In the present competitive arena, it is ever-important to craft your online personal brand. This became apparent when I first interned at Propaganda last June.
Following local public relations agencies and influential figures within the industry led me to follow @MrsClaire, AKA Claire Anderson, the director of social here at Propaganda. Noticing a tweet regarding intern opportunities, I replied expressing my enthusiasm, which sparked a conversation about the possibility of gaining work experience at Propaganda.
Returning to Propaganda for a second internship, I began to reflect on my first steps into the agency. As a final year public relations and communications student, the time has come for me to consider my options for when I leave education. As I look back on past experiences, a common theme is heavily present – the world of social has hugely helped me.
For instance, if I hadn’t followed @MrsClaire on Twitter and replied to her tweet, I simply wouldn’t be at Propaganda now. Moreover, if I had not kept in contact with the team, again through connecting on social platforms and utilising social messaging, I would not have been able to get in touch regarding furthering my work experience. It sounds pretty obvious, but it’s extremely important to keep your online profiles up-to-date, social etiquette on-point, and to make the most of all the tools that social has to offer.
Here are a few tips on how to work on your online etiquette and look after your personal brand…
- Always include your Twitter handle on your CV: it’s a chance for people to get to know your personality which formal platforms such as Linkedin don’t always offer
- Utilise the many tools on social platforms: create lists on Twitter to separate certain industries and keep up-to-date with professionals
- Join in. There’s a great opportunity to start conversations online, from commenting on interesting links on LinkedIn to replying to someone’s tweet
- A few humorous tweets or Instagram posts that show your interests can give people an insight into your personality
- There’s no need to keep your Twitter and Instagram accounts private – you shouldn’t have anything to hide… right
- Follow interesting and influential people: connect with people on LinkedIn, tap into a popular conversation and follow department directors – don’t be afraid to follow people you don’t actually know