In today’s hectic digital lifestyle, everyone has a personal brand that defines who we are, what we do professionally, our personal lives, and the message that we project online. Whether you like it or not, personal branding plays a huge role in today’s online market. We are now forced to think about our own network of friends and how we communicate and engage with them. In reality, it basically comes down to providing value and meeting needs.
Many people still believes that personal branding is just about keeping your Facebook social media profile up to date and having a professional LinkedIn profile. Even though these are very good starting points, they miss the overall point with branding yourself. Personal branding is all about problem solving and differentiation. What unique background skills do you have? How can you leverage your experience and knowledge to answer questions or meet a real need?
A big problem for most of us is that it isn’t easy to assess our own personal brand objectively and in the light of the audience we are trying to reach. Our personal message can be quite different from the message our audience receives. It is really not about what you say, it’s about what people hear.
Consistent and clear messages with personal branding
It is important that you are sending consistent and clear messages with your personal brand online that brings in real value to your targeted audience. With assessing your personal brand you will get an honest look at what your own personal branding is saying about you. This will help you make adjustments to your message and provide ways on how you can strengthen it.
The days are gone where a simple cover letter and CV were all that you needed to get your dream job. Today, you have to use social media, traditional media, and a couple of other related digital marketing techniques to get the message across about your unique skills and experience.
The benefits of a personal branding strategy are numerous. With a personal branding strategy you will know exactly what skills makes you unique, who the target market is that you want to share your message with, and what value you can provide your audience that’s relevant and compelling.
Online reputation management and personal branding
Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you’re on Candid Camera, because you are. Seth Godin – Personal branding in the age of Google
Did you know that your online reputation and personal brand can be broken or made in 140 characters or less? Do you know what people are saying about you online? Did you know that discussions about your personal brand can be done online without your participation?
Personal branding together with online reputation management consists of various social media, digital marketing, PR, and traditional marketing methods to get results. If you proactively manage your personal branding online, you can protect your reputation, and at the same time, make sure your message gets seen by the right people.