Recognise The Power Of Your Personal Brand
The power of a personal brand has long been recognised by the recruitment industry, which makes mileage out of ensuring they achieve the perfect fit as often as possible. It is now commonplace for employers and recruiters to delve into our online worlds and sniff back along the virtual snail trail that leads a path to who we are and what we stand for.
Every time we traipse around Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and the like, leaving comments on photographs, posting status updates or sharing our opinions online, we leave behind indelible footprints that cannot be washed away by the tides of time. With the ever-broadening scope of social media, it is increasingly important for individuals, not just businesses, to bear in mind that their reputation and how others perceive them is impacted by their social interactions.
What you have spent so long building up, the image that you have cultivated and nurtured in your personal as well as professional life, can come crashing down so easily if you put a foot out of place. Or, more relevantly, if you disengage the common sense filter and speak out of turn in your social media meddling.
A key factor in safeguarding your reputation is being able to maintain a consistent and cohesive personal brand. While it is perfectly acceptable to speak with a slightly different voice according to the medium used – Twitter encourages a more witty commentary and a cut-to-the-quick attitude, whereas Facebook is more relaxed, more social in the classic sense of the word – it should be borne in mind that they all represent who you are and, unless you restrict your security settings (and few of us do), they can be viewed by almost anyone. If there should be any contradiction in the image that we present, it could be picked up on and, in the wrong hands, it could seriously dent our personal or professional creditability.
This is not to say that social media is a bad thing – far from it – but it serves well to sense check anything you say online: Is that how you would want your mother, spouse or boss to hear you speak? If it is not, then it is probably best to adapt your language, bite your tongue, or pick a less public route to getting across what you want to say. I would definitely not condone censoring your online dialogue – unless you are at the more extreme end of the scale, maybe – and we all enjoy the playful banter that makes us all the more human, but I would suggest that you consider the consequences before hitting send.
Remember, you are the gatekeeper to your own brand. You produce the brand guidelines relevant to whom you are and how you want to be perceived. You also control the adherence to those standards. You are your own brand guardian and you bear the responsibility that goes hand in hand with that role. Remember that next time your fingers hover over the keys to post a cutting comment or witty retort.
Marcus Agar been commissioned by Branding Magazine to write commentaries, based on my experience of international PR and marketing (with thanks to Aleksandar Djurić).
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