How to achieve positive visibility and establish yourself as a leader.

The use of social media to publicize your business (and yourself) is an invaluable tool in achieving visibility to your audience, but it’s vital to be a “thoughtful” leader and establish yourself as a professional who provides content that is both good and consistent, advised Jason Douglas, marketing department at ATA. In his presentation about personal branding at IFAI Expo on Oct. 7, he noted that what often stops business people from embracing the technology are issues involving privacy/security, legal issues, costs (both dollars and time) and fears of being “left behind” technologically.

With personal branding, said Douglas, what you do online (what you post, who you interact with and where you are online) corresponds to what you do off-line (what you say verbally, how you dress, and who you associate with). What is key, he noted, is that there should be no difference in how you’re perceived either way.

Six steps to create a personal brand

1. Define your objectives
2. Define your brand (what you project)
3. Identify up to three areas of expertise
4. Develop a positioning statement
5. Create and curate relevant content (what’s your audience looking for?)
6. “Once you pop, you can’t stop.” Once you start to see results, you’ll want to continue.

Don’t join all the networks, Douglas advised, but find the ones that work best for you. Blend the personal and the professional—but very carefully. Be consistent in the tone and frequency of your messages. Only the visible get noticed—but be sure you can back up everything you say.