Long considered as the prerogative of the rich and famous, personal branding has emerged as essential tool for succeeding in this competition driven scenario. You need not be a Paris Hilton or Madonna to embrace personal branding and reap its benefits. The concept and its benefits are for everyone, irrespective of his/her filed of expertise, social standing and geographical location.
Let us look at how personal branding will fare in the coming years and what trends will it most likely reveal. With the evolution of personal branding as a concept, cosmetic changes may occur but the basics will remain intact. The essence of personal branding – ‘You are your brand,’ will remain and will continue inspiring brand seekers in the coming years too. You will need to market yourself before marketing your company, exactly as you were doing before.
Avoid using every single social media platform – not all are meant for you
Owing to the benefits of social media platforms, many might be tempted to try out all. The platform choices are exhaustive and hence this is neither practical nor viable from career perspective. If you too are one of them, do not be intimidated; after all, you were just trying to enhance your online presence.
With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogging, podcasts, vodcasts, and an array of other social media platforms available, you are spoilt for choices. Be advised not to stress yourself and your time on making your presence felt on all them. Be judicious and zero on few vital social media platforms that can keep you available online. Trim your list of social media platforms and keep your online presence on 3 to 4 platforms. Preferring communities is a viable option.
Be serious when you use LinkedIn
Preferring LinkedIn means you have to devote much of your time on it. If you are using LinkedIn for a considerable time now, it is obvious that you have been in constant touch with most people you know including ex colleagues and friends. Then search through your email contacts and you may find people who might have skipped out of your memory. Contact them just to say hello or offer season’s greetings.
The thumb rule here is to update your LinkedIn profile. Many of us are so busy in our core competencies that we often forget to do the same. Ensure not make consistent and major changes to the experience and education columns. However, consistently updating your work portfolio, may keep many recruitment agencies and employers interested in you.
LinkedIn also offers a plethora of useful applications that can go a long way in enhancing your profile and making it more appealing. So use them.
Widely sought after applications like WordPress, Slideshare, Box.net are finding favors with many career aspirants for reasons obvious and clear. WordPress allows one to synchronize his blog posts with LinkedIn profile, while Box.net or Slideshare, enables you to incorporate presentations or videos into your profile. Connecting your LinkedIn account with Twitter enables you to drive home the advantage of displaying your tweets on your LinkedIn profile.
Video will augment the value of your website
The trend of incorporating videos has captured the attention of all websites owners who wish to expand their horizons. Video has emerged as the game changer in the last few years, as it can boost your online traffic substantially. With the abilities to show and tell, videos can better your communication with your audience and build enduring relations with them. A video can project your personal brand in a viable manner. It offers an opportunity to highlight who you are, what your area of specialization is and what value you can deliver.