Your personal brand is a composition of several factors, including personality, style and a whole host of general behaviors. However, this article isn’t about changing your personal brand, its about helping you effectively amplify your visibility by using every tool and utility available to you––maybe even some you don’t know about! So, where do I start, you ask? It’s 2013 and odds are, you have at least one online profile and in all likelihood, several: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, just to name a few of the more common platforms. And if you consider that the internet is the new first impression, you must ask yourself: what exactly is your profile saying about you? What about that photo you’re using? Many people have incomplete profiles and a grainy out-of-focus photo or worse yet, no photo at all! In today’s virtual world, the lack of attention to detail could be a metaphor for the personal brand message you’re unintentionally sending and it’s positively not in your best interest… personally or professionally.
You probably remember the old adage about “one chance to make a first impression”, right? Plus, you never know who’s looking at your profile and more importantly… why. If you’re like most people, your profile is public and you’re not really that close to many of your contacts and they just don’t know you all that well. Put differently, if you don’t make the effort to tell people exactly who you are––they won’t know anymore than you’re profile tells them. Their impression will be based on what you’ve said or in many cases, not said. Are you missing out on a recruiting opportunity or career upgrade, an advantageous social invite or short-list consideration?
Take your time, tell your story and make certain your profile accurately portrays who you are––fill in all the blanks and do it well. Whatever you do, don’t embellish or mis-represent yourself. As simple as it sounds, most don’t invest the time and thought and yet a few words or in some cases, the lack of, are a deciding factor in the very important impression left with your reader. Now, let’s talk about that picture on your profile. Don’t do out-of-focus, don’t do the arms length overhead iPhone shot and for God’s sake, get rid of the one with an arm around your neck and an unknown person’s body cropped out. And what about those without a photo…wonder what they’re hiding? The statistics suggest that your LinkedIn profile is seven times more likely to be viewed when it includes a photograph of you. In the for-what-it’s-worth category, get a professional headshot or two––it’ll be the best $150 you’ve ever spent and in today’s environment you’ll certainly get your money’s worth!
Stand out––don’t blend in.
Personal Visibility – The Power of You! 