I attended the Social Recruiting Summit in New York, NY on November 16th. Besides being a phenomenal day, it was a perfect for networking. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks have a lot of personalities, but wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually meet so-and-so in person?
Like it or not, online personalities have a personal brand. And being able to connect in real life reaffirms that relationship and strengthens that connection. For those of you who are uncomfortable introducing yourself, social media helps in two ways. First, others may approach you first if you’ve built your brand. And second, it becomes easier for you to approach someone when you already have a sense of who they are. It becomes much easier to develop rapport.
Social networking is a fantastic tool, but taking these relationships into the real world is where the real value lies. You really get a sense of a person and feel more comfortable reaching out to them for help or new opportunities.
Social networking also makes it easier for you to prepare for events and conferences. Beforehand, set up a time to meet with others (if you use Twitter, organize a Tweetup). You could build an entire networking day before you ever step foot into an event. For introverts, this is a great way to break down barriers that would normally make you feel uncomfortable.
Authentic personal branding is vital, because you do not want to portray yourself as one person online, then be somebody different in the flesh. Meeting people in a personal setting, socially or professionally, will should your authenticity and trustworthiness.
Personal branding will never cease. It allows you to grow your online relationships and build trust in the value you can provide others. It provides a platform to share knowledge and increase your social currency. It helps you develop lasting relationships, the kind of relationships that lead to big opportunities.
Be yourself all the time. Be genuinely you, on and off the web. If you don’t, people will notice, and your personal brand will take a hit. Simply being you all the time is more fun anyway, so good luck, and have fun with it.
