4 Tips on Building a Professional Online Brand

When you hear the word branding, some think of it only in terms of a company and not from a personal aspect. However, the importance of developing a professional online brand is something that can’t be overlooked.

I would argue that your professional online brand is even more important in today’s job market than ever before. Therefore, understanding how to build your brand in the digital sphere is huge.

I continually try to optimize my brand, and listed below are four tips that have helped improve my overall online brand.

4 Tips on Building a Professional Online Brand

1. Invest in a Portfolio Website & Monitor Search Results

I touched on portfolio websites in a previous article about How to Stand Out in the Job Hunt. Although having your own website makes more sense for certain career fields, improving your online presence in general is more beneficial than you think.

According to the Huffington Post, “80% of employers Google job applicants before inviting them into an interview.” What do you want recruiters and potential employers to find when they search for you on Google? Because understand that this regularly happens in the hiring process.

Take the time and learn how to create a portfolio site, optimize with SEO, and start to dominate the search results in a positive way. If using tools like Wix or Weebly, be sure to invest in your own personal domain (ryandoser.com for ex.) for a more professional perception.

Having your own portfolio site also allows for opportunities to include your URL on social media profiles, business cards, job applications, Resumes, and other personal branding items. 

2. Create and Share Content 

Creating content and putting it out there for thousands to see can be a scary thought for many. I know I had similar thoughts prior to launching this blog and sharing my work.

Yet once I overcame this fear of promoting my brand online, the results have been incredible. I’ve had former colleagues, professors, friends, and industry professionals reach out showing their support.

Creating content has connected me with great individuals and has opened more opportunities here in the past few months than I would have imagined.

With that being said, I would highly encourage any college student or young professional to enhance their professional online brand through content creation.

Whether it’s a blog, podcast, photography, or video understand that creating professional content and getting your name out there will only improve your brand.

3. Prioritize LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the best resources for building a professional online brand. If you truly care about professional branding, then being active on LinkedIn must be a priority.

Connect with industry professionals, like/share posts, create your own posts about personal accomplishments, and spend time optimizing your profile.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my previous article about LinkedIn on How to Make Your Profile Stand Out.

I’ve been able to gain some valuable connections in Des Moines by simply being active on LinkedIn and having people reach out to me after engaging with my posts. I’ve even had some individuals approach me at events saying they recognized me from LinkedIn, which made it easier to connect in person.

I check in with LinkedIn every day now, but as a starting goal I’d recommend using the platform at least 4-5 times per week. Ultimately, because it’s effective and free to use, LinkedIn is one of the best resources out there for developing a professional online brand.

4. Clean Up Social Media Presence

I’m certain you’ve heard this one before, but it’s critical to clean up your presence on social platforms in order to build a professional online brand.

I’ll admit there’s still improvements I could make with this one, but cleaning up your social media profiles is especially crucial during the job search.

In fact, a survey from CareerBuilder found that “70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and 54 percent decided not to hire an applicant based on something they found on their social profiles.”

Almost everyone has personal information floating around online through social media, so the key is to make sure your personal life is only available to those who you want seeing it.

In the end, always remember that your social media presence is a major factor when it comes to developing your professional brand.

Final Take

My ultimate goal here was to inform you about the importance of creating a professional online brand for your own image.

Investing in a portfolio site, monitoring search results, creating content, prioritizing LinkedIn, and cleaning up your social media presence. In order to build a sustainable, professional online brand these are some of the steps you must take.

On a final note, I’ve had several individuals reach out lately about content ideas for upcoming articles, so if you have an idea be sure to Contact Me!