Responses to recent tweets by people about personal branding and LinkedIn, getting started, blackhat SEO and more.
Daniel Hallqvist, @hallq, twittered: Just reached 500 connections at Linkedin, next one make me a “+500.” Good or bad for personal brand?
Jacob Share, @jacobshare: Daniel, it depends what your personal brand is but in general, it is a somewhat good thing in that the slight positive value your profile gets out of it will outweigh any possible negativity.
Most people are impressed by high numbers as an indicator of social proof, and many people don’t know that on LinkedIn, it’s really not that hard to get 500+ connections as a LiON, a LinkedIn open networker. Reaching the 500 level without being a LiON takes a bit more work, but really isn’t that hard either in this age where many people are happy to boost their connection counts by accepting friend invites from people they don’t even know.
Creatives Academy, @creativesacadem, twittered: How do i enhance my personal brand as a Dj? How do i let my brand work for me?
Jacob Share, @jacobshare: You’re lucky in that as a DJ you can produce content and publish it, so that others can enjoy and share it far beyond wherever you created it.
You let your brand work for you by designing a clear, impressive brand and then executing on a strategy that puts your branding message out there where people are most likely to respond in the way that you want.
For example, if you want to be known as a certain kind of DJ, you should create music of that kind, publish it on relevant websites, get relevant people talking about it, and importantly, help other DJs and professionals of that kind of music.
Kim V, @kimmilyn, twittered: How much of social media is really about personal brand? Is there pressure to inject personal opinion in a presumed objective model? #smcsv
Jacob Share, @jacobshare: Kim, social media is just a communications tool. Any of your social media profiles is as much about personal branding as you make it. If you have a branding strategy that covers how you use social media to e.g. share your professional expertise, to network with certain kinds of people, etc., then for you social media is definitely about personal branding. However, for many people, social media is just a way to stay in touch with friends and share cool things, and less about focused personal branding.
Whether you use social media for personal branding, there’s no question that without personal opinion, social media would quickly become a very dull experience and just fall apart, just like hanging out with your friends and the only conversation is rigid news reporting.
Ken Pendergast, @dotcomken, twittered: How does #blogging about Blackhat SEO effect your personal brand? Are you then considered blackhat? #seo
Jacob Share, @jacobshare: Ken, look at it this way.
Every time you blog about Blackhat SEO, more people will begin to associate you with Blackhat SEO. If you consistently blog about how to use blackhat tactics, you’ll be considered blackhat. But if you blog against using blackhat tactics, people will remember that instead.
That’s why it’s important to have a communications strategy as part of your overall branding strategy, and to constantly ask yourself if every new message is inline with your strategy in building your brand.
Author:
Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.
