Your INC Part 8: Building Your Personal Brand

If you worked through Your INC Part 7, then you have some ideal client or employer personas fleshed out. Now we’re going to talk about how to start marketing your personal brand on Twitter.

Use Advanced Search to Find People Who Match Your Personas

The main purpose of creating personas is to give you a rough sketch of the types of people you’re looking to connect with. The people you find don’t have to exactly fit your persona.

Twitter’s advanced search tool is a great way to locate people based on the defining  characteristics from your persona. This article from Buffer has an awesome infographic that includes 23 ways to use advanced search to your advantage.

Locate Twitter Chats in Your Niche & Participate Regularly

I like to think of Twitter chats as the professional networking events of the digital age.

Here are some typical characteristics of Twitter chats:

• Usually an hour long
• Occurs at the same date and time at a regular interval (weekly, bi-weekly,monthly)
• Has a dedicated hashtag that participants use
• Has a moderator who asks questions on a specific topic
• Sometimes has a guest who is on an expert on the chat’s topic

The Benefits of Twitter Chats

You may be asking at this point: Why should I spend my time participating in Twitter chats with people I don’t know?

Here are 4 reasons you should be participating in Twitter chats:

1. Twitter chats organically expands your reach

People are in the sharing mood during chats. Providing a uniquely insightful answer to a question can get you several retweets in a hurry.

2. Twitter chats help you establish a reputation in your industry

 If you regularly provide quality answers in a chat, then other regulars will acknowledge you as someone who is knowledgeable in their industry. This is called “thought leadership” in marketing land.

3. Twitter chats provide genuine insight into the thoughts of your target audience

Imagine you could listen in on an hour-long conversation between your prospects, during which they discuss their thoughts and opinions on a topic relevant to your business.

Now imagine that conversation is documented on social media and organized by a hashtag that you could explore at any time for market research purposes. That’s what a Twitter chat can do for you without you firing off a single tweet.

Using this social listening strategy is how I first discovered automated content curation for sharing on Twitter was not nearly as loved by real users as it was by social media professionals championing it as an integral part of one’s personal brand. Seeing a flood of negative sentiments towards automation in various social media chats made me put a halt on using automation in my personal branding strategy until I fully understood the pros and cons of such automation.

4. Twitter chats help you grow an authentic tribe of like-minded individuals

Once you participate in a Twitter chat for a few weeks in a row, you’ll start to see that each chat has its regulars.

These are the people who have the potential become some of your most valuable Twitter connections. All of my most-engaged followers started out as chat friends before followers.

Just remember that growing a tribe and growing your list of followers are two different things. Sure, participating in chats will get you more followers, but that’s just a number if you don’t nurture the relationship.

Using Twitter in the Job Search

In addition to all of the above strategies, there are some specific ways job seekers can use Twitter to find job opportunities.

1. Hashtags

Have you ever searched the #nowhiring hashtag on Twitter? Give it a try and you’ll see links to job openings all over the world.

I’m not saying you’re guaranteed to find your dream job searching this hashtag, but it’s worth adding to your daily Twitter browsing routine.

Several large companies have their own hashtags for their job postings, such as General Electric with #GEJobs.

2. Networking with Recruiters

Recruiters have always been in the networking business. Social media has been a godsend to their profession. Recruiters can now scout and place candidates all over the country, and many use social media as a part of their discovery strategy.

Several companies even have a separate Twitter account for their recruiting efforts. Check if any companies on your target list have such accounts and be sure to follow and interact with them. Career-related Twitter chats are also great places to network with recruiters.

3. Learning about Potential Employers

To paraphrase an old cliche, you are what you Tweet. This is especially true in the age of branding. Just as companies use Twitter to research candidates, you can use Twitter to research potential employers.

Look at how the company tweets. Is it just a bunch of automated links? Or worse, has it been inactive for months?

If a company still hasn’t hopped on the social boat, then you can bet it isn’t a very progressive place to work. But hey, maybe a conservative environment is what you’re looking for. Either way, how a company behaves on Twitter can tell you a lot.

I hope you find these Twitter tips helpful in growing your personal brand! Speaking of Twitter, tweet me @BPucino and let’s get the convo going 🙂