Digital You: Real Personal Branding in the Virtual Age

Research job listings. Find at least five job listings on LinkedIn, Indeed, and so on for the role you have, and five for the role you seek to have (remember, personal branding is both authentic and aspirational). Then look for the keywords these listings have in common.

“Globally, Internet video traffic will grow four-fold from 2017 to 2022, a compound annual growth rate of 33 percent” (Cisco).

High frequency: You do it a lot.

Quotes, awards, testimonials, and accolades bestowed upon you from someone else or by an organization—like being quoted in a publication—along with your degrees will serve to confirm what you’re saying about yourself.

People have become sophisticated searchers. They know that they need to refine the search when they see content that just doesn’t seem right. And refine it they will. That means they’ll put in a word or phrase to filter out the “un-you” content. The trick? You need to know the keywords they’ll use, and you need to make sure you include those distin

What makes you stand out? • What do people frequently compliment you on or praise you for? • What is it that your manager, colleagues, friends, and clients come to you for? • What adjectives do people consistently use to describe you—perhaps when they’re introducing you to others? • What makes the way you achieve results interesting or unique? • Wh

It’s a noisy world. To be heard in this world requires steadfast clarity and focus. You’ll get lost in the clamor if your message isn’t clear, consistent, and constant (the three Cs of strong brands, which we’ll talk about later in the book).

It’s your publicist. Move over, CNN. LinkedIn lets you showcase your expertise and express your point of view. Through the way you write your summary to the content you share in your activity feed, the groups you join, and the conversations you have, you can tell people who you are and what you believe.

Use first-person point of view (I/me) for your 3D brand bio.

Personal branding means giving value, not taking. It’s not about egotism or chest-pounding.