Brave Little Pig

Lifelong Learning in a Digital World

Branding and Online Identity

Five ways to stand out and create work opportunities in a changing job market

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The path to ‘success’ isn’t always clear, or easy. It will mean something different to each of us but in some capacity, we’re all working toward the career, family and lifestyle that we desire. Our workforce is also changing at a rapid pace and being adaptable to new conditions and opportunities will be vital for future-proofing our careers! Unfortunately, there’s no guaranteed way of finding work but there are five key things we can do to give ourselves the best chance of finding opportunities, and success.

A summary infographic to explain some key tips for seeking opportunities and finding success: be visible, network, volunteer and be a lifelong learner.
Infographic created using Canva

I co-convened a Communication Careers Forum at Deakin University in late-2019 and we invited several industry professionals to speak or participate in a panel discussion, from new graduates to ‘industry veterans.’ They all shared advice on how tertiary students can build their personal-professional brands and portfolios, so they can ‘stand-out’ in a crowd of new graduates looking for their first paid gig.There was so much valuable and inspiring advice shared, and at the end of the day, one commonality emerged. Every speaker and panelist had actively sought opportunities beyond those offered in their core studies or scope of employment. And not just one opportunity – they had consistently engaged in formal and informal professional development and fostered industry connections.

This thought about actively seeking opportunities reminded me of Stephen R. Covey’s book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, in which ‘Be Proactive’ is the very first habit. Covey defines people who are proactive as being able to “achieve extraordinary results by consistently executing their R & I (resourcefulness and initiative) to break through barriers.” So, what are some steps we can all take to be proactive and seek the right opportunities?

Be visible

You might have heard it before, but in today’s digital world and competitive job market, being visible online is one of the best ways to showcase your skills and be ‘seen’ by others. What you publish will depend on your own skillset and goals, but blogging is a universal activity that can establish your credibility and personal brand, regardless of your chosen industry.

Blogging will showcase your ability to reflect upon, and document, your journey through learning and developing new skills. This is equally as important for those studying or working in criminology, healthcare or cybersecurity as it is for those in public relations, digital marketing or journalism. You can also publish your visual design work, podcasts, videos and any other multi-media creations.

Contrary to popular belief, a ‘portfolio’ of work doesn’t have to be a single, tangible piece. But, curating your best work on a website such as WordPress, a YouTube channel, Soundcloud account or other multi-media platform will be a wonderful asset to show potential employers and/or clients.

A website is often the most flexible in terms of format and the ability to host multiple media forms but there are dedicated portfolio sites designed for specialties. For example, if you have an Adobe subscription, they offer a portfolio site that you can upload your photography, video or designs to. Journo Portfolio offers a similar service for journalists, and there are many others out there too.

The final piece in the puzzle for being visible online is to share your work on social media. Every time you post a new piece or learn a key skill, share it; even posting reflections or observations while you’re in the middle of a project can help to establish your brand. The choice of platform is up to you but do consider which one is most suited to your brand. Often, sharing across multiple platforms and tailoring your content to each will be most effective.

Network

The word, ‘networking’ instills a sense of dread in many people, but it doesn’t have to. Making connections can be as simple as introducing yourself to someone in your industry and asking for some advice or feedback on your work. It can also mean strategically expanding your online network through social media sites, including LinkedIn.

The other way you can connect with others is to attend short courses and networking events connected to your community and/or industry, in real life. Often, the best way to reduce your anxiety around networking is not to think of it as a big task, separate to the rest of your life — the most natural way to do this is often by engaging in conversations. You could do this by complimenting someone on work that they have shared online.

When you approach networking with the intention of building genuine connections, rather than promoting yourself, people will often be more open to talking with you and sharing advice.

Tell everyone

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Tell friends, family and anyone you meet about what you’re studying or doing for work. If you’re a freelancer, talk to local business owners. Tell them what you’re doing and ask them about their business and goals.

Valuable connections are often made through the discovery of common interests or goals. You might be able to help someone else, or they could offer you some paid work. Job opportunities can come from the most surprising places – sometimes, through random connections between friends or acquaintances that you were never aware of before.

Volunteer

‘Working for free’ is not something that most of us jump at. However, doing some design, photography, writing, marketing or other work for a strategically chosen business or organisation can elevate your portfolio and reputation. Visit local businesses, online and in real life, to offer your services. I do recommend clearly defining the work you will do for them first; it can be an excellent strategy to do initial work for free but it’s unsustainable to do this forever. If a business continues to ask for service and time beyond your initial agreement, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask them for payment. You can either negotiate a fee and continue working for them, or if their budget doesn’t allow it, you might have to decline future work. Often though, a business will be very glad of your services and willing to provide a testimonial or reference in return. Even if they’re not, you will have a valuable addition to your portfolio.

Talking directly to business owners can be a nerve-wracking task but it is amazing how many opportunities are out there once you start actively looking for them! As with many things in life, it will get easier over time. It might also help you to consider what the worst thing is that a business could say? “No thanks”, or, you might not hear back from them. In either case, you can simply move on to those who do want your help!

Be a lifelong learner

Learning doesn’t stop at the end of formal education. Often, graduating from your certificate, course or degree is where the real learning begins. One of our speakers at the forum was PR ‘Warrior’, Trevor Young. One of his messages that particularly resonated with me was to “feed your curiosity.” Trevor extended on this by saying that we should always be critical – think things through. Make it your business to know what’s happening in your industry, continue evolving and you will see opportunities that other people miss. You can find Trevor’s blog, podcasts and much more at Digital Citizen.

Incidentally, Trevor never went to university, proving that success doesn’t necessarily come from formal education. It’s much more important to practice your craft, develop key skills, publish your work and share it online. Then, actively seek out networks and opportunities to find your success!

Header Image: Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

‘Fake it ’til you make it’: taking the first step towards publishing your work online.

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Are you terrified about publishing your work online? Do you know that you ‘should’ be putting it out there, but…well, it’s never quite perfect?

Many students, professionals, small business owners and freelancers struggle with this exact problem. We all know how important it is to develop a personal brand and/or online portfolio because today’s job market is so competitive, but ‘just publish it’ seems so much easier to say than it is to do! I was prompted to reflect on this through my current work as a sessional teacher in Digital Media at Deakin University.

Even Superheroes Fake It 'Til They Make It'
© Emily Wade, 2019.

Our Digital Media units encourage students to embrace the philosophy of Media Studies 2.0. The philosophy is based on students learning about digital media by immersing themselves in it; experimenting, creating, sharing, and connecting with others online. Our Unit Chair, Adam Brown, describes this highly practical approach as ‘learning by doing’.

 

I was brainstorming ways that I might be able to inspire confidence in students when the phrase ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ popped into my head. With several connotations and potential origins, ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ draws parallels to the concept of ‘learning by doing’. It’s also based on a similar premise to that of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which promotes the exchange of negative thoughts and patterns (bad habits) for positive ones, in order to affect change. In other words, ‘you are what you think’.

The more I thought, the more examples of ‘learning by doing’ or ‘faking it ‘til I made it’ I could identify throughout my own career. Two of these are below:

 

Starting my Journey as a Food and Product Photographer

In 2008. I had just bought my first DSLR camera and started experimenting with it at home. I was particularly interested in exploring macro photography and started creating artistic photos with natural elements (leaves, feathers, shells etc.) or food as subjects, but hadn’t engaged in any formal photography education yet. One day, my ex-husband (then, fiancé and business partner) told me that he’d volunteered my services as a food photographer for a major hotel group in Melbourne that he was doing signage for.

“You did what?” I said. “I can’t do that – I’m not ready!”

He assured me that anything I could produce was better than the amateur food photographs that the hotel group was using at the time, and if it didn’t work out, I could just waive my fee. Well, I went into full-on research and practice mode. Despite preparing as best I could, I was completely terrified when I turned up for my first shoot, but I concealed my nerves by putting on a big smile and greeting the Head Chef confidently. The session went as well as it could have.

Afterwards, I spent a lot of time editing (to compensate for styling, lighting and exposure errors) which served to quickly develop my Photoshop skills, and produce a more professional looking result. The client was happy, and I continued to shoot their food for several years afterwards.

As time went on, I upgraded my lighting equipment and honed my styling and photography skills so that I was able to spend a lot less time editing afterwards. I also went on to complete professional photography training and picked up many other food and product photography clients along the way. In the beginning, the only thing that got me through was a positive attitude, motivation to succeed and a good dose of adrenaline!

 

My First Role in Social Media Management

Around mid-2017 I was studying a Graduate Diploma of Communications at the time, and one of my then teachers, Adam Brown referred stuart-hinds.com to me – they wanted someone to manage their social media and online marketing strategy. When I first read the offer, I was excited but unsure that I could deliver on the brief.

Despite my initial reservations, I contacted Stuart Hinds (an internationally-recognised Soft Tissue Therapist and Educator) anyway. We met for an interview, then he and his business partner confirmed that they wanted me to do the job. I immediately started researching, auditing their current social media accounts and developing a new marketing strategy.

It was an exciting opportunity given that they were just about to re-brand and expand their product offerings, and although their social media presence was minimal, Stuart Hinds himself had an established professional reputation in Australia and overseas. Also, without a formalised social media marketing strategy at the time, it was the perfect opportunity to develop something from the start, and (thankfully) see it grow so strongly as a result of my work.

I was lucky to have extensive small business and sales experience to draw on when I began this role, and my job-specific skills developed over time.

Often, there’s no substitute for being able to learn a set of skills in a practical setting. I strongly believe that if I had tried to learn the above skills in a traditional educational setting (through theory and simulation), then put them into practice later, it would have resulted in much lesser outcomes.

If you’re feeling unsure about how or where to start, I encourage you to just ‘start’. All you need to do is embrace the challenges and opportunities that come your way, work hard and learn from your mistakes.

Even if you feel like you’re ‘faking it’ to begin with, you’ll ‘make it’ in the end!

Have you got any examples of ‘faking it ’til you made it’ to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments below, or head over to Twitter.

 

Images by Emily Wade – click here to visit my portfolio.

Can you really gain 100 Instagram followers in 24 hours?

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I joined Instagram to promote my freelance photography business in 2015. Initially, my use was quite sporadic, but from the 1st of January, 2017 I started posting to Instagram every single day. I was committed to growing my following organically, with a focus on engagement rather than follower count. But, the constant barrage of marketing spam thrown at me promoting follower gains and increased profits started to wear me down. The ‘noise‘ was incredible. Would a large follower count really increase my profit potential and lead to increased job bookings? Was there a legitimate and easy way to gain more followers quickly?

I had researched Instagram growth-hacking techniques and came to the conclusion that for my purposes, having large numbers of followers would not increase my job bookings, given that most methods of quickly gaining followers would attract fake and/or non-genuine accounts. However, I did occasionally succumb to the psychological high when one of my images attracted a large number of likes and/or some nice, genuine comments. I was finding it really hard to resist the bright lights of celebrity-like fame on Instagram, which was quickly starting to feel like a popularity contest. I could easily argue away these desires using my logic and intelligence, but they would return intermittently… Eventually, curiosity got the better of me! I decided to run my own little experiment based on a theory (or group of similar theories) that claim an Instagram user can gain 100 followers in 24 hours. I figured that I had nothing to lose, and it was worth investigating, for entertainment and information purposes. After all, why miss out on an effective marketing strategy, if it is that easy to implement? And, if in fact, it does actually work!

The experiment details

 I never intended to write a blog post when I first decided to test this theory, so the numbers quoted below are all approximate and designed to give an impression of what happened without getting bogged down in the technical details. Prior to carrying out this experiment, my Instagram follower count was at about 260, and I was following around 600 accounts. I had always carefully chosen the accounts that I followed based on the fact that I liked their content rather than just blindly ‘following-back’, but on this day I threw caution to the wind, so to speak. On the evening of February the 16th, I started seeking out some accounts with large followings that had a similar target market to mine (my competitors) and started following their followers like crazy! I followed approximately 600 extra accounts throughout that evening and the next day. I took the total number of accounts that I was following to approximately 1200. Within an hour of my sudden increased activity and large number of new follows, there was a marked increase in the number of accounts liking my photos. If you scroll down my Instagram page (@macro_grace) to the dates February 16th, 17th and 18th you will see that images I posted on those days got 154 likes, 167 likes and 193 likes respectively. Both before and after conducting this experiment, the average likes my images receive is about 52, ranging from 30 to 90 likes each. Along with this increased ‘liking’ activity, my follower count also increased over the next 24-48 hours until it reached 377 (at its’ highest count). This means that my follower count did increase by 90 and maintain that increase after an initial peak of 117 extra followers.

So, the experiment worked, right? It is possible to gain 100 followers in a very short space of time.

The short answer is yes. The more complicated answer is, no.

The clincher is that although my follower count did increase dramatically, it then dropped to about 350 and has remained stagnant at that count for about 6 weeks (with small daily fluctuations, but the base number remains roughly the same). Prior to the experiment, my organic follower increase was sitting at about 2-3 per day: a slow and steady rate. Since the experiment, I have continued to gain between 2 and 5 followers per day, but I have also been losing followers at approximately the same rate. A quick calculation, using average figures, means that if I had continued posting and engaging without carrying out this experiment, my follower count should be anywhere between 352 (if gaining 2/day) and 386 (if gaining 3/day) now. As I write this, my actual follower count is 357.

In short, if I had not carried out this experiment, my current follower count would be almost exactly the same as it is today (46 days later). The true gain for my Instagram account was nil. I am hoping that sometime in the very near future, my follower count will start to gradually and organically increase again. I will then be able to put this experiment well and truly behind me.

Some companies have developed apps to carry out this type of activity on an automated basis. My increased activity would have attracted some of these ‘bots’ and explains the spike in liking activity. It also partially explains that the new ‘followers’ I gained over that period of time were mostly non-genuine; either automated, fake or spam accounts. Many of these ‘followers’ un-followed my account again shortly after.

Where to from here?

The fact is that the long-term effects from this experiment for my account should be negligible, but engaging in some growth-hacking techniques (especially automated options) for gaining followers in the longer term can actually have a negative impact on your account and reduce your credibility. It should also be noted here that some third-party apps operate contrary to Instagram’s Terms of Use. See Instagram’s Platform Policy here.

There are many variables that have not been taken into account here, and this was not a scientific experiment by any stretch of the imagination, but in my humble opinion, the best way to gain quality followers is to continue posting quality content on a regular basis. You also need to integrate your Instagram activity with a comprehensive online and offline marketing strategy and keep the focus on producing quality work and making customers happy!

Author’s Update (September 2019):

I have now deleted this Instagram account. I don’t think it ever recovered from the experiment, and the pressure of posting ‘perfect’ images everyday became counter-productive to my work and overall business goals. I really enjoyed the ‘Insta-break’ and it certainly helped to put things in perspective for me; being active on social media can present so many valuable opportunities for marketing, collaboration and social connection but if it becomes a negative influence or overwhelming, there is no harm in taking a break!

Header Image: Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Building your online identity

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Is your online-self a true representation of your offline-self’? Are you strategic about what you post online?  And have you considered what impact your online profile, or lack thereof, could have on future job opportunities? We all have that friend who is constantly posting photos on social media about their perfect lifestyle, house, kids or marriage but the offline truth doesn’t seem to be quite so rosy. Without diving into a deep human psychology and behaviour discussion, it’s interesting to consider the conscious and unconscious actions that shape our online identities, and increasingly, the influence that our online portrayal of self can have on both personal credibility and career outlook.

I have begun a process of carefully planning and creating my online identity for professional purposes, and want to share my experiences and insights so far; some of the lessons I have learned along the way may also help you to create and leverage your own online presence.

What is online identity?

The notion of online identity has far-reaching effects beyond the basic expression-of-self in the online environment. In simple terms the Oxford English Dictionary defines identity as ‘the characteristics determining who or what a person is’. Online identity can be defined by our combined activities in social networking, building profiles, friending, liking, commenting, sharing, tagging, posting content and participating in online communities (Poletti & Rak, 2014).

The expression of our identity now extends beyond our offline activities to an accessible online environment, where the creation of content and social profiles is part of a ‘performance’ of selfhood. That is to say, ‘online social networking behaviour is as performative as ‘real life’ acts’ (Poletti & Rak, 2014). I subscribe to the belief that the expression of our online-self is consistent with our offline persona, and inevitably, although our online activities may be fragmented and multiplied, our online representations of self are fragments of the same core persona (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2015).

In the process of creating an online identity for business purposes, it’s important to consider the types of content that should be shared with your professional network, and which things might be better kept for personal profiles. This isn’t to say that personal opinions or humorous content should never be shared on your professional profiles. Sometimes, sharing the occasional personal post can give your online personality a touch of humanity ’and invite others to engage with you. There is a fine line here though; a good test is to consider if you would relate the same opinion or joke to any single member of your professional network if you were speaking to them in person. If you would feel uncomfortable doing that, it’s probably not a good idea to share it with them online. This is one of the reasons why it may be very important for you to create separate personal and professional online profiles.

It is important to qualify here that choosing which content you post online is not inauthentic; it is a calculated adaptation of information to suit the audience. We do this in exactly the same way offline when we adapt our topics of conversation to suit those we are speaking to. The information that we disclose to a best friend would most likely be quite different to that shared with a client or manager.

When you have multiple active social and professional profiles, it is good practice to get into the habit of double-checking that you are logged into the correct profile before publishing any post!

 Creating an online identity

I first consciously started creating my own online identity in August 2007 when I registered my personal Facebook profile. I was a late adopter of social media and the last of my peer-group to join. Some of my friends had been active on sites such as Facebook and MySpace for a few years before I decided to join. I was concerned about privacy and didn’t see any personal benefit for joining. Eventually, peer pressure persuaded me to join Facebook, mainly for the purposes of photo sharing with my current friendship-group.

To give you a starting point for creating your own professional online identity, I have made a Slideshare presentation illustrating the framework of profiles that I have created in my own name, and in two business names; ‘Macro Grace’, which is my photography business, and this blog, ‘Brave Little Pig’. I have focused on LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Instagram, a customised Website and Twitter for the most part. I have also got accounts registered with YouTube and Soundcloud for the purposes of sharing content related to both of my businesses. I have followed all of the principles outlined in the infographic just mentioned to create my profiles. The platforms that you choose to use for your personal brand or business is largely dependent on the industry you work in. For example, many photographers will create a personal website to display their portfolio, along with Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr accounts. The latter two are formats that lend themselves to displaying photography because they have a strong visual focus. Today, it is important to be present and active across a variety of platforms but I believe that it is better to be active and engaged on one or two, rather than present and inactive on many. Having said that, it is still worthwhile reserving accounts in your business or personal names (or both) on any platform that you can realistically foresee using in the future. This means that no-one else will be able to register that name while you hold it (check Terms and Conditions of individual sites; some have rules about how long you can have a registered name that is inactive). Of course, if you try to register an account in your personal name and find it is taken, search for alternatives that still look professional with a minimum of compromise. The name of your accounts may become important later if you get more serious about SEO. For example, when I decided to register a Twitter account in the name of Emily Wade, I couldn’t (it was already registered by someone else), but I found that EmilyGraceWade was still available. This is preferable to choosing a name such as Emily2576 or Emily_virgo11. When you are interacting online, your username will often appear automatically in messages and tweets you send out, so if it looks professional, so do you!

Top 5 Tips for Building Quality Social Media Profiles

Some years later, I began to build more social networking profiles with the core purpose of improving SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for my freelance photography business. My efforts to create a professional online identity have been slow but strategic, and everything that I post online has been carefully considered to align with my personal and professional values. I prefer to post images and other content that I have created, or on subjects that I am genuinely interested, sourced from quality content-providers. I take pride in my work and always strive to create aesthetically pleasing publications. These high personal standards have admittedly slowed my online profile building. The infographic (left/above) lists five key principles that I have applied to building my profiles across multiple platforms. Have you applied any of these to your own profile building yet?

Moving beyond quality profiles to the world of creating and connecting

Creating good social and business profiles is only the first, small step in a process of building a robust professional network. It is certainly a necessary element in providing ‘social proof’ of employability (Guiseppi, 2016), but only forms part of the online identity equation. The next part of the equation; producing content and making connections, even has benefits beyond the professional realm. As Gauntlett (2011) argues in his book, Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0, that although the majority of people are consumers in this digital world, the tools available for individuals to be able to make and share creative work online can lead to connections and community-building in new ways, which in turn can lead to increased happiness and self-esteem. Gauntlett says, ‘The ‘making and doing’ culture does require a bit more effort – but it comes with rich rewards.’ Possibly one of the most exciting aspects of this theory is that the ways in which these connections may manifest and the opportunities that could arise are largely unpredictable.

I posted a poll on Twitter recently (below) to gauge my peers’ attitudes to the importance of professional profiles and quality content. Thirty-eight respondents overwhelmingly agreed that both are equally important.

Ticking off one aspect of creating a professional online identity doesn’t automatically lead to career opportunities. The subject of content creation is one that enters online discussions daily, in the form of blog posts, social media posts (usually with the purpose of marketing a business or service) and forum discussions. This article from Smart Company discusses the large proportion of marketing budgets that is now spent on creating content, and how the focus on digital marketing (which includes email, social media and various forms of content) is driving businesses forward; when I shared a link to the above-mentioned article on Twitter it attracted a tweet of agreement from a fellow student who said: ‘There is a saying in my office that content is king’. These kinds of discussions highlight the increasing awareness among business owners and employees alike that creating quality content is essential for promoting a personal or company brand.

After discussing the equal importance of building profiles and creating content online, I hope I have inspired you to continue your professional online identity building with renewed strategy and positivity. My personal focus now rests with developing a regular schedule of posting and engaging online that is both consistent and sustainable in the long term. There is a lot more to come on this journey, such as the types of content to share, best times to post, how to use scheduling tools and develop marketing plans. So, stay tuned!

References

Gauntlett, D., (2011), Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0, Cambridge: Polity.

Guiseppi, M., (2016), Mind Your Online Reputation: The personal branding social proof paradigm and two little-known ways to master it. Career Planning & Adult Development Journal, 32 (2), 101 – 106.

Poletti, A. & Rak, J. (2014), Identity Technologies: constructing the self online. The University of Wisconsin Press.

Oxford Living English Dictionaries (2017), https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ Last accessed 9/04/17

Sandy, C.J., Gosling, S.D., & Durant, J (2013). Predicting consumer behaviour and media preferences: the comparative validity of personality traits and demographic variables. Psychology and Marketing, 30 (11), 937-949.

Chamorro-Premuzic,T., (2015), How different are your online and offline personalities? The Guardian (online) https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/sep/24/online-offline-personality-digital-identity?CMP=share_btn_tw Last accessed 9/04/17.

Cover Image: Adobe Stock

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