Marketing Week Day 4: Building your Online Presence
As marketers, we understand the importance of businesses having an online presence.
Did you know that this applies to our own profiles as well?
As aspiring professionals, it is important for us to create and build an online presence so we can stand out in the eyes of a hiring manager. Since the internet is full of clutter, it takes effort and time to really stand out when getting considered for your dream job.
One of the most popular professional networking sites is LinkedIn. With over 450 million members in 200 different countries, there is lots of opportunity to be connected with people who work for your dream companies. If you don’t have an account, sign up for one today – it’s free!
Read on below to find out why having an online presence is so important.
Build your credibility
Having a LinkedIn profile is a great way to build your credibility, in addition to showing your accomplishments. It’s like the cover letter portion of your resume – it adds a layer of depth that the numbers in your resume can’t show.
If you post and update your profile often, you will start to generate trust with the people you are connected with. If your posts are valuable, someone may happen to share it with their networks. What if that someone was connected with the CEO of your dream company, and he contacted you to say he liked your article?
You may be a step closer to your dream job.
Since we’re on a social network, it’s important that we respond and interact with the other members of our network as well. Whether it’s by saying “Congratulations!” on a job switch, liking a status update, or answering a question, we start to build goodwill with our own connections. Consistent interaction is the key to building a great network.
Showcase Your Expertise
One awesome thing about LinkedIn is how easy it is to share your knowledge. LinkedIn Groups is a great place to do this. Many people in these groups have questions that need to be answered. Who’s going to answer them? You, of course!
Although groups tend to have hundreds of members, it’s worth stating your own perspective to people’s problems. If you want to a chance to apply what you’ve been learning to real-life situations, why not contribute your own point of view and help a few people?
LinkedIn also allows users to publish their own articles. If you’ve been researching how different companies analyze target markets, why not write an article about your findings? Chances are, a senior manager may find it of use and keep you in mind the next time they’re looking for a market researcher.
Interested in learning more how about to utilize LinkedIn as an online branding and networking tool? Do you want to be confident in setting up and requesting interviews online? Check out our Building your Online Presence Workshop on Thursday (a week from today) to learn more about how to use the service to get you connected with industry leaders. The workshop will be held at the BCIT Burnaby Campus in Townhall C @3:30PM! See you then!
Written by: Samantha Quon
