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Opportunities in social media marketing seem boundless;
the best do not seek to disrupt conversations but to integrate -
to add something useful and compelling.
~ Nuri Djavit ~
Our online presence is, at times, an area that we set and forget.
When last did you do an honest review of your digital presence?
When last did you update your profile picture?
Setting ourselves up with a well crafted online presence can open up some great opportunities for new and valuable connections and influence.
I invite you to review your digital presence over the next four weeks.
Each week will have a specific focus and will include an assignment, which will get you one step closer to rocking your online presence.
To kick us off, here are five reasons why it is so important to be more mindful of, and intentional about your online presence.
1. Your digital presence is often someone’s first impression of us
We often think of first impressions only in terms of face-to-face meetings and handshakes. The truth is that people do look at our online profiles and based on that, decide whether or not to pursue a face-to-face meeting with us.
2. Your digital footprint is bigger than you may think
Every website we have logged into, every account we have created online and everything we have purchased online has left a digital footprint behind.
Additionally, when we use social media and get tagged in someone else’s photos, our digital presence increases without our input or control.
3. Your online (as well as offline) presence provides a bunch of information to various stakeholders
You probably know most of the following, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded:
We have been visible to various people and organisations from the moment we first went online - from family and friends to colleagues and employers and even to foes and trolls.
We post lots of information for others to see. We supply information about who we are, what we do and even where we are. All the while, data is being collected in the background. All. The. Time.
Metadata (information) is being collected by sites to gather information about our habits, our online (and offline) activities and our likes and dislikes so that they can predict our habits and market-specific products to us.
This article by Lifewire gives a rather eye-opening explanation of how organisations use our metadata.
It is important to be aware of how visible we are when we engage online, and we need to be both vigilant and responsible. Let’s be careful how we treat others and their online content.
4. Your online presence can affect our work
Based on a survey done in 2018 by CareerBuilder, as many as 70% of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates.
Nearly 50% of employers check the social media sites of their current employees, and over 30% of employees claim that they’ve been reprimanded at work based on content that was found online.
5. The things you share online today can ‘byte' you tomorrow
Nothing we do happens in isolation. How we choose to engage online will affect us either positively or negatively, both personally, as well as professionally.
Think ahead five or ten years from now and consider what your current online habits will say about you?
Action points for this week
Try to make an exhaustive list of all your online accounts (it’s harder than you might think … don’t forget your phone apps and your on-demand viewing accounts)
Reread the five reasons and consider how it applies to your current online presence
Watch these excellent TEDx talks
Psychological Targeting: What Your Digital Footprints Reveal About You (12:52)
What Do Your Digital Footprints Say About You? (8:23)
ONLINE PRIVACY: IT DOESN’T EXIST: Privacy and what we can do about it (14:14)
Become more attentive to your online presence and be more intentional about how you engage in a digital world.
Make Today Amazing!