“From the [corporate] brand BMW, to the product make BMW M3 Coupe, and even down to the personal brand (car salesman), branding is a critical component to a customer’s purchasing decision.” – Dan Schawbel , author of ME 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

Now, more importantly than ever, businesses not only need to spend time developing content to further their brand presence but also need to educate their internal teams on how their own personal brand can impact company revenue. So how do we do that in the social world in a way that supports what we do but personalize it as well?

I’ve said this before, but content is KING – and regardless of its intent on being shared internally or externally, you need appropriate news that people can spread easily. This helps deliver your messages not only to the public but helps employees with limited time, share more about your brand.

Now in the age of selling 2.0, sales people have to be aware of how much their online persona contributes to their sales potential. Selling is no longer about shaking hands; it is about your online profile, your recommendations, who you know, who you’ve done business with and what they say about you. People are likely to check out your LinkedIn Profile before they meet you in person if you’ve talked to them on the phone (and just a note, if you are doing it right, you should have checked out anyone you are talking to on the phone on LinkedIn as well – and sent them an invite if appropriate).

So here are some tips in the world of Social Media and Building a Personal Brand Online.  

1. Update your picture to something relevant, attractive and professional – There isn’t anything worse than having no picture, or a having bad picture on LinkedIn. People want to see what you look like and who they are doing business with.
2. Update your profile regarding information on your current position and job – old information isn’t going to help you online, you have to keep it updated and add new skills and learning as you acquire them.
3. Update your feeds with things like, what you are reading and what your thoughts are on it – This is a great way to get conversations started and it can be anything from current books, blog articles, and newspaper/magazine articles. Everything that may be relevant and worth passing along is great.
4. Support your company’s content – if your company is blogging, share it. If your company is adding a new Youtube video, share it. If your company has put something up on slideshare, share it. Share it, share it, share it. It isn’t the sole responsibility of the marketing department to share content – it seriously takes a village and guaranteed, people will listen to you differently than they listen to your brand. Your followers will be a different make-up than most companies.
5. Contribute something – You may feel passionate about writing and want to start your own blog, you may just want to contribute an article or two occasionally to your company’s blog – everything helps get your more recognition. You can even become a guest blogger on someone else’s blog if you don’t have time to do it full time. The best way to get started is to make a brainstorming list of what you can contribute – and set goals for each one.
6. Participate in relevant social networking groups – this can be done both online and in person. On LinkedIn you can join groups in which there may be potential customers involved. This will help you also listen to needs and get involved in conversation. Offer something other than sales services but relevant articles and tips that can be shared to grow your online persona as an expert in the field. In networking groups, it is important to join them, attend and add value. You may want to offer to speak from time to time, if that isn’t your thing – maybe something more behind -the -scenes may work for you.

Everything you do online contributes to your brand. It is important to remember that and ask yourself – is this something I want to be associated with my image? Think creatively on how you can make the most of what you have to offer.

If you would like assistance from Blytheco on strategies around building a company brand with education for how your employees can build a personal brand that supports your mission, please contact us.