In this day-and-age of Social Media, brand is so important. Maybe moreso now than ever because a brand can be tarnished with one Tweet, Facebook Wall post, blog post, or blog post comment. Particularly if we’re talking about one’s personal brand. In this instance, personal brand can often be tied to someone’s livelihood. But you know the great thing about this? We (individuals) have total and complete control of our own brand.
“Never put anything on Facebook you wouldn’t want your mother to see,” is something I often hear, and if you think about it, it’s true. Our personal brand is attached to our name…our image (both literally and figuratively)…. So wouldn’t you want those represented in the best light possible? After all, you never know when your personal brand could help or hurt you.
Here are a few things to consider to help protect the integrity of your personal brand, and to think about before hitting that “Tweet”, “Publish”, or “Share” button:
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- Someone “new” may be checking you out. Perhaps you recently attended a conference or a networking event, and some of the folks you met are looking through your Twitter stream, or checking out your Facebook Wall. You don’t want to turn them off with a constant barrage of “complaining” Tweets or updates, do you?
- Potential employers may be researching you. This is particularly important to keep in mind in our digital society. Don’t damage your opportunity for new professional adventures by constantly Tweeting nasty messages or dirty words, or what’s worse…complaining about your current employer!
- Nobody likes a whiner (see also bullet #1)! Really, it’s true. A complaint every now-and-then is certain to be expected when such an easy platform is at our fingertips, but nobody finds value in someone who’s constantly a Debby Downer (at least I don’t!).
- Be yourself! You’ve attracted an audience and a following because people like you, and care about what you have to say! If you aren’t being authentic and letting your true self come through, chances are your audience is going to know it.
- Brand consistency. If someone’s visiting your Twitter profile, then jumping over to your Facebook, is it a consistent experience? Refer to this post we published a couple of months ago for more on the topic.
Can you think of any others?
So you see, we really do have the power to protect our own personal brand! It just may take a little work on our part is all. Who are some of the people you follow that have strong personal brands?