The  right  way  to  use  social  media  to  build  your  professional  influence.  

Speaker:  Lauren  Hernandez  Digital  Marketer  

“All  of  us  need  to  understand  the    importance  of  branding.  We  are  CEOs    of  our  own  companies:  ME  Inc.  To  be  in  business  today  our  most  important  job    

is  to  be  the  head  marketer  for    

the  brand  called  YOU.”  -­‐  Tom  Peters,  Author  of  “The  Brand  Called  You”,  Forbes  Magazine  

¡  Your  personal  brand  is  the  idea  that  comes  to  others  minds’  when  they  think  of  you  and,  whenever  they  think  about  the  values,  abilities,  actions,  and  areas  which  you  associate  with.  

¡  The  action  and  business  of    promoting  and  selling  products  or  services,  including  marketing    research  and  advertising.      

YOU  ARE  IN  CHARGE  OF    YOUR  OWN  BRAND    ¡  The  action  and  business  of  promoting  and  selling  yourself  and  

unique  value  to  employers,  including  marketing  research  and  advertising.    

SELF-­‐PACKAGING  

¡ The  World  is  Changing  Every  Day    §  Fewer  jobs  means  more  competition  –  you  need  to  stand  out  from  the  crowd  

§  Increased  visibility  –social  media  blurs  personal  and  professional  online  presence  for  anyone  to  see  

§  Globalization  –  Employers  have  access  to  an  abundant  about  of  info  and  seekers,  so  why  should  they  choose  you?  

§  Credibility  –  Establishing  credibility  means  attracting  and  securing  new  opportunities.  

 

Differentiate  YOU  

Audit  Your  Presence  Online  

Make  a  Professional  Website  or  Blog  

Connect  with  Other  Strong  Brands  

Find  Ways  to  Provide  Value  with  Sharing  

Power  of  Narrative:  Create  Your  Story  

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2   Define  and  Know  Your  Audience  

¡ Ask  Yourself  Some  Discovery  Questions    §  What  are  your  personal  and  

professional  values?  §  What  are  your  passions?  What  drives  

you?  §  What  are  your  hard  skills?  Soft  skills?  §  What  are  your  goals?  §  How  does  all  of  this  add  value  to  your  

future  employer?  

?   ?  ?   ?  

?  

¡  Do  your  research.  Know  your  audience  and  frame  your  personal  brand  with  it  in  mind.    §  What  the  pressing  issues  in  that  

field,  industry,  or  company  §  How  do  you  solve  their  

problems?  

¡  Pretend  you’re  an  employer.  Then,  Google  yourself!      

¡ Will  employers  be  able  to  find  you  when  they  Google  you?    §  Contact  info  §  Resume  §  Accomplishments  §  Work  Examples  §  Relevant  content  §  Your  Bio  

¡  Curate  Content  That  Fits  Your  Brand,  Be  Strategic    §  Stay  relevant    by  sharing  to  trends  in  

your  field  §  Don’t  bad-­‐mouth  past  employers  §  Stay  positive,  avoid  complaining  

without  providing  a  solution  §  Don’t  take  too  strong  a  stance  on  

controversial  issues;  politics,  religion,  etc.  

¡  Leverage  Connections  to  Strong  Brands  That  Prove  Credibility  With  the  4  C’s    §  College:  Where  did  you  go?  Is  there  an  alumni  newsletter  you  can  

contribute  to?  §  Company:  Where  have  you  worked?  Can  you  contribute  to  a  company  

blog  as  a  thought  leader?  §  Colleagues:  Can  they  recommend  you?  §  Community:  Are  you  involved  in  groups  related  to  your  professional  

passions?  

¡  Be  Genuine:  Create  a  narrative  to  tie  all  your  

professional  passions  together.    §  Discover  your  story  §  Re-­‐write  it  §  Share  it;  tell  people  what  drives  you  to  do  the  best  you  can  do.  

¡  Remember:    You  have  the  control  of  your  personal  brand  and  it’s  evolution  over  time.