People constantly want to know how to get ahead in their careers–how to earn more than the next person, how to advance to a key management role, how to get in front of a dream client or account. Too often, people incorrectly use social tools externally or internally to try and stay on top.
Tony Howell, Founder and CEO of Creative Social Media, specializes in helping individuals craft and maintain their personal brands online. With his experience of networking and marketing himself as a performer in New York City, he discovered his passion for helping other people do the same. Our team chatted with Tony recently to get his expert perspective on how people can apply external social media techniques to brand themselves on internal social business tools.
Trending Today
Today, Tony sees that people make three major mistakes with social branding, advertising, and marketing on external channels like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
1. Shouting – Too often, people are simply bombarding others with their content and are overly self-promote.
2. Silence – Other people choose to just listen and not engage in anything online.’
3. Selling – As Tony says, “Social media is not a selling tool.” It’s not intended to be a tool to simply ask people to buy or donate. To be successful, “Social media is about giving more than asking.”
Tony is also observing a shift in the way people interact in social media–and you can fight the change or be part of it. “Professional is personal now. People want to do business with the people behind the brand.” Because the Internet is not a private place, he cautions it’s important for people to control their branding online–both externally and internally in companies.
As detailed in his presentation below, there’s another important change in terms of new power and social good online. “Social media democratizes power globally. There was a traditional, old-school hierarchy and vertical structure,” Tony explains. Now, “New business is an equal sign. By tuning into the crowd, you can rise your brand.”
Branding On Internal Social Networks
As more and more teams are equipped with social tools, such as intranets and internal social networks, they have the power to be innovative and create change. With enterprise social networks becoming a business standard, how can employees use these tools to help brand themselves inside their companies too? Here are Tony’s recommendations, inspired by best practices from external social media:
Leverage External For Internal. “Branding is making a consistently positive impression,” Tony explains. He recommends having the same photo across all of your public facing networks as well as your internal network. “A high quality image is your version of the green mermaid, white apple or golden arches! Found you!!” When thinking about linking your external sites to your internal sites, base your decision on your own comfort level. It is advantageous to bridge the gap between both worlds, but some employees will still need to keep business and personal life separate for now.
Have A Great Biography. Have a biography or profile on your internal social network with a strong description and explanation of what you do–and how you can help others. Use this space to share more about you and your everyday work. “Don’t underestimate the value of designing that profile,” Tony emphasizes. Your profile is a great opportunity to make networking and mentoring connections inside your company.
Be Conscious Of What You Are Sharing. Tony sums it up best: “Post on purpose. Use the Internet to your advantage.” Think about your goals offline–your career aspirations and future plans–and “design your channels in a way that supports your goals.” Share content, such as articles or images, that are appropriate for your audience and will advance you toward to your business goals. It doesn’t always have to be business articles from Forbes or the New York Times, but make your shares meaningful so they will not be lost in the constant content shuffle.
Authenticity Is Key. Internal social networks encourage transparency and, as a result, authenticity is critical. To help reinforce this culture, It is absolutely acceptable and encouraged to showcase your own individual personality on enterprise social networks. Not only does it help you stand out, but encourages people to build a more transparent culture of working out loud. Business can be fun without damaging your professional reputation. It may even be an idea to make use of a host server such as hostiserver so that they can do all of the techy jobs and you can focus on your content. This way you can make the most of the time you get to spend writing social posts.
Interact, Interact, Interact. “Social media is about reputation and relationship management,” Tony notes. Just as important, though, is listening and engaging with other people and the company culture. “Be generous with your likes and favorites. It’s no different from How to Win Friends and Influence People.” He advocates being conscious of what you are sharing and, above all, “making it about your audience and supporting others. That’s when your results happen.”
Personal brands are no longer just built externally–they are also powerfully created internally on enterprise social networks. Social tools can be your biggest asset whether you are searching for a new industry job, internal advancement opportunities, or even career changes. What is really exciting about our digital economy, as Tony emphasized in our conversation, is that today “you can create your own opportunities—especially when you take control of your online presence and build a true personal brand”. Looking for even more ways to grow your online presence? Consider reaching out to a digital strategy consultant for some expert marketing advice.
Between all of these social channels, both external and internal, how do you have time to manage your brand on everything? For excellent tips, check out Tony’s 15 in 2015 Toolkit or search Creative Social Media’s blog for more specific help.
For information on booking Tony as a guest speaker, click here.
