5 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR PERSONAL ONLINE REPUTATION.
Link to the right sites, use your mobile phone to create content and Google yourself, Anouk Pappers gives her top tips for creating top ranking content.
Your online personal reputation is important. More than 60% of people Google you before deciding to meet and to me that seems like a low number. Google is the new background check. What is found on the search engine is your online public image so you need to ensure you’re happy with it.
You can take control of your personal brand, but to do this you need to know how to construct a story, have knowledge of the high-performing websites and how to link content together.
Here are five steps you can follow to improve your personal brand online:
1. Assess:
Google yourself and answer these questions:
– Are the results relevant and up to date?
– Does it say who you are? Does it communicate a consistent image?
– Are there important things (achievements) missing?
– Do the pictures/ video support your image?
If you don’t like the results, then getting rid of the results you don’t like takes time, by creating content that Google prefers over the other articles (see step 3).
Tip: Never use an image of someone or something else (your children, pets, famous people, objects, etc) to represent who you are.
2. Position:
You need to define who you are – your profession and your passion. Write down, three to five words that describe you best. Think of your past achievements, the way you work in a team, and your role. What do you want to be known for and what do you want to come to people’s minds when they think of you?
Tip: Make sure you use the words you choose as ‘key words’ in any content you create and publish online. This increases your chance of being found online based upon what you want to be known for.
Personal Online Reputation Workshop by Cool Brands
Personal Online Reputation Workshop by CoolBrands
3. Content creation
Create your story. It should include your background and why you do the things you do. It should be short and relevant, but written with extra punch to engage readers. Here you can read my story.
Create pictures and video relevant to your personal brand. Remember images should reinforce written content. For example, if you are passionate about sustainability, don’t take pictures in your office, but in a park. If you are a public speaker, use pictures from events you’ve spoken at.
Tip: You can create your own video relatively easy thanks to built-in HD video cameras on your phone. Apps like videoBIO help you to create, edit and promote your video.
4. Streamline any existing content
Upload relevant presentations or publications. Presentations should always be short (10 slides max), your name should be in the title of your documents and enrich them with one- liners and infographics. Slideshare is a good platform to upload presentations. From Slideshare you can link to other social media. Use visuals that are explanatory of the message. Don’t use too much text.
Tip: It helps if you put a picture of yourself and your name on the first page of the document.
5. Publish the content on top online sites
Google uses a variety of ways to rank (or rate) content in a search, this is why you will see one search result higher than another. Quality is one way and link relevancy is another, so make sure your content is good, compelling and linked to, and from, other sites.
Top sites for posting and linking to are: LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, WordPress, Vimeo and Flickr.
Tips: Linkedin ranks higher than all other social media profiles, while WordPress ranks higher than Blogger. And although YouTube is more popular, Vimeo ranks higher.
Before we meet and write about these people and brands, we rely on Google to understand who they are and what they stand for. We are in a reputation-based economy, it is more important who you are than what you sell. People do business with people, not with companies so make sure your personal brand sells you as well as your product.
Tags: branding trends, CoolBrands influences, global, Katerina Rogova, Storytelling, third party storytelling, mig812, Anouk Pappers, Personal Online Reputation, reputation, tips, positioning, content creation, guardians, streamline content, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Wordpress, Vimeo, Flickr, ATW80B, Around the World in 80 Brands, CBPersonal, brand psychologist
Katerina Rogova 