In the most recent episode of the Over Beers Podcast, I went out on my own to discuss creating your own online presence and brand, and discussing why it is important to do. Being twenty-two years old, I have the priviledge of being part of a generation that was brought up with the internet and not knowing any different. So for me, this has been a huge part of my success in my career and in life. If you are a college student or older person, you have the ability to create an awesome online brand, it just takes some pretty basic steps to get there!
Step 1: Start Blogging!
I don’t care where you are in life, or how bad of a writer you are, you need to get online and start writing blogs on a regular basis. Not only will you begin your journey to creating your brand but you will also gain really great writing skills along the way, (And even let off some steam by getting your thoughts out there!).
In the podcast episode, I talk about a bunch of different ways to get this blog up and running.
Wordpress is by far the most used and easiest to adopt when starting out your blogging journey. I started on wordpress and it set me up for future success as I progressed. Some other good services out there would be Blogger, and of course Medium! The main idea here is to start to establish a sort of landing spot when people search for you on the internet!
Step 2: Create your own professional/personal website!
When I talk about creating your own website, if you aren’t tech savy or a developer chances are you can’t even fathom how hard it will be to create a website. Well, newsflash! It is not as hard as you think!
Using services like Strikingly, Wordpress, or Squarespace allow for you to create a website in a coding-free environment with guides and step-by-step processes to get your site up and running.
This doesn’t have to cost a lot either! Squarespace if you are a student can be anywhere from $80–150 for the whole year! So no more excuses, if it isn’t hard and its affordable than get out there and try it!
Step 3: Get your connecting online profiles rolling!
LinkedIn is one that I talk about alot due to the industry in which I work. It is super easy to get up and running and make connections on, and as I mentioned in the podcast it helps boost your name on SEO (Or at least your LinkedIn Profile name)!
You need to be on Twitter! No doubt in my mind that twitter is one of the best resources out there to create your online brand, no matter what if you are not on twitter get on there now! And if you are but are not active, try to engage a little bit more on the site!
Step 4: Find and contribute to an online community of which you are interested!
For me, my interests lie in Startups and Product Design, so my community of choice is Product Hunt. It is a great site to find new products and collaborate with others on discussions of product design and startup-space! But find your own niche community online and contribute as much as you can!
One thing I mention in the podcast for college students is getting hooked up on InternRocket. It is a great service to pair students up with participating companies to snag internships. It is important to create as many online profiles that you can to further your involvement on the web!
step 5: Figure out how you are doing!
My method for doing this is using the website CharlieApp. CharlieApp at its core is used to generate briefings on people you are about to have meetings with. I will let you explore the site on your own, its one of my favorite products out there. But get on CharlieApp and search for a briefing on yourself! This will generate all that they can scour the web for about yourself and show you exactly what people see when they search you. You will be able to know immediately if you are doing well online or if you need a little bit more help!
All in all, creating your online presence is as important as it has ever been. So whether you are a college student looking to get a leg up on competition, or you are established and older generation looking to create your online brand, there are steps you can be taking that will boost your presence and ultimately lead to better opportunities for yourself!
Check out the corresponding episode of Over Beers Podcast below, and follow along at @OB_Podcast and let us know what you are doing to boost your online brand!
