How to Create and Maintain a Personal Brand Online

Personal branding is the process of creating and marketing a certain image for yourself online. Basically, your personal brand is your impression and reputation in the minds of others. With the rise of social media, crafting a personal branding has never been easier. Your online presence and personal branding are closely intertwined and work together to create an image of yourself for fellow colleagues and professionals.

In order to cultivate your personal brand, you should have a presence online. In today’s day in age having a presence online is the easiest and most effective way to build a personal brand. Everyone can create an online presence simply by creating social media accounts for themselves. Making yourself a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn is an easy and free way to create an online image for yourself. By keeping these social media profiles active and updated, you are contributing to your online presence and therefore creating a platform to build your personal brand. Be sure to post appropriate content for each social media platform. For example, you wouldn’t want to post a picture of your dog with his or her new toy on LinkedIn. That content is more appropriate for Facebook or Instagram. Another great personal branding tip is to give all your social media profiles a consistent look and feel.

So how do we create and maintain our personal brand? The first step to perfecting a personal brand is to express who you are. Having your education, professional experience, skills and specializations available for others shows people who you are, what you are capable of, and what you plan to do in the future.  Be sure to highlight your strengths, this is what will help you encompass who you are while emphasizing your most important features. In addition to this, showing your personality and interests will really diversify and personalize your brand. This is arguably the most important aspect of your personal brand since it helps you stand out and differentiate yourself from everyone else. Be sure to be as honest and authentic in this component.

Your personal brand is also built off of personal and professional relationships. This includes who you are connected with online and what these people say about you. Your personal brand is also built off of who and what you follow. Following influencers and communities online can really help you encompass who you are, what you are interested in and knowledgeable about, and what you stand for.

If you keep these guidelines in mind, you’ll be able to craft a personal brand for yourself online that will positively portray yourself to your colleagues and professionals.

Written by Emma Bevilacqua from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Must Read Books for PR Professionals!

Public Relations is a complex and tactical area of professionalism. Because of this countless books have been written on the subject of PR. These books are great resources for PR professionals that will give insight, advice, and strategies from high esteemed professionals. Here are some of the best PR books in my opinion that are must-reads for every PR professional!

1. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is a classic read for PR professionals and has sold over 15million copies since first being published in 1937. It provides valuable tips on how to communicate and persuade others in a professional and personal setting. Carnegie also includes a lot of personal stories proving his principles, which make the book a more entertaining read. Not only is this book a classic, but it’s also a good read!

2. “Crystallizing Public Opinion” was written by Edward Bernays, the father of public relations. It explains the psychology behind public relations. In this book, Bernays shares how ideas are spread, why they are spread, and why ideas either thrive or die out. The most fascinating thing about this book is that Bernays was well ahead of his time and seemed to have predicted the future of PR. If you can look past Bernays arrogant tone throughout the book, it is a very interesting read!

3. “Spin: How to Turn the Power of the Press to Your Advantage” was written by Michael S. Sitrick, the founder of a major crisis PR firm. This book gives you an inside look into the world of crisis communications. It’s basically a crisis PR handbook! It’s an important read that will give you the tools to successfully prepare you to deal with any crisis that the PR world could possibly throw at you.

4. “Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset” is written by Daniel Diermeier, a professor from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Diermeier covers the importance of reputation and how the digital age has made maintaining a good reputation harder than ever. It’s a captivating read that will open your eyes up to the importance of reputation.

5. “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World” by Michal Hyatt gives you a step-by-step guide to build your own presence in a cluttered world. Hyatt gives insight on how to make your brand stand out by telling you how to be different, relevant, and noticeable. He gives advice on how to do this on various platforms such as blogging, social media, media kits, and more! Definitely read give this book a read and check out Michael Hyatt’s renowned blog and podcasts too!

Do you have any favorite PR oriented books? Share with us in the comment section below!

Written by Emma Bevilacqua of Rebecca Adele PR & Events