Social media networks have gained a tremendous amount of popularity in the last few years. The power to easily and instantly connect with thousands (or even millions) of people opens up many possibilities and opportunities.
Learn how to effectively use the available social media tools to establish your online presence. Whether you are looking for a job, building your portfolio, or running your own business, your online brand can make or break your dreams. Through consistency you can build a positive personal brand to help you achieve your goals.
With over 845 million users, Facebook is the largest social media network out there. Think carefully about your cover photo choice. Use your photo to show off your personality. Regularly update your education and work history, and keep it focused and relevant.
Make a list of milestones and past experiences that further highlight your skills and enhance your image. Make full use of the privacy settings options, to hide any past content that could be put you in an unfavourable light.
Linked in has a sizable number users at over 150 million. It is a social networking site, but with a heavy focus on business and employment. As a user you can join up and follow specific companies or groups.
Through you user profile you can connect with all the people in your network. LinkedIn is one of the best ways of building your professional brand, so it is essential to keep information current.
Twitter can be described as a micro-blogging platform, as you can post updates to your followers with the restriction that they must be 140 characters maximum.
These tweets are a good way of sharing content about your activities, industry and interests. Search for any topic of interest and join in the real time conversations. Twitter is the place to look for to find breaking news, or to break some news to the world yourself.
Google+
The social network from Google, allows users to group their contacts into customized circles. This is a good method of managing who sees what information. Every user has a profile page that displays information about them.
Always be mindful of the information you make publicly available. Any content you publish through Google+ can show up in the Google search results. So make sure you are happy with the content you share and that it positively affects your online presence.
Klout
Klout gives you the tools to measure the effectiveness of your social media activities and online branding efforts. You can get a score that tells you how much influence you hold. You can search by category, to find out which topics and areas you are influential in and your personal reach.
About.me
Setup a personalized landing page. It can act as an online resume by showing your work experience, skills and qualifications. Your About.me page is easy to format, since it requires no coding. Use the drag an drop interface to customize the page.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.