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FESTIVAL : ARE YOU DOING ENOUGH TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND?
By Emir Shafri, Malaysian Executive Creative Director and eCommerce Lotus & Media Lotus Jury Member
Taking a walk around the ADFEST entry exhibition area at PEACH, one could not help but admire the amount of blood, sweat and tears that go into building brands for our clients. In fact, as advertising professionals, content producers and marketers, we spend our entire career building brands. But let’s be honest: do we spend as much effort building our own brand?
Trinity Consulting Executive Director Anthony James (better known as AJ), who was at ADFEST as an eCommerce Lotus & Media Lotus Jury Member, thinks about that a lot. “A question I like to pose during my workshops is: how many times a day do you share content to be heard on LinkedIn? A lot of people couldn’t even remember the last time they did.”
AJ should know a thing or two. Just last year, he was crowned the #1 LinkedIn Power Profile in Marketing & Advertising, and LinkedIn’s Top Voice in Australia. A feat he achieved after amassing a legion of over 141,870 followers (at press time) with content that consistently ranks amongst the top viewed on this platform. That’s no mean feat, considering LinkedIn has over half a billion followers.
AJ has three tips for building a personal brand on LinkedIn: consistency, engagement and thought leadership.
“Firstly, consistency is key. There’s no point in sharing a great point of view if you’re not being heard. In just seconds, your post gets lost in a sea of tens of thousands of new content. So, it pays to post several times a day, at least,” says AJ.
His second tip: engage with your audience. Keep a conversation going with your followers, both on your content and theirs. But don’t just comment for the sake of commenting. Add value to the conversation, and you’re sure to be remembered.
Finally: thought leadership. Like the brands we build, we should have a clear, consistent voice. We should stand for something, and our content should reflect that. AJ adds, “Don’t just post anything and everything. Have a think of what you stand for. It could be innovation, great visual craft, digital disruption, or even beautiful storytelling. Constantly curate and share content that matches this. If it’s interesting to your followers and it fits: share it. But do so by adding a unique point of view that builds on the work.”
For me, that last point is perhaps the most important. If we’re not adding value, we’re just adding to the noise. In fact, whenever there’s an opportunity to help out a connection and add value in their lives, even if it as simple as reviewing a portfolio or giving an encouraging comment, go for it. A little goes a long way, especially considering how, just like with branding for our clients, word of mouth and referrals are the most effective marketing channels.
There’s no better time to start working on your personal brand than now. After all, 95% of recruiters expect the job market to get even more competitive – our industry included. And with almost 9 out of 10 of recruiters turning to platforms like LinkedIn to research job candidates, there’s no better place to start than there.
And if you need a little bit of help or inspiration, AJ is just a LinkedIn profile away at linkedin.com/in/ajjames.
23 March, 2019
