Heres Why You Should Take Your Personal Branding Seriously

Here’s Why You Should Take Your Personal Branding Seriously Here’s Why You Should Take Your Personal Branding Seriously SEO and personal branding aren’t just for businesses anymore- professionals are using them to get ahead in their careers. Your personal branding is just as important as your resume. If you’re starting to break into a cold sweat, don’t. While SEO and branding sound scary and complicated, they’re actually a lot simpler than you may think. Don’t believe me? I spoke with three experts who shared stories of personal branding success, broke down what it really means, and discussed how to do it yourself. Here’s what the experts had to say about SEO and your personal branding: Content, Context, and Consistency While personal branding and SEO sound really technical, Debra Wheatman, career coach, resume expert, and founder of Careers Done Write, has a simple definition: “Branding is the experience you create when people interact with you,” she said. “You must be the CEO of your own career, and must actively market your most important product- YOU.” To do this effectively, you need three main components: content, context, and consistency. Here’s an example of how these principles work in real life. Linda is a senior-level marketing professional and one of Wheatman’s clients. “Her most unique skill is that she’s a fantastic writer whose writing isn’t only clear and understandable, but her style is also entertaining,” Wheatman said. Linda put her writing skills to work to build her personal brand. She began blogging about the trends she observed in her field and her thoughts about them on LinkedIn. These blogs were the content. But content doesn’t do much if no one sees it. So, she joined LinkedIn groups for digital and product marketers. She shared her articles in the groups in addition to tweeting them out to her followers, making sure the right people saw her writing. Focusing on her target audience built Linda’s context. Linda didn’t see personal branding success overnight, it took consistency. She posted one article each week and after a year of this strategy, she grew her Twitter following by 300 percent. The results were big, but the strategy was simple. Create content that communicates who you are, understand your audience and know when and where to share your content, and consistently publish timely, quality content. “Personal branding is really an integrated content marketing program built around you and your core values,” Wheatman said. Visibility Growing your social media following can help to get your name out there and establish yourself as an industry expert, but personal branding can also help you land a job. That’s what Jeff Lipschultz, a recruiter and founding partner of A-List Solutions, a Dallas-based recruiting and employment consulting company, stresses to job seekers. A few years ago, he even presented on the topic at a conference. “Job seekers needed to hear that it’s not enough to put yourself out there when you apply for a job,” he said. “It’s really about how you present yourself. You want to be an authority and trusted resource in your field.” Sitting in the audience that day was David. He had never thought much about personal branding, but he was inspired by the presentation. He started applying the principles Lipschultz spoke about. He started blogging and sharing his content on his social profiles. After some time, a larger blog saw his content and published it on their site. An employer saw his content on that site and offered him a job. What started as a side project turned into a new opportunity. “You never know who’s going to see what you’re doing or who you’re reaching,” Lipschultz said. “To a recruiter, personal branding means they can more accurately and more easily access your information without even talking to you. A LinkedIn profile with nothing in it is useless because you won’t come up in a search if a recruiter is looking for certain qualities.” Much of the vetting process in hiring happens before a potential candidate is even contacted, he explained. So, showing that you’re unique and standing out in a search is a huge advantage. Authenticity   Your personal branding and SEO are important to career success, but it requires patience. There are no shortcuts. “Personal branding as it’s largely discussed is a crock- you can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig. An authentic, relevant, and desirable brand takes years to develop- it’s called building a reputation,” said Martin Yate, New York Times bestselling author and professional resume writing expert. The way Yate sees it, you need an identity for your professional life, and personal branding helps you create it by thinking about your values, your skills, and your goals. And to be effective, your performance needs to stay true to your values and support the claims your brand makes. “In other words, you become today what you want to be known as tomorrow,” Yate said. This is exactly how he built his brand around his company, KnockEmDead.com. About 30 years ago, Yate made a decision that every page of his books would offer something readers could put into action to benefit them today. With that in mind, he set out to build his brands, both that of his company and that attached to his own name, to make a positive difference. He spent his time dedicated to doing whatever he could to help his clients- even if it meant losing money. Today, both his personal and business brand are well-known in the career management space for their cutting-edge thoughts and practical efficacy. “Do it right and stick with it for, oh say 30 years, and you got yourself a valuable brand backed by a personal reputation for knowledge, honesty, and integrity,” Yate said. “You’ll have a reputation that gives you fans, friends, and colleagues the world over. Getting Started These success stories sound great, but to find your own personal branding and SEO success, you need to start today. Here are a few simple steps you can use to get started: Find your keywords: What are you knowledgeable about? What do you want to be known for? What do you want your name to be associated with? These are the keywords you should start building content and your personal brand around. Find your voice: Building a personal brand doesn’t mean putting on airs. Be true to yourself to create an authentic reputation. Let your personality come through! Find your audience: Who are you speaking to? Other professionals in your industry? Learn what they’re talking about, what they like to read, and which platforms they hang out on. Personal branding does take time, but it’s a lot simpler than you may think. Start now to find new jobs and opportunities, grow your business, or establish your expertise. Susan P. Joyce is an online job search expert and owner and operator of Job-Hunt.org, the guide for a smarter, safer job search. Connect with Susan on Twitter and LinkedIn.