Personal branding is about you. Companies currently are receiving a lot of application letters and CVs from candidates. Your presentation on LinkedIn and other online media are viewed as part of the screening. Is your online profile representing you as the most qualified candidate or manager?
Not only job seekers should be aware of their personal branding, also entrepreneurs, VP’s, executives and directors. Future employees are screening your company, their actions and profiles of executives to get a glimpse of what the organisation is about and what the board members and employees are up to.
Table of Contents
Personal branding vs. Company branding
Personal branding is a marketing strategy focusing on the most important product: You. To develop your personal brand, its key to find out aspects of who you really are.
Company branding is product branding and is based on the core values of the company, but also to make sure the product or service will be sold. It’s linked to what they want to be in order for you to buy their product
HR departments, recruiters, hiring managers and future employees are nowadays screening the entire Internet to find out what you do, what you share to get an idea of who you are.
Steps to build your personal branding online
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Who are you?
As your audience (your potential client or employer) we need to get an idea of who you are by your interests, passion, values, strengths and experiences. Also, your online branding (on social media e.g. your LinkedIn profile) has to consist of a mission statement; what are you doing in your life and what is it that you care about.
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What is it that you can deliver? What do you promise?
Step 1 will tell us who you are and what you care about. Step 2 is about your unique value and what you deliver or promise. What can we expect from you? What’s in it for us if we work with you, asking you for your service or hiring you?
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Target Audience
Define who is your target audience. Where do see yourself working, what is your ideal company, client or service and please show this on your (online) personal brand.
Do’s & Don’ts
- A profile picture on LinkedIn or on other social media profiles (as often the profile picture is shown to the public) is not a selfie nor a photo taken by your friends, at your holiday, family event or at your wedding. Go and see a professional photographer and ask for photo in high resolution (to be used for other documents, books, leaflets, brochures etc. and a low resolution to be used on all your social media profiles.
- Make sure your private pictures (on Facebook, for example) are not shared with everyone; make them private to your friends or only to you. Cover photos and profile pictures are always shown to the public.
- Please be aware of what you share and post online, and what kind of perception it is that you want to give your audience.
