01.02.08

Do you know what your online identity is saying about the CEO of ME, Inc.?

Posted in Networking, Personal Branding at 10:32 pm by Joanna Vahlsing

I just finished listening to a series of podcasts from the A Brand You World – 2007 Global Telesummit where panelists from all industries shared their advice for creating an authentic and viable personal brand.  As the CEO of ME, Inc. (a term coined by the ETP Network), it is important that we establish a brand that conveys the message we want to project to the world.  Think of the masters of branding – Volvo, known for safety, Richard Branson, known for his adventurous nature, or the Covey empire, known for increasing personal and organizational effectiveness.

There are over 24 hours of podcasts from the Telesummit, and not all of them focused on online branding, but the majority of them offered tips on how to establish your personal brand online – or at least to make sure you are communicating the message that you want to communicate online.  I encourage you to view the website and listen to some (or all) of the podcasts, but I thought I would share with you some of the expert advice that was provided:

Google Yourself – This may sound egomaniacal, but if you’re in the job market or looking for new clients, in today’s marketplace, most likely the recruiter or the potential client is going to Google you to see what turns up.  Tip:  Google has a feature called “Google Alerts” that you can set to run a search on a periodic basis and then have the service send you an email of any new results.  This is helpful for not only your name, but also to have Google automatically run a search on any key words that are in your industry or a company/client you want to keep tabs on. 

Once you Google your name, what do you see?  William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, who wrote Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, created a tool that allows you to find out your “Google Quotient” with their Online Identity Calculator.  You’ll receive a rating on a scale of 1-10 (10 is the level of distinction) – I’m currently at an 8.3.  They will also give you tips on how to increase your rating. 

The goal of maximizing your presence online is to be referenced in the first three links that the Google search returns.  Because I have a unique name, I’m fortunate that the entire first and second pages refer to me, but if your name needs a little help moving up to the top three, there are websites that Google “loves” and will usually return first.  Those websites include:

1. Naymz.com – Naymz is a “reputation community,” and its tag line is “Empowering Reputable Professionals.”  Users can post a free online profile and then link from that profile to other sites, e.g. LinkedIn or a personal website.  I like that it allows for HTML editing so you can add color and other design elements to your profile.  But, the biggest benefit is that for $4.95/mth, your profile becomes a “Sponsored Link” when someone does a Google search – think of your name as a product, and Google is trying to sell it for you!  Five bucks a month seems like a bargain for that amount of exposure – you are automatically the first link on the Google search results for your name.  If you’re interested, you can see what happens when you search my name.
2. Your Own Website – There is immense power in owning your name as a domain, i.e. http://www.firstnamelastname.com/.  When it comes to providers, my two favorites are Yahoo! Small Business (about $8/mth) and Microsoft Live Office Small Business (which is FREE, but the features are limited).  The tools that come with these websites makes designing them very easy, and you don’t need to have an elaborate website at first – just a “home” on the web. 
3. Your Own Blog – Google likes blogs, especially if they have your name in the web address.  Yahoo! Small Business has a nice partnership with WordPress (a blogging website) that allows you to connect the blog to your personal website, so the web address is www.firstnamelastname.com/blog.  If you don’t feel comfortable, or that you would have the time to keep up a blog, Google will also pick up on any comments that you make on other blogs – just make sure you sign them with your full name.
4. LinkedIn – Don’t need to say too much about this powerhouse, but Google does like LinkedIn.  I’ve also heard that the more recommendations you have increases your place in the results.
5. Emurse – Emurse is an online resume service.  I have not used it, but apparently once a resume is created on the site, Google will return it in its search results.  This could be helpful for job seekers who would like a professional resume on the web.

Digital Dirt – Another topic that came up during the Telesummit was how to deal with “Digital Dirt,” which describes those electronic reminders we would like to forget.  For Gen Y, it could be some “not-so-professional” MySpace photos, or for other generations, it could be the New York Times article detailing how a deal went bad.  The overwhelming advice from the Telesummit Panel was that it is usually extremely hard to clean up the Digital Dirt once it is published online, and they recommended that you try to replace as much as possible or “push” it farther down on the search results pages.  A survey found that most people who are looking someone up don’t go passed the second page of Google search results.

Common Names – Lastly, the panelists had advice on how to handle branding oneself when the person has a common name.  Suggestions included:  (1) Use a middle initial; (2) Use a prefix or suffix or (3) My personal favorite, include a reference to your industry.  The example they used was someone named John Smith who works in Human Resources, so he created a website using the address:  http://www.johnsmithhr.com/.

Hopefully this information is helpful.  If you have any questions or need more information about the websites I mention, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I wish you well in 2008.

All the best,

Joanna

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