How to Market Yourself Using Social Media and the Internet

How to Market Yourself Using Social Media and the Internet

Posted on Mon, Mar 04, 2013 @ 12:47 PM

We talk a lot about how to market your company via social media and the internet. But how about marketing yourself? I would argue that with the advent of social media, every person has the opportunity to become their own brand. Whether you are looking for a job, keeping your resume current, or a business owner, building your brand online is equally important.

In order to be visible to others, you should be a part of at least a few social media networks. Some of the most popular for professionals are of course Facebook, and also LinkedIn and Twitter. Having a personal website or blog is a great idea as well, depending on what you are trying to market yourself for.

Here are some reasons that you should have a presence on social media and build your personal brand:

Facebook ? Facebook offers a unique opportunity in that you can promote yourself and your business in several different ways. In order to build your personal brand, you should have your personal page up to date. Include what you do for work. Keep your page work-appropriate ? now is the time to delete any unflattering photos from college where you may or may not be holding a red plastic cup and/or doing something that you wouldn?t want your professional connections to see. Some people choose to make a second Facebook page just for professional connections, but beware, this violates the terms of service for the site and can cause both of your pages to be shut down.

LinkedIn ? I recently wrote a post detailing how to keep your LinkedIn profile current. It?s important for your profile to be complete if you want potential employers to consider you. Many employers are turning to LinkedIn to check out an applicant?s job history. LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to be a bit more creative. When building a personal brand, it?s great to show your personality. While you definitely want to showcase your professional accomplishments, people should be able to see that you are a human, and an interesting one, on the other side of the computer.

Twitter ? since Twitter only allows for short, 140 character posts, it?s a great place to post interesting links, articles, photos, or infographics that you find. These can be related to your personal interests or your profession. This way, people can see that you take the time to be knowledgeable about what is going on in the world. You can also use Twitter to communicate with professional connections as well as companies that you might be interested in working for.

A website or blog ? having a website or blog can help you build your personal brand by letting people learn more about you in a broader way. Your website can include samples of your work, places you?ve been published, even personal anecdotes or recipes. Anything to build your web presence. A blog has similar uses; even a personal blog helps to expand your online repertoire.

It?s a good idea to work on building your personal brand even if you are not currently seeking employment. You never know what opportunities may come your way through this different form of networking. It?s nice to be able to refer people to your online pages without having to worry about cleaning them up or updating them before they are seen. By keeping everything up to date, you will be in a great position to show off your talents.

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Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Source: http://www.grmwebsite.com/blog/bid/82791/How-to-Market-Yourself-Using-Social-Media-and-the-Internet

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