I thought it very important to share this piece of wisdom By Mirim Chege of the Kenya Institute of Management.
With the world living online, it is amazing the kind of
connections and information that is shared every second. From people posting what
is going on in their minds, to sharing photos, updating profiles, commenting on
posts, tweeting, sharing blogs and articles, the platforms for engagements are
phenomenally mind-boggling. We can now share content and news and even give
feedback on real time basis.
Unlike in the old when first impression was made
within a physical encounter, today people are googling you as soon as they see
your name in a workshop schedule or in a news item. By the time you are
standing before an audience or appearing in an interview, people have already
formed perceptions of who you are. By a click of a button, your potential
employer can pick bits of digital information ranging from your bio, articles,
posts on Facebook, comments on twitter and blogs and make a judgement on
whether to employ you or not. The same info might be the reason a potential
business partner keeps away or gets interested.
This means that we cannot just
interact online without strategically and deliberating thinking of the effects
of our social media activity on our personal brands. With social media, we have
a huge opportunity to exploit our business and career potential. Your
collective social media presence can give you an advantage which you should not
only manage but shape continually to give you a competitive edge. The question
then is - how can we strategically leverage our social media positively to
build our personal brands? A personal social media strategy starts with you
thinking of your goals both personal and professional. What do you want to
achieve on both ends and how do you consistently address both in the most
authentic manner. You don’t want your social friends to post comments or images
that can compromise your professional image and neither do you want to remain
stiff and aloof to your family and friends online.
Protect Your Personal Brand Online
There is need to protect your personal brand online. Without
proper consideration of the kind of people you want to befriend and information
that you seek to receive and share, your personal brand can be vulnerable.
Ensuring that you have your settings in control is a good place to start.
Previewing friends is also a good idea. Ensuring a professional profile online
can be an advantage. A current bio and a professional picture gives you a good
CV. Ensuring that your username is unique is highly advised.
Distinguishing
yourself from other online users with similar names can be the differentiator
that you require to ensure your brand is not compromised. It might be helpful
to google yourself and see the kind of information or comments around your
brand. Minding your language, ethics and ensuring a professional decorum is a
must. It is worth noting that compromising real life situations can filter into
your social media space, go viral and become a scandal that not only hurts your
personal but also professional brand. The rule here would be to avoid compromising
situations and pictures which can be used against your brand at some point even
long after. Some of those posts might be a permanent record for the consumption
of generations to come.
In a highly online world we have many platforms such as
Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn to build a personal brand. As
organisations spend time and resources to manage their institutional brands
online, professionals cannot afford to be casual and inconsistent on the same.
Happy and blessed Easter to you.
