Tips for building a personal brand while working full-time
HELLO THERE.
Do you work full time at a company and dream of doing your own thing? Or maybe you’re happy where you are, but want to keep your options open down the line? Or maybe you’re planning to create something or write a book?
You’ve got to invest in your personal brand, and you should start NOW.
When you spend all your energy at your day job, it’s often exhausting and awkward to then put time, effort and money into yourself. There are countless examples of employees who have made mistakes on social media that cost them their jobs, so it’s understandable that diving into the deep end can be intimidating.
Speaking from experience, I wish I invested more time while at NBC and CNN on my personal brand. Ironically, I was helping shows, talent and executives on everything digital and social media, while completely neglecting myself.
More than anything, I was nervous about what my colleagues, bosses and direct reports would think. I also worked in news so there are specific restrictions that come with that, but I wish I could have gotten over it and just done it. As a result, I missed out on a LOT of great content, opportunities to take advantage of social platforms early on and mostly, time spent building my network and brand.
So here I am for all of you!
Not only is building your personal brand essential if you eventually plan to go solo, it’s also valuable if you intend to stay at corporate jobs [or even small businesses, or anywhere really]. Having a network of people at hand who are invested in whatever you do is incredibly powerful, and depending on your industry, you might even be able to leverage it to your advantage.
Here are some tips for all you dreamers who [secretly, or not so secretly] want to get started:
Know your employer’s guidelines – the best way to deal with something that makes you nervous is to face it head on, so find out what you are and aren’t allowed to post online. Also, depending on your industry, there might be a lot of flexibility or tons of restrictions around what you can post on social media. Know exactly what you’re dealing with before you start
Get necessary permission – I am all for the do something and apologize afterwards approach, but if, for example, you need to get sign-off before you start a blog, just get it. Also, before asking, do some research to see what your colleagues are up to, so you have a sense of what permissions have already been established
If you want to get a little practice, set up your accounts as private, build a controlled audience and get into a rhythm of posting before you make them public
Define your goal[s] – this can and should evolve, but have a sense of what you’re trying to accomplish at the start. BIGGER NETWORK. MORE LINKEDIN FOLLOWERS. ENGAGED INSTAGRAM. WELL TRAFFICKED WEBSITE. SUCCESSFUL PODCAST. You get the idea
Know your aspirational audience – write out the group[s] of people who you would ideally connect with and who would make up your dream audience. For example, planning to write a book? Well who would you want to sell it to?
Decide on your platforms – figure out how to reach that audience on the right social media platform. If I say this once, I’ll say it a hundred times, everyone gets hyped about Instagram, but there are a lot of ways to reach people and oftentimes it’s not where the masses are flocking. Examine key hashtags, groups, influencers, etc. across many platforms before you commit
Make a content strategy – as an employee at a company, building out a content strategy is even more important because it gives you more time and breathing room to think through exactly what you’re going to post. Under normal circumstances, it’s never great to launch anything without content lined up [ugh don’t get me started on neglected social media accounts], but when there are watching eyeballs, you need to be organized and you need to carefully edit. So give yourself the time and grace to do that
And listen, don’t be scared or intimidated. You certainly don’t want to do anything that compromises your job, that’s first and foremost, but also don’t let that fear hold you back. It’s hard work and even more complicated when you’re navigating rules set by other companies, but it’s because the payoff is absolutely worth it in the future.
Also, if you’re hesitant because of what other people might think about you, figure out how to push that out of the way. People are always going to have opinions about your work and letting time go by just because you’re nervous about what they might think is a waste. Put on blinders and get moving.
If you have tips or thoughts on how to build your brand while working for another company, please share in the comments!
Xo, Melissa