One of the most important things a young professional can do, or any professional for that matter, is to cultivate their personal brand. Not “brand” as in a clothing line, but how you package and present yourself and what you have to offer to the world. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that you can reach people and connect on a virtual level. Due to the ever-expanding nature of the digital world, figuring out ways to make yourself known to your desired circle online is a great way to strengthen your professional image. If you are an entrepreneur or part of a startup yourself, this is particularly prevalent for you. Anyone can use skills utilized by innovators and entrepreneurs to improve their online brand persona.
1. Create a Strong, Positive First Impression (aka Strengthen your Accounts!)
Not enough can be said to stress the importance of having a strong presence online if you are seeking to promote yourself, your company, etc., to a wider audience. It may sound daunting for some, but there are simple steps you can take to make your accounts look better aesthetically, and professionally, and feature stronger content. Just like entrepreneurs leverage the power of a good first impression when putting together and polishing their elevator pitch, you can start your online presence off strong by uploading a profile photo that reflects your personality and making sure it looks as clear and put together as possible. Your bio section is where you have a chance to shine. For inspiration, you can reference the accounts of entrepreneurs and innovators you admire. I’ll refrain from suggesting specific descriptors because there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success and every brand is different, but a good rule of thumb is to avoid describing your soft skills in a generic manner and highlight what makes you unique. Here are some examples to get your creative juices flowing.
For companies and brands, having an attention-grabbing yet informational website is imperative, but for some entrepreneurs and professionals, it's smart to have a personal page that provides a summative link to their own domain to fully promote everything they do with all their included contact information and personal resources. The previously mentioned tips also apply to website design and content in a myriad of ways. You want to balance showcasing yourself in your accomplishments in a professional manner while remaining true to the spirit of who you authentically are.
On a website, you have the chance to expand upon what one could find stumbling upon a social media account. Many companies choose to include a detailed “about” section with a backstory, along with an in-depth explanation of what they/their product or service does, FAQs, potentially a DEI statement, business structure overview, and other similar subsections. For individuals, highlighting your personal experiences in a way that tells a story of your journey while setting you apart from your peers is a strong goal to keep in the back of your mind when creating a site and other content. You have the freedom to include or leave out anything you desire, and there is something to be said for trying different strategies out and analyzing their impact on traffic/performance. One actionable step when starting out is researching what tactics are successful for companies and people you admire and seeing what you can emulate for yourself.
2. Become a Thought Leader
Connections, potential employers, and clients want to see that you are more than a strong worker that can complete tasks well. People are enticed by authentically dynamic professionals who, based on their specific expertise, can provide detailed and tailored insights and solutions to projects while imparting wisdom along the way to those who interact with them. Anyone can present themself as a thought leader online. Even if you have private accounts (ex. on LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.), you can set up ways to curate what is publicly listed to highlight your accomplishments and direct people to where or how they can connect with you further. These tactics can and should extend to how you curate your posts as well. List your unique strengths and qualities on LinkedIn, highlighting what you can add to the culture of a workplace.
Part of showcasing your leadership and knowledge is by writing about it on a consistent basis. Creating unique posts, short articles, field-based opinion pieces, and educational materials that infuse your personality give you credibility, a stronger voice, and more to show to back up the skills you claim to have. On top of that, posting consistently is proven to increase traffic and positive interactions with your content and account.
3. Embrace Transparency and Showcase Your Passions
In the digital world we live in nowadays, authenticity is the best currency. Far too often, what we see online is one another’s highlight reel. While focusing on the positive never hurts, you can only achieve true transparency if you reveal the full picture. Share the ups as well as the downs --- your vulnerability is what makes you human and allows you to deeply connect with your audience in a way that resonates. Revealing what fuels your flame and your unique philosophy on life, business, etc. can be a source of encouragement to others. While there is always the need to be professional on some level, trends point to posts that seem authentic and not overly constructed outperforming those that appear to be more calculated.
Additionally, giving back in some way is not only great for the soul, but also gives you another way to showcase how you can apply your developed passions towards helping the greater good. Be intentional in how your time, talents, and treasure are used to support causes that align with your philosophy.
4. Engage with your Community
You can’t expect members of your community and desired audience to engage with your content if you don’t engage with them first in some way. In terms of marketing yourself or your company as a brand, you can start by being active on your profiles. This not only includes consistent posting but liking, commenting on, sharing, etc. others' content as well. Keep in mind to remain professional yet sincere in these engagements. On LinkedIn specifically, you can send and receive endorsements of your skills from your connections, as well as go on to reach out to other professionals for advice, inquiries, and growth of your circle. Learning how to implement these tactics for yourself can prove to be a learning curve, but don’t fret, you’re doing great.
For suggestions on how to reach out to professional connections you may or may not know, or to get suggestions for specific people to reach out to for your company, feel free to reach out to the Big Idea Center staff.
5. Always Continue Personal Education
One common trait of professionals and companies that remain successful is that they continue to educate themselves on happenings and developments in their field, of their peers, and in society as a whole. This also goes back to what I mentioned about thought leadership. Someone cannot profess expertise in a field or on a topic if they do not stay current with it. As the times change, especially at the exponential rate they do now, we must change with the times. Whether it’s attending educational conferences and seminars, reading a trusted news source often, and/or having active discussions with peers and those around you, staying educated and being transparent with how you’re doing so is incredibly well received by stakeholders and those who come across your content. Knowledge knows no end and there is always a good reason to keep in “the know.”
All of the suggestions I’ve talked about are widely adopted and practiced by successful innovators and entrepreneurs. At the end of the day, these are just some tips and tricks to keep in the back of your mind, and finding what tactics work best for you is an ongoing process. I hope that this blog post has given you some things to think about and has motivated you in some (or any!) way to take some steps to strengthen your online brand persona.
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