personal branding essay | Personal Visibility

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You Wouldn’t Go Out Looking Like That Would You?

We all have an old but favorite pair of sweat pants and a not-for-public tattered shirt we lounge around the house in, right? Particularly when we know that no one is around and the likelihood of being face-to-face with anyone other than an immediate family member is a minimal risk. You have that look don’t you? No shower, maybe a little pillow-hair and looking pretty scary versus your normal “together” self. You’d never leave the house in that condition, would you?

In terms of image, there’s one thing we all have in common: When we have an important social event, a business meeting or client interaction we put our best foot forward in terms of appearance. And on those really special occasions we might even get a fresh haircut and purchase something new to wear, all in an effort to make a quality impression. We hedge our chances of success by carefully controlling the image that we portray to others. While we might all have different looks for different occasions, one thing’s for certain, if we know someone important is looking at or evaluating us we go out of our way to be on our best behavior and make certain we look our best. We naturally want to impress as it seems to be both common sense as well as an intelligent act of self-promotion.

So, what about your online persona––your so-called digital footprint? The ubiquitious presence you now have with all of your online profiles, activities and interactions? And those profiles are visible 24/7 to anyone in the ~~world~~ galaxy that decides to look. And yet many choose to have a crappy photo or no photograph at all, complete with sketchy background information including grammar that could use some serious wordsmithing. You’re on display to the world around-the-clock and you’re presenting yourself in the equivalent of that old pair of sweats and tattered shirt. Really? We can probably all agree that an incomplete and poorly worded profile won’t provoke much confidence with an opportunity giver looking at your profile. People with these types of profiles should rein in their expectations as there’s very little chance of an offer––of any kind.

Search engine functionality has improved to the point that anything and everyone can be found. If your profile is constructed properly, positioned strategically and coordinated with the proper keywords and phrases, you will be found so, you might want to be looking the digital equivalent of professionally-polished. Passive recruiting has always been popular among search firms but the transparency caused by today’s search functionality has given worldwide access to anyone interested in performing a search. That includes the larger search firms all the way down to the one person HR department. It could even be a start-up looking for advisors or a board looking for expertise. Someone, somewhere is attempting to match people with opportunities. Are you discoverable? Moreover, are you presentable? Meaningful people with meaningful opportunities are looking for people just like you. That means you might want to be the most presentable virtual version of yourself when they do look your way…

Take a digital shower, comb your online hair and put on your best virtual outfit.

Be the best version of you!

You Look Nothing Like Yourself!

Its true. I’ve looked at most of your online profiles and you appear to be nothing like yourself in person. The pictures you’re using aren’t very flattering––you’re much more attractive in person! And the background and accomplishments you’ve listed make modest look a bit egocentric. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were making a concerted effort to be as unimpressive as possible. In the for-what-its-worth category, I’m afraid an opportunity giver wouldn’t give you a second look. You can only hope that the people looking at you online know your attributes better than your profile would suggest. Guess what? Fat chance––casual relationships as well as complete strangers are looking and evaluating and some may have an offer you wouldn’t want to miss out on… at least not on purpose! In today’s world of virtual relationships, you can’t afford to be modest. If you don’t promote you, who will?

Person-to-person contact continues to give way to the efficiency of online interactions and it’s become very simple, if not preferred, to access profiles on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Qnary, Brand Yourself, About Me or a host of other platforms to learn more about a person. Frankly, with search engine functionality being what it is, you will be found and the question is this: Will your profile merit a second look? Whether it’s a passive recruiting effort, a social opportunity or someone simply checking you out prior to or after a meeting, the digital version of yourself might just be the first and only chance you have to make that important first impression. It doesn’t matter if you occupy the corner office or you’re a stay-at-home-mom, people are looking––you can count on that! Maybe it’s a neighbor, a supervisor, the HR department, a recruiter, the person you’re meeting with next, the person you just met with or a start-up parsing through profiles for a particular expertise.

Unfortunately, many people stand out in person but simply blend in online. Here’s the challenge: Can you bridge the gap between your offline persona and your online profile? Can you properly portray the dressed-up digital version of yourself? You have an expanding virtual network of online relationships and if you don’t make your profile(s) a bit stickier, you will continue to be part of that vast sea of sameness––both anonymous and irrelevant in the online sense. In today’s digital world and just a small step beyond your immediate person-to-person sphere of influence, visibility and opportunity go hand in hand.

Don’t be unimpressive––it doesn’t look good on you.

What You Say May Not Matter Anyway!

“What you do speaks so loud, that I cannot hear what you say.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

In today’s environment, Emerson’s words might be interpreted this way: The behavioral algorithms are so good it may not matter what your profile or social resume says about you––your behavior trumps everything! Your ever-expanding digital DNA is a reflection of you and everyone from investigative agencies to marketing and research companies are getting better and better at figuring out exactly who you are and what you like or don’t like, no matter who you say you are. A simple set of algorithms applied to your Facebook page for instance can determine your ethnicity, political affiliation, socio-economic level, sexuality, drug-use habits and even if your parents separated when you were young. These same algorithms are capable of predicting personality types and emotional stability… or the lack thereof. Early efforts at this science have even shown a correlation with people liking certain foods having higher IQ’s while liking a particular page on Facebook might be an indicator for drug use––pages that don’t have anything whatsoever to do with drugs or the related culture.

Personal data is big business and with the effort being put into psychometrics, it’s only a matter of time before our personal data is routinely being exploited for commercial gain and more. The truth is, it’s already happening. Take Facebook’s own EdgeRank system, which is their proprietary scoring system based on algorithms they use to determine which objects show up in your News Feed. In other words, it is their attempt to optimize the news feed to show relevant content predicated on your previous activities on Facebook. Any chance the ads you’re seeing are a result of those same algorithms? Count on it. Whether Facebook was the first or not really doesn’t matter––they positively won’t be the last! More and more companies are employing similar technology and in spite of your best efforts with privacy settings and careful online interactions: people are looking, will find you and already know more about you than you might think! And as the science improves, those same people will know even more. Scary, huh?

In the meantime, you should be hyper-vigilant about your privacy settings and make certain that you are in control of the controllables. Algorithms notwithstanding, personal visibility remains crucial on both a personal and professional level––every effort should be made to control your personal narrative. Marketing companies aside, your friends, neighbors, co-workers, customers and damn near everyone you encounter on a professional level are looking at and for you online. What kind of impression do you make? Given that your online visibility is available around-the-clock to anyone choosing to look, you should be making the same online effort that you make in your face-to-face life in terms of presentibility. In other words, your online profile should be the equivalent of that all important meeting or social event that you have to attend. You know the one… you put on your best looking outfit, you’re on your best behavior and you make your best effort to impress. We all do it!

Isn’t it time for your online image to match your offline persona?

Seriously.

Quit Hiding In Plain Sight!

With the economy on the mend and passive recruiting running rampant, ask yourself this simple question: Are you positioned squarely in the path of discovery? Quit hiding–even if it’s unintentional. You may not be trying to hide but your lack of visibility is making you virtually transparent with potential opportunity givers. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a new career opportunity that finds you––maybe you have zero interest in making a job or career change. However, it could be a long-awaited social opportunity, a chance to share your expertise, a committee role or a board position. Maybe it’s even a new client looking for a specific product provider or skill set, so stand out and be found! One things for certain in today’s attention-deficit world: out of sight, out of mind! In this rapidly evolving environment of connectivity platforms and related start-ups, you likely have an expanding network of contacts including friends, colleagues and customers. Like it or not, intimacy is giving way to efficiency, so nurturing this expanding group is both key and central to your discoverability!

There are a myriad of utilities to help your visibility but the first order of business is constructing your social resume and LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. The format is conducive to telling a complete and compelling story about you (read: resume). LinkedIn is a virtual-professional-gathering and it’s important to understand that the de facto rules of engagement are different than other social networking sites like Facebook. Look at it this way, Facebook is akin to a neighborhood cocktail party (with family members in attendance) and meant for more intimate conversations and the sharing of birthday wishes and photographs and such. While plenty of businesses are using Facebook to communicate their products and services, it’s just not the place for a professional resume nor should it be the anchor of your more serious visibility efforts. LinkedIn is all about business and networking and with a little effort, you can not only make yourself very visible but importantly, you can differentiate YOU in this vast sea-of-sameness. You have a great product––just make sure others know about it! And, there’s no one more qualified to tell your story, promote your skills, talents and accomplishments than you, right?

Visibility promotes opportunity.

Don’t miss out!

Cattle Have It Easy!

What if someone else decided on your behalf what brand you should wear? And what if you had no choice in being identified as part of a particular herd?

And what if your sphere of influence was a relatively small area where you spent your days and nights and maybe a contiguous field or two in case you decided to stray for a evening (read: work, home and play)? Imagine a few people on the ponderosa getting together one day and searing an indelible mark onto your rear end and voila!, you have your own not-so-unique personal brand and you’re stuck with it! No thinking, no scheming and no effort required on your part. A passive branding victim as it were. Actually, come to think of it, that almost perfectly describes what many people do when it comes to their own branding and visibility efforts. No thinking. No scheming. No effort. And you guessed it, it shows! These are people that have decided not to take an active role in establishing and communicating their own brands. They simply allow those around them to silently develop their own opinions and thoughts as to brand and reputation attributes. They allow those throughout their digital network to make their own interpretations based on various online activities or the lack of, with the latter being potentially just as harmful. And contrary to what some believe, brand and reputation are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact, most people don’t take an active role in managing either, particularly in this age of ubiquitous social media and a personal digital footprint that expands by the day.

Don’t you think it’s time you grabbed this particular bull by the horns and took control of both your brand and visibility? Just being part of the herd doesn’t cut it any more. You have a personal megaphone (I could have said bullhorn) at your fingertips whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, WordPress, Brand Yourself, About Me, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or a whole host of other platforms to promote your most important product… YOU.

How will others know if you don’t tell them? Are you willing to leave it up to interpretation? If you’re not in control of your digital footprint, do you think all the pieces will add up to a correct representation of who you actually are? Are you willing to take that chance? Like it or not, search engine functionality brings world-wide visibility and opportunity-givers are combing the web looking for people just like you. Your friends, co-workers and neighbors are looking too. Separate yourself from the herd and stand out if you want to be considered. People are looking and you will be found. It might be a social opportunity, a new job offer, a promotion, a board seat consideration, a consulting role or any number of other life opportunities. With intimacy (person-to-person) giving way to technology, more and more discovery is taking place online and your reach and visibility is greater than ever! Are you positioned to take advantage of this powerful new medium?

Don’t be a cow.

Don’t Kid Yourself!

Contrary to what we would all like to believe, even people that know us don’t think about us nearly as often as we might think! Ask yourself this question: Other than those in your immediate sphere-of-influence does anyone really know who you are and what you’re capable of? Probably not. However, when it comes to personal visibility it’s not really about those that know you well enough that they might be prone to think about you. It’s about those that don’t know you at all or all that well. It’s this group that you must learn to nurture and develop. It’s this group that can produce unexpected but extraordinary opportunities. Opportunities that you’re likely missing out on and you don’t even know it. The funny thing is, the opportunity givers don’t know they’re missing you anymore than you know what you’re missing. Let’s bridge that gap, huh?

You’ll get around to it, you say? You’ll start soon? You’ve been meaning to do it? A personal visibility campaign can be just like diets and exercise––you’ll start tomorrow, right? Yes, it is a lot of work. And no, it won’t be as bad as you think in terms of getting started. It never is. And just like every diet and every exercise program, you’ll be glad you did and the end result will likely be worth it.

You’re on an inexorable path to a more and more comprehensive relationship with technology and it’s not so much a matter of IF you’ll adapt or not. It’s really a matter of how far behind you’ll be before you finally choose to get started. It can either be a proactive decision to get engaged now or you can wait until the decision gets made for you. The latter being the drag-along option.

Before you know it, your profile and social resume will be complete and properly displayed on a number of connectivity platforms. With these platforms working together your visibility will be significantly enhanced, your name will rank high with the various search engines and if you play your cards just right, your name might show up on the first page when someone googles your profession or principal skill set. That would be the pinnacle of personal visibility! The visibility platforms at your disposal like LinkedIn, AboutMe and Brand Yourself are significant and very effective at telling your story in a compelling and meaningful way. Establish a presence on all, perfect your social and professional resume content and optimize your visibility… the sooner the better.

Be assured of one very compelling fact: There are important people out there looking for the right person to match with current opportunities. Make sure they have the best odds and opportunity to find you––you’ll both be better for it.

Don’t get left behind!

Are You a Well Kept Secret?

You’re a real talent with significant skills. You’re a good decision maker, ethical and of high character. You’re the teammate everyone wants; with a work ethic second-to-none. You’re creative, insightful, articulate and pretty darn good with the written word. Maybe you even have the “it” factor that bosses and boards look for. However, outside of your immediate circle, no one really knows much about you. Your parents taught you that humility was an important trait and you believed them, and rightfully so. You are, in fact, too humble to self-promote. As it turns out, you may be a well kept secret…

O.K., seriously, do you think those closest to you (much less your expanding network of colleagues) really know just how good you are? Do they know how much you care? How hard you work? Do they know why you shouldn’t be considered part of the vast sea-of-sameness that includes the run-of-the-mill crowd? You probably don’t want to waltz around proclaiming just “how good you are” at the top of your lungs, however, you can and should put certain tools to work on your behalf. Tools like LinkedIn, Brand Yourself, About Me and a myriad of others that promote your visibility and competency without you having to look like an arrogant self-promoter. Use these tools to tell your story around the clock and anytime someone decides they want to learn a bit more about you, you’ve got a valuable utility working on your behalf––even when you’re not paying attention. And these tools are capable of telling your story very well, particularly when they’re constructed properly. You never know when opportunity is going to come along and maximizing your visibility is both key and central to your discoverability. You deserve it, right?

This is 2014 and technology has moved so quickly (and not slowing down) that it’s left many in it’s wake and thinking that they would eventually get around to learning this or that. Are you one of them? At the sake of pointing out the obvious, if you give this technology train an inch it will take a quick foot and before you know it, you’ll be just like that “older” person you already know that just doesn’t get it. You know the one––poor thing. The point is, the tools and technology available to help you become more visible are worth the time and effort. Don’t get left behind.

Somebody’s probably looking for someone just like you! Since you occupy the big corner office at Y.O.U., there’s not a more qualified person when it comes to promoting your number one product. Be self-aware and remember a cardinal rule: Your image is shaped by what you share (and in some cases what you don’t!).

Engage, get visible and stop being such a secret!

Can You See Me Now?

The economy is recovering, digital utilities are improving and technology is dis-intermediating person-to-person intimacy, so you better have an online presence with a virtual representation of yourself or you’re carrying the equivalent of the old brick phone in a sleek iPhone world. Go ahead with that particular philosophy and see where it gets you. Visibility is key and central for your professional well-being and it’s easier than you might think! Why do it, you ask?

DISCOVERABILITY

There are so many connectivity platforms that you have no excuse. Whether it’s LinkedIn or a whole host of others you must rise above the sea-of-sameness and make yourself visible. Quit hiding in plain sight for God’s sake––intentional or otherwise. At least get your head above the fray by fine-tuning your personal profile (social resume), focusing on a couple of key words and phrases and getting a decent photograph of yourself… seriously! Don’t waste your professional visibility efforts on Facebook (a neighborhood cocktail party equivalent), engage with LinkedIn: it’s the quinessential networking and recruitment platform.

OPPORTUNITY

People are looking. Opportunities abound, particularly in this recovering economy. Between social media and crazy-good search engine functionality there are ubiquitous queries taking place and whether its employment, social or advisory, there are plenty of opportunities. Are you positioned for discoverability? Passive online recruiting for all of the above is running rampant and none of us would mind getting blind-sided with a significant career opportunity, social invite, advisory fee or start-up invite!

CREDIBILITY

In the absence of a robust online presence, people may wonder if you are incapable, uncaring or just hiding something? Maybe stuck in another decade. Right, wrong or indifferent, that’s how it gets interpreted. It doesn’t matter who you are or the quality of your background; you should have a significant online presence with a high quality virtual representation of yourself. People are looking and you have to actively broadcast your story if you want to reach beyond your immediate sphere-of-influence. With the appropriate key words, phrases and descriptors of your skill-set and talents, you stand a significant chance of making the so-called short list and getting face-to-face with a decision maker where you can do what you do best and that’s represent your number one product… YOU.

Digital media is an indispensable platform and used responsibly (read: intelligently) it can exponentially magnify your visibility. In other words, it’s your personal megaphone––so use it! It can be your agent and publicist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Put it to work for you on a full-time basis. A few hundred words can paint a perfect picture of who you are and be there on your behalf around-the-clock. Who couldn’t use that? Opportunity givers are combing the web––it’s just a more efficient way of discovery and they’re getting better and better at it.

Get off the proverbial couch and put yourself out there!

Somebody’s looking for someone just like you.

What A Bitch!

Let’s be honest, we’ve all made snap judgments about others and plenty have been made about us––that’s just the way it is. Maybe it was the shirt the person was wearing, the car they drove or just the sound of their voice. Maybe it was the way an email was worded or the tone in a voice mail. It could have been their walk, a weird hairdo or some quirky mannerism. Isn’t it funny how we can take one small thing and overlay a complete persona? We all do it. And the scary part: it often sticks and in some cases we become a broadcaster and proliferate an opinion based on our limited if not single interaction with a person. “She must be a bitch.” “I bet he’s a real asshole to work for!” “What a nerd.” All based on a snap judgment, formed in the instant, without deliberation. How many times have you thought one thing and then had an opportunity to really get to know someone only to learn just how wrong you were?

Getting to know someone adds context to who they really are. Person-to-person interaction often allows for a familiarity and nearness that reminds us of a lesson we were taught as children and yet most of us have a reasonably difficult time following: “Never judge a book by its cover“. In today’s digital environment, one that includes a new social media platform almost daily, person-to-person contact continues to give way to the efficiency of online interaction. That means your ability to add “context” to who you are is getting more difficult and that’s not going to change. As a matter of fact, it’s going to get more and more challenging and that’s why its so important that you take charge of your virtual persona, control the narrative about yourself and work diligently to add personal context for your burgeoning network of colleagues. You can influence that all important first impression, even if it is occurring online!

Count on this: If someone is scheduled to have a first meeting with you, they will likely check you out on LinkedIn, Google your name, peek at your Facebook page, glance at your Twitter posts and browse through your Instagram pictures––all in an effort to develop a little advance intel and advantage prior to the meeting. They might even enter your name into Spokeo for some additional color. In the process, they will form an opinion about you and if they’re wrong, you may have to work extra hard to recover from a bad first impression––that’s how it works!

Don’t be a victim!

Distinguish Yourself!

“A picture is worth a thousand words” refers to the notion that complex ideas can be conveyed with just a single still image. However, the notion doesn’t make reference to the conveyance being positive or negative, only complex. Complex because an image is able to convey what might otherwise require several pages of text. Having an effective around-the-clock virtual representation of yourself is critical in today’s online environment. Fortuitous, self serving and just plain smart––no matter your circumstances. Particularly if a person wants to reach beyond their intimate group of face-to-face interactions and leverage this powerful megaphone known as the internet. Here’s a fact: With the explosion of social media, people have an ever-increasing network of contacts. Intimacy is positively losing out to efficiency, both personally and professionally. Some people continue to struggle to balance their relationship with technology but we are all on an inexorable path with technology’s prowess––might as well put it to good use.

Its been said that words and pictures live in harmony. So, imagine a quality image combined with compelling words––all used as a powerful and effective representation of you; for you. Words and pictures that allow a reader to effectively negotiate their interpretations and judgment about who you are, particularly in the absence of opportunity for personal interactions. The internet allows you to reach well beyond your normal sphere-of-influence. It allows for around-the-clock, world-wide visibility. Put together properly, it allows you to separate yourself from the vast sea of online sameness in order to stand out and maximize your discoverability. The obvious goal being to create a positive influence on the reader and motivate them to want to know more.

With search engine functionality continuing to improve, you can and will be found, particularly if someone is searching specifics. However, its one thing to be found by a name search, its all together something different to be found by a skill search. And you definitely want to be identified in multiple searches. You want to show up on more than one list, particularly if someones looking for someone like you. Both offered and considered opportunities are key––its always nice to have choices and the more the better. Advantage you. Don’t give up on that! There are lots of opportunity-givers that might not yet realize you are the person they’re looking for––make it easy for them. Be the most dresssed-up digital version of yourself! Know this: it’s work-in-progress but you should make refinement a priority. It will be that important! Get ahead of it by recognizing the opportunity and making your online persona a priority. There’s no better use of technology than the promotion of your own well-being and livelihood.

It’s your story.

Make the words count.

Personal Visibility – The Power of You!

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Tom McCollum

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Tom McCollum

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