As Oscar Wilde said,
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”.
If you are not visible online, if your prospective clients/customers can’t find you online, then you don’t exist.
Did you know that it takes less than 30 seconds to catch a person’s attention when you tell them what you do?
This is why you need a great brand but the thing is that creating a great brand is not always easy, although sometimes it can appear out of the blue as a flash of inspiration! This is why I want to give you a few tips on how to create your online brand whether you are looking to promote yourself to get a new job or to promote your business.
Your brand is not the same as your logo, tag line or brochure. It is who you are, what you are and a package of consistency. Creating a good brand takes a lot of time and effort. It also needs to be as visible as possible to attract as many people as possible.
This is why I asked you to Google yourself last week (if you haven’t done it yet please take time to do it today) because it is important to check out just what comes up. The search results must contain content that you are in control of as this is what builds your online presence and makes you stand out from the crowd and differentiate you from your competitors.
Firstly you need to establish credibility that keeps you focused on what and who you are delivering to. Be consistent. Know your market, who do you want to attract
and know what they want. To do this, answer the following questions:
- What is your passion around what you do and how you serve people?
- Where do you focus most of your attention?
- What makes you different?
- What do your clients say about you, what words do they use?
- Why are you in business, what drives and motivates you to do what you do?
Your brand must be your most authentic self and be aligned with your beliefs and values i.e. don’t create an image of you that you are not.
Once you are out there, you need to monitor your online presence and know what is being said and know how to address it, both the positive and the negative. Be proactive, thank people for positive comments and respond positively to negative ones.
Remember that it takes time to maintain visibility and brand – do it every day to develop a niche and online presence.
