Spring Cleaning! Refresh Your Personal Brand

Spring is here and nothing puts a little pep in your step more than a makeover! It's time to dust off that profile pic and freshen up your social media profiles to refresh your personal brand.

Think you don't have a brand? Are you on the internet? Have you ever created a profile on a social networking site? Guess what? You do, and it probably needs some polishing.

I recently refreshed all my social networking profiles, so I will guide you through it with examples. It is a little time consuming, but the investment in YOU is well worth it.

Refresh Your Personal Brand

1. Assess your digital footprint. What sites and social networks do you have a profile on? List them all. Remember to check your phone for apps you may have downloaded that are also social networks: GetGlue, Vine, Viddy, FourSquare, etc.

2. Say cheese! You're going to need some current pics. Dogs, cats, children, and even your significant other are cute but they don't belong in your profile pictures...especially on LinkedIn. 

Time to shine like a star with a photo shoot. Pick a location that will give you several interesting background angles. I chose Nashville's downtown buildings as my background.


Take lots of photos so you have enough to vary them on all your profiles. I kept the same outfit on for consistency. Be sure to get several head shots, since most social profile pics are small and that's about all you can fit into the viewable area.

Handle With Care: Your Social Media Community is Your Baby



In my experience managing social media communities for brands, I've noticed an almost parental bond that develops within a social media community manager.

Your social media community is your baby: care for it, nurture it, love it, and watch it grow.

Here's how:
Name your baby & Get it dressed.
Do not leave your baby naked with no profile image or description. Naming your social media profiles and making sure they are consistent with the brand is very important for first impressions when it's time for your baby to make friends.

Think, first day of school: the profile description, images, and colors you choose all say something about your brand's community. Make sure the "look, feel, and voice" are consistent with print materials, web and email graphics and copy, videos, and all brand elements. Always be aware of what impression you are making with your brand in social media.

Social Media Integration Checklist: Linking Your Way to More Liking

Once you have your social media profiles established and have built an audience with some community interaction, make sure you are well and consistently branded across all social networks, and then integrate the ability to connect in every marketing function and every customer touch point.

First, you have to think like a customer: where do they see, touch, hear, and interact with your brand? Make a checklist of everything, separating online and offline.

Remember, to KISS (keep it simple, silly marketer) the easier you make it for your customers to connect to your brand, the more likely they will be to do so.