1.
Social Media for
Personal Branding
Setting Yourself Up for Success
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

2.
Why Online Branding Is Important
❖ 70% of hiring managers say they’ve rejected a
candidate based on information they’ve found
online. – Washington Post, 1/28/10
❖ 37% of employers use Facebook to prescreen
applicants. – Huffington Post, 4/12/12
❖ 91% of recruiters use social networks to
evaluate job applicants. – 2011 Reppler Survey
❖ Employers admit they’re looking for resume
exaggerations & whether applicant would be a
good fit for their culture.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

3.
Why Social Media Is Important
❖ Posts/updates are indexable
points for the search engines.
❖ Keyword-rich posts will help you
get found AND show off your
interests & expertise.
❖ The more items you have indexed,
the more likely you are to show
up in search engine results.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

4.
Strategies/Methods - General
❖ Open & Maintain Profiles on the Major
Social Outlets
❖ Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Google+, Pinterest, Blog.
❖ Fill out info completely with keyword-
rich content to make them appealing
to the search engines.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

5.
Strategies/Methods - Overview
❖ Analyze which social media outlets contain your audience.
❖ Where are your potential employers?
❖ Compose keyword-rich posts that engage your audience AND read well to
the search engines.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

6.
Strategies/Methods - Facebook
❖ Never trust security settings.
❖ Friends can give access to your
profile - inadvertently or on purpose.
❖ New Open Graph Search gives your
information without your knowing.
❖ Posts and information can be
indexed.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

7.
Strategies/Methods - LinkedIn
❖ LinkedIn is considered a search engine in its own right,
and the keywords in your profile will allow you to be
found by searchers (like headhunters, recruiters, etc.).
❖ Personal profiles can be indexed for company name and
specialties, as well.
❖ Join Groups and participate in their conversations for
more indexable points of entry to the search engines.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

8.
Strategies/Methods - YouTube
❖ Take advantage of a YouTube channel - it’s the
2nd largest search engine, only behind Google.
❖ Another entry point into SERPs.
❖ Google puts emphasis on their own properties
& YouTube is Google’s video outlet.
❖ Ideas
❖ Presentations.
❖ Video resumes.
❖ Talk about your expertise/passion.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

9.
Strategies/Methods - Pinterest
❖ Another entry point into SERPs.
❖ Great way to show off interests, personal &
professional!
❖ Ideas
❖ Show personality with personal-type pins (ie style,
humor, etc.) while still showing professional
expertise with professional-type boards & pins.
❖ Pin blog posts, interesting articles, infographics for
professional boards.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

10.
Strategies/Methods - Slideshare
❖ Another entry point into SERPs.
❖ Allows you to upload any Powerpoint or
Keynote presentation.
❖ Be sure to use keywords as tags
❖ Ideas
❖ Upload class presentations.
❖ Put together a presentation specifically for Slideshare
that shows a passion or expertise you have.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

11.
Strategies/Methods - E-mail
❖ Easy place to show professionalism.
❖ Grammar, spelling & punctuation matter!
❖ Do NOT use text-speak.
❖ Address matters. Employers & clients pay attention.
❖ Would you hire sexykitty@xyz.com or
stephanie@sbnmktg.com?
❖ Would you work with sbnmarketing@yahoo.com or
stephanie@sbnmktg.com?
❖ E-mail signature is a GREAT place to include links to
social media outlets. Show you’ve got nothing to hide!
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

12.
Important Pieces of the Puzzle
❖ Make sure information is the same across channels.
❖ Address, Phone Number, Web Address, E-mail Address, etc.
❖ Make sure all pieces send the same message.
❖ Social media.
❖ Resume.
❖ E-mail signature.
❖ Etc.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

13.
What to Expect for Your Brand
❖ OWN IT! Big brands don’t let others define them; neither should you.
❖ Know what’s out there about you/your brand. Don’t let your reputation
proceed you without you even knowing what it is!
❖ Stop thinking search results will appear overnight.
❖ Search engine algos change a lot. Do your best &
don’t stop trying to learn.
❖ Keep an eye on new outlets - which are worth
your time? Analyze your audience & where/how
you want to be found.
❖ Social media can turn into a time suck. Figure out how
much you can handle, and handle those things well.
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043

14.
So...
❖ Questions?
❖ Comments?
sbnmktg.com ~ stephanie@sbnmktg.com ~ 704.218.9043