Controlling Google Search Results Essential For Job Seekers

In a world where recruiters are increasingly relying on social media to vet candidates early in the selection process it is critical that a job seeker understand and apply principles of branding to his or her life. This morning I received an email from a friend seeking help:

"My friend is [name removed] and he has a slight problem. He was involved in a negative situation in his past job and is now clear of the incident with one exception: if you Google his name you will find several undesirable results which he is very adamant about removing or lowering in rank. Can you think of a way to help him with this issue?"

A common problem among modern job seekers are inconsistencies between information easily accessible to recruiters on search engines, social networks, and other social media outlets and their resume or in-person presentation.

The best way to take control of your personal brand and publicly available information is to generate consistent content making use of your name in outlets that matter to your industry. This takes time and daily effort; there is no quick fix. Outlets with particularly high PageRank - the system by which Google categorizes relevancy and importance in search results - are LinkedIn, Google Profiles, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, Meetup, and BlogCatalog. Use these sites to create consistent profiles and begin taking search ownership of your name.

Generating relevant content such as blog posts, leaving comments on industry publications, and regularly updating social network profiles will help maintain and increase the search ranking of desirable content.

The lesson to be learned and applied to brands is simple: do not wait until you have an immediate need to understand your online perception. Regardless of whether you represent yourself (personal brand) or a client's brand, you must create consistency in visibility between experience offline and information seekers online.

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Social Media Helps Skincare Upstart Take on Big Beauty

A recent article in Cosmetics Design entitled, "Social media campaigns can help small players enter competitive markets" highlights using an integrated campaign to win market share in a hyper-competitive industry.

Aloe Vera skin care company Lexli has launched a marketing campaign including social and digital media that is designed to help it succeed in an industry dominated by big players.

Such a campaign is perfect for relatively small players such as Lexli coming into very competitive marketplaces, explained Nick Kinports from innovation agency Maddock Douglas which designed the campaign.

“Without a million dollar advertising budget it is difficult to compete with the Dove’s and Aveda’s of the industry in terms of print and TV advertising,” Kinports told CosmeticsDesign.com.

In addition, there is a lot of consumer misunderstanding within the skin care industry and a social media campaign can help get the message across, he said.

Although social media is not the only strategy open to smaller players, for Kinports it is one of the best available right now.

“With a proper strategy and a good understanding of the online behaviour of the target audience you can make inroads quickly and find advocates for the brand willing to spread the word,” he said.

Integrates blog, online store and microsite

The Lexli campaign includes a traditional website that acts as the online store for the brand with product information and the possibility to purchase products.

In addition, Lexli has taken on aesthetician Jessica O’Dair as a brand ambassador who writes a blog entitled Real Skin Care Solutions with links to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

According to Kinports, Jessica is a more credible figure than a celebrity brand ambassador as she is a skin care professional. “She isn’t just a mouthpiece for Lexli. The Real Skin Care blog allows her to continue what she has been doing but through a new medium.”

For Kinports, transparency is the way to retain credibility alongside the knowledge that Jessica is working for Lexli.

“If it is handled correctly there isn’t a problem and transparency is the key. Yes, she works for Lexli, but if people can see she does more than just say ‘Buy Lexli, Buy Lexli,’ we expect a return on the time investment,” he said

Read the full article a Cosmetics Design

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Personal Branding Wars: Does Your Company Already Claim a Stake in Your Personal Twitter, Facebook, or Blog?

Thanks to Daliah Saper for giving a great presentation at the Chicago Media Marketing and Advertising June Meetup. Check out the videos below for great advice on the legal implications of personal branding:

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Facebook Forces Millions To Consider Personal Branding

Whether you are a marketer or just a Facebook fanatic, the early morning hours of June 13th, 2009 forced you to seriously consider how you represent yourself online. Choosing a user name to replace the archaic and confusing identification URL is a one-shot opportunity - you can't make a change.


How did you choose your new Facebook URL? Did you find yourself considering how others will view your new identity? Perhaps you made some fundamental changes to your profile to be in line with your new URL. Share your story in the comments below using Twitter, Facebook, or standard DISQUS commenting. I will use some of the best comments in an upcoming article on how personal brands have jumped to the mainstream!

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YPC Blog: The Importance of Differentiation Part 2: Master Your Offline Brand

Nicholas Kinports (follow him on Twitter @ADMAVEN) has worked in the interactive technology world for over 15 years. He is the Digital Strategy Lead and founder of Chicago-based digital marketing firm lonelybrand, where he directs the creation and execution of digital marketing programs that generate measurable signups, conversions and sales.

When 26 year old William Reigle became a victim of downsizing at an otherwise stable IT company in downtown Chicago he made a realization: working at the same office for the first four years after graduating college had left him in a vulnerable position. Other young professionals who had made job changes in recent years were using new and unfamiliar tools to help land interviews, network, and the job hunt.

He summarizes his predicament: “I looked around and saw that many of my peers were leveraging resources like LinkedIn, Facebook, and specialized recruiting agencies. Searching through Monster and CareerBuilder just wasn’t going to cut it.”

William recognizes the power of differentiation for the young professional, and he also realizes that if he goes into an interview unprepared, he may miss out on a key opportunity. He notes, “Part of the [information technology] profession is being on top of new technology. So much of the industry revolves around communication today; what kind of message would I be sending if I walked into an interview without the latest and best tools?”

...CONTINUE READING ON YPSPEAK.COM

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YPC Blog: The Importance of Differentiation

Nicholas Kinports (follow him on Twitter @ADMAVEN) has worked in the interactive technology world for over 15 years. He is the Digital Strategy Lead and founder of Chicago-based digital marketing firm lonelybrand, where he directs the creation and execution of digital marketing programs that generate measurable signups, conversions and sales.

One of the greatest challenges of finding work in an economy plagued with downsizing, cutbacks, and an overbearing sense of frugality is differentiation. How do you position yourself to be seen as unique and special?

In my line of work I always try to think about how to make my clients stand out, get attention, and make the public stop and stare. It’s about communicating a clear and percussive message using the tools that budget allows, and innovating along the way to get more done with less.

For quite some time the advertising community has been discussing the concept of personal branding. With the advent of freely accessible Web 2.0 tools it is now possible to create and own an online persona.

Over the next couple of months I will talk about steps you can take to differentiate yourself – whether you are looking for a job, thinking of changing jobs, or simply looking to secure your position with your current employer - these tools will help focus and maintain the message that you are a valuable asset in a challenging time.

Before we begin I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I do not advocate using social media tools as the de facto method of increasing the value of your personal brand (or finding a job). These tools are all designed to work in tandem with the more traditional concepts. Get out there; network and meet people in your industry. Interview with relevant staffing agencies and prepare your in person message to be as powerful as anything developed online.

...CONTINUE READING ON YPSPEAK.COM

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