Building a professional brand and profile
Digital disruption is creating an unprecedented opportunity for you to build your professional profile. It has revolutionised the ability for grow your professional brand digitally, reaching millions of people around the globe, day or night. No longer is your resume the only document you can use to shine a light on your skills and experience.
Building your own professional pitch is now paramount. Given you have so many digital platforms available to you to amplify your professional voice, you need to make sure you have clarity around the message you plan to convey.
Here are just some of the digital platforms you can use to grow your professional profile:
- Resume
- LinkedIn profile
- Personal website
- Other industry based social platforms
- Industry forum chat boards
- Professional profile on your company intranet or similar
Overwhelmed? Don’t be. The key here is to use each of these digital platforms in a coordinated and consistent way. The hard work is forming your “professional pitch”.
Building a profitable personal brand online is not a sprint, and something that happens over night. Don’t aim for perfection early on. Instead allow your brand to evolve naturally over time and focus on providing massive value and over deliver to your target audience. Then you will get more clear over your message and brand as well. Always remember that – Navid Moazzez
Many of us have been part of a team building session or two, where we have spent some time trying to build an elevator pitch explaining the unique value proposition of the company we work for. Now you need to do the same for your own professional brand.
The great news is that you do not need to be all things for all people. In fact your message may communicate a niche competency and skills base.
Asking yourself the following questions is a great place to start when forming your key brand messages:
- What are my key skills and core competencies?
- Where have I built my key skills and experience?
- What can I offer that is unique or adds value to the companies, customers and colleagues?
There are obviously a plethora of books, resources and personal brand specialists experts out there who can assist you to refine your message. When brainstorming ideas, it’s helpful to ask those you work with, what words they would use to describe you and what they see as your key strengths.
It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level. – Gary Vaynerchuk
Be confident and courageous – Spell out your unique professional value
You all have skills, experience and a unique working style. Many of you don’t know how to or want to, blow your own trumpet. But consider this another way. Your skills and experience contribute to something – that might be company performance, team results or value to communities.
If you frame your skills and experience in this context, you may find it easier to articulate how your skills and experience help others – and surely that is a message that deserves to be heard.
Once you have refined your message, you can confidently reflect it as part of your professional profile on your digital platforms of choice!
Need some help pulling your professional profile together? Get in touch with me. I would love to help.