Know the True You

   Do you really know what all someone can find out about you on the internet? Although it is common to look someone up on Facebook or Instagram to put a face to the name, we rarely look ourselves up? When creating a personal brand online it is important to know what will pop up when your name is Googled, or an old Instagram account is dug up. What appears next to your name can be beneficial or harmful depending on the content, so it is important to do a personal brand audit online.

    When doing a personal brand audit online, a good place to start is simply typing your name and city into the search engine. This is also a good time to check the Google Images you are tagged in. Although you cannot remove the tag from Google Images, you can always add more professional photos of yourself and tag your name. When it comes to social media profiles it is always smart to make your personal accounts private and have separate ones for professional purposes. If you want to be strategic about it, you could have separate platforms for personal and professional uses. You could use LinkedIn for professional networking and keep your Facebook and Instagram accounts viewable to only your friends and family. While on the topic, because we all have that picture that seemed like a good idea to post in the moment, but we soon regretted it, most social media platforms allow you to delete posts. Even if the post isn’t made by you, you can still remove your tag which hides the photo from your profile.

    Your personal brand is your reputation and is what sets you apart from your peers. It is important to know what your personal brand reflects so it does not negatively affect you. Whether networking with other creators or going in for an interview, take the time to look yourself up so you know what your personal brand says about you. Know the true you.