The emergence of social media sites like Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and others, has taken personal branding to new heights. Your personal brand serves as your digital resume’ providing a wealth of information about you, far more than could ever be presented on a couple sheets of paper. Your future resume will be online, filed under your name and found using Google.
This is why building your personal brand should be a high priority for you; otherwise you may find yourself at a disadvantage in the not so distant future. Think of the major shift that has occurred from the offline life to the online life during the past ten years. Now think ahead to the next ten years and you can see why it is important to cultivate your brand now.
When people encounter your name, your profile or your products, what will they think? What comes to mind?
The answer to these questions can make or break your business building efforts.
I have said many times, everyone has an opinion about your brand and how you are perceived, so you just as well have a say in those perceptions, insuring that your image is a positive one.
Do you know what your personal or business brand will mean to others in 10 years?
Of course not, but consider what it COULD mean if you continually work on it starting today.
Personal branding is evolving
It is no longer a simple matter of showing up for that job interview with a nicely crafted resume and a neat appearance. Companies are now checking online to see what they can learn about you.
Give them something positive to see. You may want to think twice about those wild party photos you’ve posted on Facebook, but that’s another post for another time. 
But seriously, be proactive about this and build a professional profile and web presence for future job and business situations. No matter your current position in life, age or business model, you should not underestimate the importance of the personal brand in your future.
Why you need a personal brand
As previously stated, this is critically important for your future success. Competition for jobs, products and just about everything else in society is fierce since there are overwhelming numbers of people in all aspects of life.
Without a well built personal brand, one that speaks very positively about you, your abilities and what you represent, you will remain just another number in an overcrowded field. You must somehow standout from most others in order to be selected for what you have to offer. Somehow, you must be different, be remarkable. This may mean getting out on the fringe or going that extra mile.
Avoid the out of touch label
There was a time when businesses simply opened their doors and word of mouth advertising within the community was enough to sustain their operations. Then came local advertising like flyers and newspapers, eventually moving online with websites, and the businesses that fail to make the leap to the online world are viewed as somewhat out of touch.
Personal brands will follow the same path, develop an online presence or face the real possibility of being viewed as out of touch.
Conclusion
I have encouraged many of my friends and others who have yet to begin the process of establishing an online presence and building a personal brand to get started. Some have while many have not.
The have-nots are placing themselves at a disadvantage because they are already behind the trends of tomorrow.
If you already have your profiles on sites like Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter you are on the path toward success, but you’ll have to do more.
Stand out from the crowd by discovering what makes you or your business unique. Be remarkable and do more than most others. Your personal and business brands will reward you for the effort.
Keep Blogging!
Stay updated via RSS
Jimi Jones Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Hi Ileane.
LOL – I have to agree on the FB back then thing.
Some of what is posted today can seriously harm folks in the employment arena. It’s all fun and games until that interview arrives.
I will be posting about the downside of what appears on some of those sites soon.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..The Importance of the Personal Brand =-.
[Reply]