With any job, it can be difficult to separate your work from home life. Throw a pandemic and a position that’s predominately online into the mix, and the lines can become quite blurred very quickly. As a digital marketing professional, I’ve often thought about the professional versus personal balancing act online. How much is too much to share on social? Where should you draw the line?
Social media is one of most effective ways for an organization to do business nowadays. These channels give brands the opportunity to research, engage, understand and analyze their target market. In addition to serving as an invaluable marketing tool, social networks also create a wonderful place to gain career advice or aspirations, and the more seriously you take it the more you’ll get out of it. Building an online presence is essential for a communication practitioner like me, and using platforms such as LinkedIn to showcase my experience, expand my network and seek out opportunities has benefitted my career progression greatly. So how does one establish a professional social identity, yet still stay true to what makes you, you.
Personal tone of voice
There is a great deal of value in creating a personal tone of voice on social media. Sharing your opinions and professional skills is a great way to engage industry leaders, impress potential employers, create awareness for a product or restore a brand’s image. Your tone reflects who you are and helps boost your online reputation. Although having an authentic voice on social media is important it may not be as easy as it sounds, especially if your company has a policy on social media use. If there are guidelines in place, I would highly suggest reviewing such policies to prevent issues. As a Content Creator, I am very mindful of what I post online because I know how accessible web content is. Posting is publishing, just the same as if it was written in the paper. Even if your profile is private, you do not own what you publish which means anyone could use it against you.
Leveraging connections
We know that consumers are more likely to make a purchase when referred by a friend, so leveraging personal connections on social media is a strategic way to elevate brand confidence with your audience. An effective way to achieve this may include tapping into LinkedIn and Facebook groups or posting questions on Twitter to spark conversations. No matter the tactic, remember to be more personable online and behave in the same way you would offline.
Consistency is key
Once you decide on what you want to be known for online it is important to stay consistent. The internet has a long memory and wavering sentiments or beliefs can tarnish your professional and personal social identity. To increase credibility with your audience keep your voice consistent across the social sphere and throughout your messaging.
At its core, social media is a communication platform – so as a digital marketing professional, it’s crucial that my professional social identity serve as a multimedia resume – curated to showcase my unique skill set. Social media presents a special opportunity for anyone to develop a personal and professional reputation to further their career and boost sales or profits. The key is to take a personable approach which will allow you to position yourself as a thoughtful leader in the industry and help build and leverage connections with like minded professionals.
Emily Senski-Taylor 