Your personal virtual brand

What’s in a name?

by Deborah Weinstein

Everything, when it’s your personal brand; and perception is reality in the virtual world.

But branding isn’t something left to corporations and products. We are all brands. Your personal brand reflects who you are and what you do. Your personal brand is reflected in what you say and what you do. This is particularly important in the social media space, where your words, thoughts, musings and frailties are broadcast, saved and indexed by robots. It is therefore important to be proactive about managing your personal brand.

Virtual personality

This brand personality also needs to be strong, authentic and compelling. This is what helps people emerge and differentiate themselves from millions of other voices clamouring to be heard. Your name in the socially-networked universe defines your brand — your essence, what you stand for, your reputation and your three second BLINK, all in 140 characters or less!

Differentiate yourself

So, how do you differentiate and elevate your personal brand, your on-line identity, in a social world teeming with thousands, no millions, of individuals calling out to be heard?

For proof of the bottom-line importance of asserting your personal brand you need look no further than:

• A recent poll of 2600 North American Hiring Managers that revealed 45% of those surveyed use social media background checks to vet prospective employees; and
• 35% of respondents said they’d found something social that caused them NOT to hire the candidate. (continues next page)
  

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