Tips for Building an Online Personal Brand

Do you have a Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube account? Do you blog? Have you ever “Liked” an article on a news or media site or commented on an article using your real name?

If you have, you have an online personal brand. Your virtual footprint gives people a picture of who you are, what you care about, and what your values are—that is, your brand. It includes anything that might show up in a search, including where you went to school, articles you may have published, clubs you may have joined, and so on.

And your personal brand may have quite a lengthy history. Take a minute to type your name into a search engine. Those results are your brand’s first impression. Would you want a potential employer to judge you by it?

In spite of rising concerns about online privacy, we continue to share a great deal of personal information online. And searching for information about a candidate online is becoming a growing trend. In a 2010 survey of 300 recruiters, 91% reviewed social networking profiles when considering candidates. And according to a 2009 survey by CareerBuilder, 35% of hiring managers rejected candidates after finding “objectionable material” online, such as photos of drug use and illegal activities, evidence of bad-mouthing employers, and proof of lying about qualifications.

Staying away from online activities altogether doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. And you might be missing a good opportunity; building an online brand can help showcase your talents and skills, including ones that might not be readily evident on your resume. If you blog about a particular topic, for example, you can establish your expertise in that area—and display your writing skills. And your online activity can help you establish important networking connections.

Your Personal Online Brand

Here are some tips to help you build an online personal brand that you can be proud of:

• Participate. Don’t shy away from online media sites, including social networking platforms, forums, and blogs. Create an account and add your voice to the discussion, always keeping in mind that what you write may represent you for years, if not decades. (And keep your Facebook account personal and set to the highest privacy setting possible, unless you are willing to severely limit what you post.)
• Use your real name. The best way to build a (positive) reputation as an expert is to sign things with your real name.
• Share meaningful information. Give people a reason to pay attention to you—there’s so much information available online that if you’re just adding to the noise, you won’t be noticed. Don’t just Tweet about what you’ve had for lunch.
• Reciprocate and respond. When someone shares something you’ve written, respond in kind. Let them know you’ve noticed with a thank you; if possible, reshare something of theirs. If you blog, respond to all comments. You’ll be reinforcing your expertise—and letting people know you’re a real person and not an automated info-bot.
• Connect. Follow people you admire—industry leaders, personal heroes, respected colleagues—on Twitter. Connect with former colleagues on LinkedIn. And if you want to connect with someone you don’t know on LinkedIn, send them an email introducing yourself.
• Promote yourself. In your email signature(s), add links to your public social profiles (e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn) and to your blog(s) if appropriate. This will lead people to your sites and to connecting with you.
• Go to industry events. It’s important to attend events in person in addition to being active online.  Attending events can give you a chance to meet some of those networking contacts in person. And if you blog or Tweet about it, it is a chance to showcase your understanding and involvement in the event.

Maintaining Your Brand

But building your online brand is only half the work—you also need to make sure it continues to reflect your knowledge and skills. Here are some simple ways you can retain control of and manage your online profile:

• Be aware of your audience. Decide how you want to use each site and tailor the information you share on each one. For example, if you are using LinkedIn for business contacts, make it a rule not to add professional contacts on Facebook.
• Think twice about linking accounts. Many social networking sites allow you to connect your accounts so that the same updates are posted to all of your networks. Depending on the content of your updates, they may not be appropriate to share with everyone.
• Watch your language—and what you say. If you don’t want a public record of it, don’t post it.
• Use privacy settings. And don’t just “set it and forget it.”
• Review your presence on different sites at least once a month—if not more often. If your most recent blog post is two years old, either update it or take the blog offline. Otherwise, it may seem that you don’t respect your brand. And if you don’t, why should anyone else?
• Set up a Google search alert on your name. Go to www.google.com/alerts and enter your name as a search item. Indicate how often you want to get reports and to what email address the results should be sent. Google will email you to show you when your name appears online.

Many people fall into a false sense of security on social networking sites, forgetting that once information is shared, you lose control over how it is used. Remember, once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete photos, videos, or comments, they often remain accessible through cached (saved) pages online.

The social rules for online activity are still evolving, but it’s a good idea to take charge of your online brand before it takes on a life of its own. 

How do you maintain your online brand? Do you think it’s worth the effort? Would you choose not to hire someone based on a blog post or comment on a webzine?

--by Yael Schneiderman

Yael Schneiderman is HRI’s Director of Marketing and Communications. She has 15 years of marketing, corporate communications, and branding experience.