If you’ve ever “Googled” yourself, it’s safe to assume at least one other person has probably typed your name in the box and hit search, too. If you haven’t, I invite you to take a second to try it for yourself. As a society, we depend on search engines and social media to give us answers to questions we have — especially, if it’s about other people.
It probably takes Google less than half a second to pull up over a hundred thousand results. Who does Google say you are? For some of us, it may be flattering, but for others, it may be a reality check. If you don’t like what you see, today is the day to do something about it. So, what does it mean to have a personal brand?
Forbes has a great definition: “Branding yourself means making yourself visible, and communicating via all avenues your personal value and what your stand for, with total clarity and consistency. It’s especially important to highlight your uniqueness in some easy-to-remember way, so people will think of you and what you do in case they need your product or service.”
“Your product or service?” — Huh?
Although you aren’t a business, you should try to get in the mentality that you are. You are a future employee (product) of the company you’ve been busting your butt in school to impress. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur and want to promote your own business. Your skills and assets (service) are what you have to offer or provide. Regardless of which one you identify with, personal branding helps potential employers, readers, listeners, or anyone else you are trying to reach realize that what you have to offer is unique. Use branding to show them they have just found themselves a gem.
So how do you get started with your personal brand and revise Google’s search results of who you are?
1. Ask yourself: What is my brand?
Take a moment to think about what it is you are passionate about. What goals are you trying to achieve through personal branding? What are people going to interpret based on what you post or publish, and more importantly why will people care about what you have to say? People will perceive the type of person you are based off of your self-impression.
2. Make yourself visible.
- Start a blog — this is only a suggestion, but it’s a great way to start posting content that people can easily find. The more you post, the more people will find when they search your name online.
- Create a website — you can make a resume website to organize and showcase all of your work. Check out WordPress or Weebly; both are free website builders!
- Create a YouTube channel — showcase your talent by posting videos on sites like YouTube or Vimeo. You never know who will come across it and watch.
3. Use social media wisely.
Use social media to promote your work, and make sure it redirects back to your website or blog. For example, if you’re a photographer and want to show how awesome your pictures are, make sure you include a link on your tweet or Facebook post that takes a viewer back to your website where they can find the rest of your work.
4. Be consistent.
Have a consistent username for all social media outlets. You want people to get used to seeing your name out there, and it’s helpful if you make it as easy as possible for them to remember you. This also goes for hash tags — try to set a trend with something for people to associate you with. Also, make sure you are consistent with your posts. If you start a blog dedicated to food make sure your posts are relevant to that topic.
5. Think before you post.
You never know who is going to read or view what you post online. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable if anyone saw your post, chances are you shouldn’t post it in the first place.
6. Be perpetual.
Once you create an account on Twitter, Vimeo, or any other social media outlet, you have to post consistently. This also applies to uploading new content on your website or blog. If your schedule only allows you to post new content every couple weeks, it’s okay. Just pick a day out of the week, and be sure to have your content posted by then. If people like what they see, they will check for new content on a regular basis.
7. Protect your brand like you’re Coca-Cola
Actually, protect yourself even more than Coca-Cola. One bad move, and it can be over for you. You don’t have PR folks who can fix your image. You have to be accountable for your own actions. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let your personality shine through, though. Definitely be cautious about what you post; it can come back and haunt you.
That was a lot to think about, I know. But I hope that it helps get you started! I encourage you to browse through your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media outlet you use and think about what you’ve posted in the last couple weeks. If you were Google, what type of search results would you display to tell others who you are?