of difference.
Most of us use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Pinterest and similar
social sites as a way to connect with friends, family, play some games, or post
pictures of recipes, dream houses and such.
It’s a way to pass time, or a time waster depending on how you look at
it. But it does not have to be, using
social media can help you gain employments, clients, even contacts.
What exactly is social media? According to Merriam-Webster’s
definition social media is “forms of electronic communication
(as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users
create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and
other content (as videos)” The first known use of social media according to the
definition is 2004. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media)
This encompasses blogs, Youtube, Reddit, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and
Pinterest just to name a few. These online communities are growing, and can
bring you, your company, a plethora of consumers or contacts- if you know how
to use it correctly.
So you decided to delve into the sometimes
abusive, sometimes confusing, and mostly over sharing world of social
media. If you are planning on using social media, getting started can be a
daunting task, but if you have a plan
and follow it, the process should be fairly simple, and can bring a big change
in your personal brand.
In an excellent article by Tim Huebsch , “
Building a Social Media Presence” that was featured in the MinnPost in March of
2012, Mr. Huebsch outlines steps to start.
The first task he recommends is to outline
your time commitment and the outcomes you desired. This includes defining your
target audience and the information you wish to share with them. From there
figure out who you want to connect to, and invite them. Then establish a
baseline for the frequencyin which you will post or update your pages, blog, or
board. Decide when you will check and resond to messages or comments that you
may receive.
From there you create your online
presence. He offers the following tips for creation.
o
Consistency is key. In
name especially. These key terms will allow users to find you one. You can use
you actual name, a phrase or nickname that establishes your personal brand. Pick
one name and use it consistently across the board.
o
Your image needs to be
consistent as well. Your avatar image should also be used across the
board. While on the subject of your
avatar- chose an image that will stand out. Make It something that is both
professional yet memorable. Your avatar could be a headshot, design, or a bio
illustration.
o
Purchase you domain
name if it is available. Your URL is a great place to build your website,
establish an email that always remains the same no matter how many times you
change jobs. Remember consistency is key. If
having a website is not something you can do, purchase the domain name, it
prevents others from doing so and using it negatively.
Maximize and Minimize!
The article goes on to some various tips
to help make the most of your social media efforts in a small period of
time. Maximize your shared information
while minimizing the time it take you to keep connected.
Facebook-
Spend ten to fifteen minutes going through your news feed at the end of every
day. Look at what others are talking about, a recap of the day, this helps you
keep your finger on the pulse of the community. Review events to see which you
would like to attend. Expand your horizons in this area, if focus to much on
one area, you may miss the opportunity of a lifetime in another area.
LinkedIn-Once
a day look over the profile updates.
Build relationships and build them strong. Send notes of congratulations
to contacts with new jobs, or promotions.
Post professional posts centered around your specific goals.
Twitter-
Use Twitter to gain contacts’ interest to specific time sensitive information
and special events. Check Twitter once a day unless you are in the middle of a
promotion, watching trends, or for information on other events.
When posting, on any site, remember to be
professional. The computer screen is the world’s window to view you
through. It always astonishes me when
someone is looking for a job and posts updates about their baby mama drama, or
a profanity laced post about some little infraction they experienced during the
course of their day, or tasteless jokes. The companies you are applying to, or
the customers you hope to obtain may not see that, but others do. You just
never know the connections other people have, so it’s important to keep that in
mind. My rule of thumb if it’s not something you would say to your boss, your
grandma, or kids keep it private.
Make your posts light and engaging. One recent post I did
for an idea for wedding, incorporated lyrics to “Going to The Chapel” in it.
That post was shared three times more than my average post. Make people want to be a part of your page,
make it fun and entertaining. Think outside
of the normal box.
Aim big, than narrow your post or if you choose your
advertisements, to those who will be interested. Use Facebook to your advantage
here, all that stuff each user fills out is all the data a market research
could ever dream of. When Building an ad on Facebook, it uses that demographic
information we all submit to help you build your business or at least market
it.
Be honest with what you post, and how you post it. Honesty
is still always the best policy. Posting something dishonest or deceiving can
be potentially harmful to your customers, contacts, and yourself. Also
dishonesty always comes back to bite you in the end.
Social Media is a great powerful tool. It can be a huge help
if used correctly. By following the tips above you can build a successful
personal brand and spend minimal time maintaining it. Social media opens up
doors to contacts and connections you may never have had without it. It is this
updated version of the work place cocktail party. As with those networking
events, use social media wisely.
References:
Kirsner, S. (2011, Sep 11). Social media can lead way to
your next gig. Boston Globe. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/888275173?accountid=41205
Huebsch, T. (2012, Mar 06). Building a social media
presence. MinnPost.Com. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/963694166?accountid=41205
Luxenberg, S. (2011, Feb 06). A target audience of
134,052,520. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/849372893?accountid=41205
