You might have given a lot of thought about your business’s brand, but what about your own personal brand? Your online presence and social profiles are your own form of branding, which can create invaluable benefits for both you and your business. Essentially, it’s the process of marketing yourself and your career or business, in order to attract new opportunities. It’s all about getting people to know, like and trust you, so that they’ll eventually want to work with you or buy from you.
From networking opportunities to finding business leads and increasing your personal credibility, here’s why building and maintaining a professional online presence is a must-do…
You’re more visible
In this day and age of rapid digital transformation, if you’re not online it’s like you don’t exist. When you create an online presence, you automatically become more accessible and visible to your target audience. People can find you quickly and easily with a simple search and engage with you.
Build sustainable relationships
Ultimately, social media is all about building relationships. Developing an online presence gives you the opportunity to connect and communicate with your target audience, and create meaningful relationships.
Attract opportunities
Opening up channels for your network to contribute not only helps build your presence, but it also stimulates new ideas and potential leads. Serendipity can be a marvelous thing – you might be surprised by the opportunities that come your way by simply making yourself available to them.
Build trust and credibility
By sharing highly valuable content, nurturing your audience, and educating them through your knowledge and expertise, you can start to build trust and credibility. And the more credibility you have, the more likely people will be to invest in your services or products later on through social selling.
Tips for building your online presence
How we present ourselves online is extremely important both personally and professionally. Here are some tips on how you can build your presence in a way that will help you nurture relationships and be reciprocal to opportunities while still maintaining your personal, private life.
Be authentic
Almost every industry is a saturated niche. So, how do you become a one-of-a-kind expert that your audience didn’t know they needed? While there are plenty of other professionals out there who do what you do, no one else has your personality, values, beliefs or experiences. To build a connection with people it’s crucial to be real, honest and focus on what makes you unique and relatable.
Keep it professional
Ensure that you’re not mixing your personal life with your professional one. Make your personal social media accounts private and create a separate professional profile for your personal brand on networking sites such as LinkedIn.
Be visible
Stand out by updating your status with projects that you’re working on, interesting books you’re reading and events you’re attending. Remember, your brand is not just who you are, it’s what you do.
Schedule time for your efforts
Maintaining your online presence may be overwhelming at first, but remember that a little goes a long way! Commit to setting aside a few minutes every week to connect with relevant prospects and share pieces of thought leadership content that your network might find valuable. By staying consistent, you stay fresh and top of mind.
Use a high-quality professional photo
First impressions count, and your profile picture is one of the most important factors to consider when creating a presence and impression that you’re proud of. Hire a professional photographer or ask a loved one to take a head-and-shoulder shot against a solid background in good lighting. Remember, no selfies, sunglasses, hats or other obscuring accessories. Also, don’t forget to smile!
Last words
Building a professional online presence isn’t difficult; it simply requires dedication on your part. By consistently and authentically engaging with your network, staying fresh with relevant content and being your audience go-to person, you’ll soon be on your way to building a powerful personal brand and online presence.
Are you keen to learn more on how to develop your personal brand and online presence? Join our Meet the Masters of Social Selling webinar with Krusha Sahjwani – Director and Head of Asia at Sociabble, and Allison Meekins –Key Account Manager at Tricycle Europe. You will learn how thought leaders are implementing Social Selling and how you can embrace it too, and find out how to boost your Marketing results with Employee Advocacy. Join us on September 16 at 15:00 CET.
Book your free ticket here!
One Comment