The 3 Most Important Aspects of Your Personal Brand

Kyle Pearce created DIYGenius.com to help other people learn how to use social media tools and become their own personal marketing managers.  Speaking about job searching today, he says, “Over 80% of jobs are now found in the informal job market (meaning they are not advertised) so having a social media presence and regularly networking (online and offline) is more important than ever.” 

You need to be in the digital world making the connections with the influencers in order to get your foot in the door. Long are the days of strictly the written word. It’s now about the brand you create, the pictures you promote, and the places you share your story.

Messaging: This involves presenting succinct and focused messaging about who you are. Identifying your skills and knowing how you’d like to use them in the world is critical. Start here in order to develop the parameters around your “brand.” Working backward can also be helpful. Start with where you want to end up and target your brand based on the direction you are heading. This article from Forbes shares tips on personal branding.

Images:  The images you use in social media should tell a story about you that gives recruiters a look into your world. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and even LinkedIn give you a chance to share visuals that can give your brand impact and momentum. It’s important to pay attention to the details here–your hair, clothing, and facial expressions. Everything you portray makes an impression on recruiters and managers, so make sure you are editing wisely. Get inspired by others in your field and how they’ve promoted themselves. Think of your pictures as visual headlines. Use one profile photo to represent your overall brand and consider using other images to represent each piece of content in your profile. Neal Schaffer shares how to best capitalize on the visuals.

Location:  Where you post your branded content should be based on your target audience. In the same way, your content will need to be customized for each social media outlet you use. For instance, what you write on Facebook will be different than what you’d write or share on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to research the social media tools and find out which outlet is best for you in reaching your desired audience. Sharing anywhere and everywhere is not a great strategy, but don’t be afraid to test out the markets by posting at different times and gauging your feedback. Alex Barca shares all things media in this Ultimate List.

Image via Oliver Clarke/Flickr.