Personal Branding Simplified

When potential employers, businesses or clients are interested in working with you, they will most likely Google you to see what crops up. Melonie Dodaro, author of the Top Dog Social Media blog, suggests there are '10 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand Online' through social media management:

1. Do the Google test - what comes up when you type your name in the Google? When potential employers click on those links, is what they will find good for your reputation?

2. Complete your LinkedIn Profile - Dodaro suggests that having an up-to-date profile and one which speaks directly to your target audience (e.g. potential employers) is a sure way of increasing your personal brand.

3. Setup Google Authorship with your Blog - if you are a fellow blogger, this is a good way of assuring that your target market will reach you and for you to gain credibility. Here is a link to a site which helps you do this:  https://blog.kissmetrics.com/google-authorship/

4. Write a great Facebook Bio - Dodaro informs us that the first 150 characters of her personal Facebook profile shows up on the search results page in Google, so she advises to make sure it's worth reading. Personally I wouldn't make my personal Facebook page open for viewing by the public, but if that floats your goat just make sure there are no embarrassing photos or status updates (those things unfortunately follow you wherever you go)!

5. Write a great Twitter Bio - if you're a tweeter, Dodaro also suggests that you make your Twitter bio gripping to read because as with Facebook, the first 100 characters comes up in the link description on the search results page.

6. Create a Killer Google+ Tagline and Fill Out Occupations Section - Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Google+ pulls the first 70 characters from your occupations section and your tagline. Another important thing to consider is how many Google+ circles you've been added to, because this is one of the first things that pop up on the search results page.

7. Specialize - Dodaro advises that although it seems like you'll get much more attention if you show you are a 'jack of all trades', the best way to grab people's attention (the right people - the people you want to listen) is to specialize and market yourself in the area you are looking for.

8. Guest Blog for Websites Bigger than Yours - contributing to other blogs or websites builds 'third-party credibility' and helps you attain more exposure than just publishing your own.

9. Use Professional Graphic Design Services - poor visual branding lets people down more than they'd like to admit. So if you're really hardcore, putting extra effort into perfecting your logo, website, Twitter background to make it 'scream professional' will definitely help you in the long run, says Melonie Dodaro.

10. Remember the 10 Commandments of Social Media - Melonie Dodaro puts forward a few fundamental rules of social media which will help you build your personal brand through this simple graphic:

Information used based on: http://topdogsocialmedia.com/blog/