As a busy professional, it’s easy to get buried in client work; your main focus is usually your prospects and your customers. However, most professionals forget about themselves. When potential clients are looking for companies to do business with, they aren’t just looking into your work, they’re looking at your personality. They want to make sure that they can have an effective communicative work relationship with you. According to Hubspot, personal branding is important for professionals so they become more visible in your industry, improve their reputation, leave a lasting impression and ultimately sell more products.
Google Yourself
When you’re first trying to discover your personal brand, you need to know what’s out there first, if anything at all. Most of the time you’ll find your own social media channels like your LinkedIn. This is what recruiters when they have a candidate for a job or business opportunity. They want to know what’s behind the resume or business proposal.
Set Up Social Media Consistently
You want people to find you as easily as possible. When it comes to your social media, make sure all of your handles are consistent. You should also look to see if your name is available for a website domain. You can use websites like GoDaddy and SquareSpace to look up custom domain names. If your name is available, you should grab it right way. Most domain names are fairly inexpensive to purchase. This can also help if your username on social media is taken but inactive. Most sites need proof that you are an actual business or brand, so a website is perfect example to send to them. Your clients want to make sure you’re up to date on all the newest information in your industry, and what better way to explain it than social media.
Clean Up Your Social Media Profiles
Don’t let that one spring break during your junior year of college stop you from gaining a client or position. Clean up those profiles. Buffer’s podcast suggests to use the Facebook memories feature to remind you to go back and delete those scandalous photos. Remember, your online reputation is just as important as your offline one.
Display Your Professional Work
Use the new website you just bought to display your work. A lot of new professionals are using websites to display their resumes, blogs and side projects. Your website can be a space where you can express your professional accomplishments and hone in some of those personal hobbies that might draw unique clients and employer to your page.
Establishing a personal brand is a great way to send out to potential clients. Start communicating now on social media with influencers in your field. By discovering your personal brand, you will increase your chances getting the best clients or dream job. Remember, if you don’t brand yourself, someone else will.