Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and…oh yeah that thing called the “real world”…people are building a personal brand whether they want to or not. Personal branding is not a new thing, just is more in-your-face than the pre-social media age.
A corporate lawyer today has a similar personal brand as a corporate lawyer in the 50s. The only difference is today you can search for that lawyer online and read reviews from clients, their biography, and (potentially) read their blog posts or see what information they put on their LinkedIn. There’s a reason there is an entire industry that concentrates on monitoring and managing online profiles of individuals and businesses.
There are two ways you can approach the internet when it comes to your personal brand: Use it or avoid it. Each come with their own pros and cons.
Pros of using the internet to build your Personal Brand
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Control: If you have a relatively well-known Twitter account and people know where your website is, there is less risk of people mistaking another account or another website as your own. “Making your mark” online can give you substantial control over how you are perceived based on your online presence.
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Expanded Network: People who use Twitter have a much better chance of randomly meeting someone who knows someone. In short, your network expands, even if it is a shallow network of loose contacts. I recently worked with someone on a side project that I had originally met through Twitter. I also made a connection through blogging who has provided me with tons of great advice that I otherwise would not have been introduced to.
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Blogging can open up new doors: While there hasn’t been enough research done on this topic for anyone to conclusively say that starting a blog about a niche topic can help you get a specific job or get hired in a specific role, there is always the chance someone will pick up on your website and offer you either side jobs or potentially full-time employment. You can define your specialty or “niche” based on the content you put out online.
Cons of using the internet to build your Personal Brand
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One Tweet can do a lot of damage: One ill-planned Tweet can frame you as a fraud or someone who is insensitive. Just look at what happened to Ashton Kutcher after his tweet about the Penn State scandal. In a rapid-fire social media culture, it’s pretty easy to tweet or Facebook something that wasn’t exactly thought out, forcing damage control. Even worse is if you tweeted something two years ago that a potential employer finds questionable or offensive – Tweets don’t go away unless you delete them!
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Time-Consuming: It takes time to build a personal brand online. Sometimes it’s simply not worth the loss of time. You might be better off spending that time developing skills, volunteering, or even just relaxing with friends or family. As difficult (or impossible) it is to do a cost/benefit analysis on something that you haven’t even started utilizing, it’s important to at least consider what else you could be doing with your time.
Whether you decide to use online media or not, there are pros and cons. Sometimes individuals do not have a choice – some people put information, pictures, and other media on the internet without warning ahead of time.
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Photo by Sheila Scarborough
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With the internet there is also the chance that competition will try to defame you. A rival can open up a fake twitter pretty easily and make false claims and accusations. You can deny them, but sometimes it’s too late and the damage is done.
Good points. I think social media is great as long as you’re smart with it, which can take you a long way. Although it’s a bit different, I just read the other day about some comment that was tweeted about Obama’s grandmother during the first debate. Some guy who worked in the PR department for Kitchenaid and tweeted something meaning to go to his personal twitter account and instead came through on the company’s account. It caused quite a stir to say the least.
A lot of companies are really starting to look into peoples Facebook and twitter profiles.
I have heard of many people who have been offered jobs (and a couple refused) because of what is on their Facebook account.
I carefully watch everything that I do on my public pages and profiles. I’d hate for a client to see something stupid.
Here’s what’s funny…I knew zippo about the Kutcher tweet. However, that’s how powerful this is: you’re talking about it, so I now know about it. I think people who do crazy things think “it’ll go away.” Maybe it will, but there will be shockwaves first that ruin your identity more.
@AverageJoeMoney Yeah the Kutcher tweet just won’t die. It’s a case study in how not do social media.
These are great tips! You are so right about tweets. One bad tweet can swing aroung the world and back. It happens all te time!
The internet is an awesome medium to build your personal brand as long as you are genuine, and know how to respond to negative feedback. It’s not for everyone for sure. I agree that blogging does open up new doors, just take a look at Jeremy’s blog that landing him a new job (Modest Money). Well, his skills probably did the trick but I’m sure the blog helped.
@Veronica @ Pelican on Money It’s awesome how Jeremy was able to leverage social media to land a job!
Image is everything now with people being able to peer at you from the Internet. You can choose to ignore it, or embrace it by leveraging the tools you’ve mentioned above. But regardless, its not going to go away.
The internet and social media has been huge for my branding. With one of my websites having almost 60k Facebook fans it help make me an authority. Like you said it requires me to be careful because that means that many people are also listening closely to what I say.
Social media is great for many types of business,but you just have to be careful, like you said. We use a local online site in our community and we had someone who wasn’t even a patient write a terrible review, so I would say monitor your online sites if anyone can leave comments.
I agree that social media has opened a lot of doors for many people. You never know who someone else knows. Even if you connect with people that you think have no interest in what you say or do, they could very well know someone that does and put you in touch.
Being careful what you say online is key, as you never know when something nasty will come back to haunt you. However some people, including journalists and celebrities, say something weird in the hopes that it causes a stir. That is up to them.
Managed properly, your social accounts can do you a lot of good. I saw companies offering to clean your online image, that is a new niche I bet will be very profitable in the future!
This is a tough one… Small business can be broken overnight with a couple of bad reviews.. GONE are the days of ‘mystery diners’ who would write a review in the paper that could determine your business’s success. All in all, I think it is a good thing that reviews are impartial and readily available! Those who offer outstanding customer service will be rewarded in time :)
It could also be argued that you shouldn’t be a jerk in general, and more specifically, you shouldn’t be a jerk in a forum that is SO EASILY SHARED. Be nice, do things online that you wouldn’t be ashamed for your mom to find out, and you’re going to be okay.
I’ve learned online has helped to brand my name. It’s provided great recognition, easy connections, and easy to find me.
That’s a good point that you made about the time consideration of establishing an online personal brand. It definitely takes time to keep the ball rolling and stay connected.