Social Networks for Brand Establishment
Use the Web to Build Personal Brand Recognition
Aug 22, 2009
It is an adage in business that "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Getting to know others who share interests, can provide resources, assist in making contacts, and help find new avenues for business development, is critical for building a reputation. A few hours of work pays dividends by developing or expanding a social network to increase the value of a personal brand.
LinkedIn is a networking site where professionals post a profile that can be very simple (what would the point of that be?) or an entire on-line resume (that's more like it). Users can link to personal blogs (which makes recent posts visible to other LinkedIn users who visit the blogger's profile), and join groups of people interested in specific topics and business segments. A person or keyword search will likely turn up past and present colleagues to invite to become part of a personal network.
Ning
Ning has no particular focus. Teachers, soccer players, game developers, mushroom lovers – pretty much anyone – can probably find people to meet and share ideas and interests with. Ning is not useful unless the user establishes a new group or joins an existing group. Don't try to sell anything. Join only for legitimate interests and nature will take care of the rest.
Facebook is a huge site with over 200 million users. A Facebook profile can be used for anything – fun, business, publicity, or to sell a book or recording. Since Facebook is so popular, it is now common for hiring managers, potential business partners, or anyone trying to find out about someone, to look for a Facebook account for that person. Make sure a Facebook page sends the right message and use it to provide contact information and links to appropriate content (especially any personal websites or blogs!).
MySpace
MySpace used to be THE social networking site on the web. Its importance has waned as alternatives like FaceBook and LinkedIn have come on-line. One exception is in the music business. A band, solo performer, recording engineer, or studio musician will still do well to maintain a MySpace presence. Just make sure there are no pictures of the drummer spilling beer all over a club manager.
Technorati
Technorati is the mother of all blog watch sites. Register with Technorati, post a brief bio, and fill in the keyword table so that searches will lead to your blog. NOTE: It's not for registering websites – only blogs. If a site is not a blog, registration may be denied. Technorati ranks blogs by popularity and authority so it is useful for tracking influence and popularity in the blogosphere.
Twitter is not just for answering the question "What are you doing?" People are getting tired of that sort of drivel. A bit of personal chat interspersed with some useful information will gain a larger following. Tweet useful links to information of interest to followers. If your business is landscaping, send links or useful tips about landscaping (with an occasional self-promotional plug).
Yes Google. Not so much a networking site (excepting perhaps Google Groups), but the search engine used by the web-browsing majority. Google yourself. If the name associated with YOU isn't on the first page or two it might as well be invisible. Page ranking is improved by using the previously mentioned sites to network with others and by getting a personal blog or website linked to by other sites.
The old saying "bad publicity is better than no publicity" may be true for Paris Hilton but it's not true for most people. If Google returns unflattering personal information it's time for damage control. Repair the damage by refuting the bad publicity (if it is false) or mitigate it by doing something newsworthy and positive.
References
Schawbel, Dan. Me 2.0. New York, NY: Kaplan Publishing, 2009.
Micek, Deborah and Warren Whitlock. Twitter Revolution, Las Vegas, NV: Xeno Press, 2008.
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