Welcome to the new world of self promotion.
By Leigh-Anne Acquisto, Owner Liquorish Ink
We live in an age where personal brands are as, if not more, important than where people work or what brands they surround themselves with. In fact, the role of self promotion and self branding has become a rather dangerous pastime in some countries. There have been twelve recorded selfie deaths in 2015 so far, and only eight recorded deaths from shark attacks. Which means we live in an age where more people die from taking selfies than from shark attacks.
In fact, in some countries, selfie-related injuries have become so prevalent that governments have released guides on selfie safety.
So what’s going on? Has the world gone mad, are people completely idiotic or is there some reasonable explanation for the way people have taken so strongly to self promotion?
Self branding is not new, it’s just become a lot easier to do as there are now so many channels available for people to build profiles and promote themselves. According to statistics released by Facebook in late 2014, over 1 million selfies are uploaded on its platform daily.
Potential employers have also become more likely to do background research on candidates through social media to help them make an employment decision.
This shows that with every freedom comes some measure of responsibility, and while these platforms offer opportunities for people to empower themselves, they can also be a tool for destruction.
So how do you balance between positively promoting yourself and not doing yourself a disservice?
You are a brand.
Like any brand you need to think about the reputation you are building for yourself through the use of social media. Your public persona is critical. Once you decide how you want your brand to be perceived, you can start to be much more strategic about what you post. A strong personal brand can yield significant return on investment, whether you are looking for a new career opportunity, working with an organization, or leading one.
What would Mom say?
Successful brands understand the value of storytelling as a way of connecting with people. But how you tell your story is just as important as the story itself. Gauge the appropriateness of your posts by thinking what your mom or a future boss would think if they saw it. Remember, great brand stories:
Are rooted in truth
Are created with intention
Appeal twice as much to the heart twice as to the mind
Make people feel like they belong
Give people something to talk about and, more importantly, something to believe in
