Blogs as a tool for building your personal brand

Source

Building up a personal brand is very important in today’s world. A personal brand can be described as “a presentation that reaches out and grabs the reader by the shoulders in a captivating engagement. It tells the reader how much more you can do for his or her company than the other they are considering for a job.” (Patty Inglish: Personal Brand - Resume Format Part III 75). A blog can help you to create such a personal brand.

Especially for journalists “staying findable equals sustained opportunity and flexibility” writes Amy Gahran (Media Career Insurance: your Blog). The more findable and linkable a person is, the more often the blog will be visited. Therefore, one should aim to be as findable as possible, which can be achieved through a persistent and personal blog.

Furthermore, this digital identity helps to create reputation and credibility (The Socialization of Your Personal Brand). The Personal Branding Blog describes in 10 steps how to blog your personal brand. For instance, it recommends to research the internet first before opening a blog in order to find a niche. Afterwards it is advised to pick a personal logo and theme to create a personal brand page. Finally, it is important to gain feedback and claim your blog in order to add more value to your brand. The 10 steps recommended can be found in detail on 10 steps Beginners Guide to Blogging Your Personal Brand.

However, building your personal brand via a blog is not only recommended for journalists, but can support everyone whether a student, currently employed, seeking a new job, a brand ambassador or the official community manager of a company’s social media strategy. “70 percent of recruiters report using search engines to find background data on candidates. Of that number, 35 percent eliminated a candidate because of what they found online.” (Kevin Donline, Star Tribune Minneapolis). Therefore, a blog gives you the control to publish information in favor of you, which you want others to find.

Due to the above mentioned reasons it shall be concluded that blogs generate a useful tool for building your own personal brand. A blog (1) supports you in being findable and linkable, (2) it can build up reputation and credibility, and finally (3) provides control about personal information you want others to find.