How long has it been since you made any changes or updates to your online profiles? Chances are that it’s been a while because you’ve got that long to-do list and everything else to take care of, especially as a working mom.
As we get closer to the start of the school year, it’s a great time to think about your personal brand. And, for many of us, that personal brand is largely reflected online. You want your online accounts to support your personal brand overall. So, whether you’re interested in making career changes once kids are back in school or you want to amplify your personal brand, let’s update what we’re sharing with our audiences. And I’ll remind you that this applies, whether you work for an employer or as an entrepreneur.
For this blog, I’m putting on my marketing consultant hat. We are each a brand, a personal brand with a voice, a persona, and a story. Do you show off your personal brand online, including the images you use and the words you choose? And, when I say online, I mean everything online: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. You get the picture.
On this blog I’m going to focus more on the career side of your online persona this month, specifically LinkedIn and Twitter.
For LinkedIn
Is your current job info updated? You often change the information when you change companies or change roles within the same employer. But has your role changed? Are you doing different tasks now than a year ago? If any of these have changed, make sure the updated information is reflected. We all can forget to include or put off including new information, but it’s helpful to keep it current.
If you want to make some updates or changes, these ideas might help. Let’s start with your strengths. Once you think through what they are (maybe focus on 3-5), have you reflected them in your professional profile? Do you use action words and show results in your profile? Is your role and what you actually did part of your profile or is it more of a job description?
Is your volunteer work reflected and, if so, does it focus on your strengths as well? Have you included any numbers that you can share to show financial or measurable contribution?
Are the skills you have gained reflected? For example, did you manage a team, develop marketing materials for an event, raise funds, or negotiate contracts with vendors or other 3rd parties. These are all real-world skills. Don’t discount them.
Not sure what to say? Ask the person who’s heading up the initiative to explain the value of your role in his or her work. That can be a great starting point.
For Twitter
When it comes to Twitter, your account might be more personal or more professional. Only you can decide which is more appropriate in your situation. And, yes, it’s good to bring more of the personal into the professional, so having a mix of both is a great approach. Either way, is there a way to integrate your strengths into your account?
Do you need to update your Twitter profile or even your Twitter handle to be more professional if you’re trying to be more career-focused on Twitter? Especially if you’re trying to become more of an influencer on Twitter, see how you can bring your strengths to light more.
For Other Social Media
Make changes to your other social media, using these same concepts and approach if you’re trying to be more professional or looking at an internal or external job change. While you might not think everything online needs to reflect your personal brand, remember that more and more companies are looking to social media when they consider you as a candidate for a job, even if you’re moving within the same company. Or maybe you’re looking to partner with a new company/group or get a new client. They might take a look at your holistic online presence as well.
I’m making changes to my own online presence so that I can hit the ground running when our young boys go back to school in late August.
You’ll see that I’m making changes for Mompowerment during the next few weeks as well. I will be updating the website for a full relaunch of the website content in about a month. Can’t wait!
And if you’d like a great resource on building your personal brand in general, I highly recommend Ditch the Act by Leonard Kim and Ryan Foley. (affiliate link) I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book and it’s got really great content with all sorts of exercises to help you.
How are you changing your online presence? What strengths, concepts, or new skills are you trying to bring to light? Making changes, I’d love to hear from you in the comments about how it’s going. Not sure about what to change, post your question and I’ll try to give you some ideas.
