Question: I keep hearing about personal branding, but if I start building my brand online, aren’t I just adding to the noise? How do I stand out?

Answer: You’ve already got an online brand. But before you can harness its power and stand out, you first need to know how your digital brand appears right now.

When I speak to audiences about branding yourself, one exercise I request of attendees is to search their name online. And often they uncover surprises.

Now it’s your turn to search your first and last name online. What have you found?

Is what you found you, and if so, is what you found “on brand” and up to date for your current goals?

If not, or if you’d like to take your brand to the next level, you’re ready to take the next step in upgrading and updating it.

Decide How You Want to Be Known

The first thing to do to help you stand out when using LinkedIn or other social media is to decide how you want to be known.

You are the go-to person for _________________________? What are your colleagues and clients regularly asking you about?

Does the information in your social media bio and other content, such as the experience section on LinkedIn, reflect and reinforce this expertise? Or does this information need updating?

This is important, as LinkedIn profiles are frequently found on page one of an online search. When did you last update your LinkedIn profile or engage with your network there?

Keep Your Social Media Profiles Consistent

Review your profiles on all your social media channels. Would someone who’s not familiar with your brand be able to tell you’re the same person? If not, it’s time to align your social media accounts. You’ll want to use the same profile picture, bio, and header image across all your social platforms. This makes it easy for visitors to recognize your brand, regardless of the social network they’re using.

Maintain Active Profiles

Maintain an active profile on the most popular social networks for your industry and target audience (people who need to know about you).

Your activity helps you gain traction with your target audience. A dormant account can negatively affect your online brand. With that in mind, you’ll want to create a regular posting schedule.

To determine the best posting frequency, run a few short experiments. This will help you discover how frequently you should post and what times work best for your followers.

As for what content to post, provide relevant, helpful information that will benefit those in your network. Don’t be afraid to promote great content to your followers, even if you didn’t write it. When you’re the one who shares the latest news in your industry, followers will view you as the go-to source on trends and news in your industry. Curating great content counts.

Join Communities

Once you gain some traction on social media with your personal brand, look for communities and groups of like-minded professionals or where your ideal audience frequents. The great thing about groups is that they give you a chance to form connections with other members and give them value.

It’s also an easy way to do customer research and create your own professional learning network. You can discover what questions your audience frequently asks, what they struggle with, and what they would love to know more about.

Using social media to brand yourself and enhance your online reputation is a smart idea. When you post and share valuable content that benefits your target audience, you’ll cut through the noise and stand out.

Want more tips on personal branding? Take my free self-assessment and get an action plan to help you advance your career.