Before dissecting the process and indicating its multiple benefits, let’s start with a definition… and a translation. Personal branding is personal marketing that allows everyone to create and manage themselves on the Internet as one would with a brand.
In personal branding, the brand is therefore an individual, who should then be managed with methods similar to those used for a product.
- With the objective of mastering the creation of one’s e-reputation, the latter grouping all dimensions of a person’s digital identity: last name, first name, presentation, professional background, expertise…
- With the method of appearing in a controlled, rigorous, relevant, and positive way during any search engine queries (when someone “Googles” you): sites, articles, social media profiles, blog posts, comments…
- With the almost exclusive goal of legitimizing professional expertise, supported by the greatest possible consistency in the overall picture of the “digital traces” left on the web
Your name (whether or not associated with your first name) is the very heart of your identity: cherish it, protect it, spread it!
First step to take immediately: buy a domain name in your name!
You will be sure that it will belong to you permanently and that it will follow you
all your life. And don’t forget to fill out all your social media accounts and articles and comments… with your real personal and professional identity (forget nicknames and other diminutives…). Today, the search for talent is almost exclusively through the Web (on both the candidate and recruiter sides). In the era of omnipresent social networks, the question is no longer “Should I go or not” but “I’m going, but by perfectly mastering my digital presence!”
This mastery consists of creating a “digital identity” precisely in line with one’s expectations, particularly professional ones. To do this, one must act with order and method, notably through digital platforms that will operate your “digital transformation” by creating a “subtle dialogue” between you and the contacts you wish to reach, miles away from the simple “brutal” presentation of your online CV.
Case No. 1: you do not produce content (you do not write articles like this one for example…)
Choose the most famous sites/platforms, which do the job perfectly for an excellent time-spent/result ratio: Linkedin, Twitter and Google+.
Almost immediate benefit: There is every chance that the 3 platforms will bring your name to the first page of Google when it is searched.
Advice: Make sure to always have your information up to date, and as precise as possible.
Case No. 2: you produce content to optimize your digital presence
Use About.me and Flavors.me. These two platforms allow you to benefit from a URL with your name and to create a summary page combining all the links pointing to your social network accounts. Curation is the possibility for you to very simply aggregate thematic content (corresponding for example to your business expertise) to post them without changing a word on the social networks already mentioned: LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+.
The two best-known and most effective curation platforms are Scoop-it and FlipBoard.] If you want your name to be associated with quality contextual content, it’s up to you! Or more precisely, to publish actively, but in a relevant way. To do it simply with maximum results, prioritize immediately operational platforms such as Pulse, Slideshare (ideal for having a URL link with your name) or Medium (specializing in publishing long posts).
Also choose publishing sites based on your target audience and profession. You are a “graphic designer” (photographer, designer, architect…): Instagram is a must!
You are a radio or TV journalist, SoundCloud allows you to broadcast podcasts.
If you are looking for a simple micro-blogging platform, choose Tumblr!
- Facebook Page: with Facebook Page, you can now create your professional page with ease
- WordPress: with WordPress, you can create a site (with a URL in your name) in a few clicks, from thousands of templates available for free
- Youtube: with Youtube, you will take advantage of the prodigious virality of video to broadcast your animated content and other tutorials!
Take the test yourself by typing your name into Google. Do you appear on page 1 of the results and, if so, are all the articles that talk about you positive and up to date? If this is not the case, nothing is lost! Use the instructions and platforms listed above in this article to (re)establish your e-reputation by pushing bad results to pages 2, 3 and beyond!
- Klout Score to measure your “digital influence”
- BrandYourself to measure the ranking and evolution of the SEO of your different pages
Thanks to Personal Branding, you will become visible on the Internet. But be careful! This visibility will pay off if and only if it is controlled, reassuring… and consistent with your CV.
It is at this price that you will attract a recruiter’s attention to the point where they will want to meet you. So stand out, in the good sense of the term!
Obviously, around you, friends and acquaintances find work without the advantage of Personal Branding. But at what price? After how many months and efforts? And above all, what positions?
There is no doubt that Personal Branding can help you, better than any other tool or method, to shape the outlines of your dream job. The one recruiters will call you for. It’s your turn!
