Building a personal brand isn’t easy, but it can help you stand out from the crowd. This is the first part of our Build Your Brand series. To help you Build Your Brand, we’ll share tips and tricks on how to create a strong presence on different platforms. With these posts, we want to help you expand your network and get you started on becoming a leader in your field.
Our first post is on Twitter, a social networking platform that allows you to easily share your thoughts and connect with others in less than 140 characters. Twitter is a great way to build your network online and increase your visibility on the internet. Here are four ways to use Twitter to build your personal brand:
Make your bio your elevator pitch
Twitter gives you 160 characters to describe yourself. Your bio should be like your elevator pitch – when someone visits your profile, they should be able to read your bio and know who you are and what you do. This is also a great exercise to help you make your elevator pitch quick and to the point. Start off with what you identify with the most (whether that’s your current job, what you’re studying in school, or where you hope to be in the future) and work from there. Still have some room left? Try including some of your interests too – Twitter is a great place to find people who have common interests!
Plan out your profile
Twitter shows your profile photo next to every single update that you send out, so be sure to choose wisely – this might not be the place for a selfie. The most prominent image on your profile will be your cover photo. This is definitely not the place for a selfie. Instead, think like a big brand would and consider branding this cover photo with your contact information or a link to your website. Not a designer? No problem. A photo is still worth a thousand words and there are plenty of online sources where you can find images that will fit in with your profile while still looking great. Check out Unsplash, Pixabay, and Flickr’s Creative Commons section to find free images.
You also have the option to pin a tweet to the top of your profile. This pinned tweet will be one of the first things a visitor sees. Take advantage of this and use it to highlight something about you. Have you written an awesome blog post? Pin it. Do you have a great insight on a story about the industry? Pin it. If all else fails, you can always shamelessly promote yourself by pinning a link to your website, blog, or LinkedIn profile.
Share relevant content
If you plan to use Twitter to build your personal brand, you should make an effort to tweet at least somewhat regularly. Share links to interesting stories and articles, tweet your opinions, and start conversations with others doing the same thing.
This will also help build up your personal brand by showing that you are interested in the topic at hand and that you generally know what you’re talking about. Keeping up with the latest news and developments in your industry shows potential employers that you’re always learning.
Don’t forget to put the “social” in “social media”
You can also use Twitter Lists to engage people. Lists allow you to categorize Twitter users into categories – for example, “BC Tech Companies,” “Marketing Influencers,” or “Job Search Experts”. You can add users and customize your own lists or choose to subscribe to a List someone else has created.
There are constantly events and Twitter chats happening where many users are livetweeting quotes, sharing opinions, and asking questions. Can’t attend a conference or want to discuss a certain topic? Find out what the relevant hashtags are and join in on the discussion yourself!
Using these tips, you’ll be able to create a strong image of yourself on Twitter and build up your personal brand. Stay tuned for more Build Your Brand posts coming soon!
Another way to build your personal brand is to create a public profile on BCjobs.ca. When you sign up for an account, you can create your job seeker profile, adding skills, experiences, and even your resume! Click here to get started connecting with BC’s best employers
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