Are you using the power of a Google profile to promote your brand?

June 25, 12:11 AMRichmond Social Media ExaminerDaulton West, Jr.

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There are many social media applications that have been around for a while and have been given much press of late, and have gained in popularity.  Be it LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or some other media, these can be powerful tools for building a personal brand.  When taken together, they begin to form a “composite” view of an individual for telling their unique story that becomes part of a personal brand.

Around April 25, Google enhanced its search results to include a personal picture on a listing that points to an individual’s Google profile.  This innovation highlights a person’s name with an attention-grabbing photo that builds brand recognition by connecting online brand presence with a brand image.  “A picture is worth a thousand words” seems applicable here.  People with popular names can now be found more easily in search results.  A personal photo or avatar provides instant recognition that enables the correct “John Smith”, for example, to be located.

From the “7 Hot Tips to Build Personal Branding Into Your Executive Resume 2.0”,  Hot Tip #7:

7. Take advantage of Google Profiles’ search results power.
“A few days ago, Google Profiles trumped LinkedIn and other social networking sites for building brand-solid search results, by adding a customized listing that includes your photo on page one of results for “your name”. Check it out by typing “meg guiseppi” in a browser window and scrolling down the page until you see my photo and link to my Google Profile. That’s an attention-grabber!”

“Google Profiles is now a must-do online branding strategy and another great way to extend the value of your executive resume.”

- April 27, 2009 blog post by Meg Guiseppi

Personal Branding Tip: Get a Google Profile 
 “Personal branding is a hot topic at the moment (much discussed on Twitter, for example). A Google Profile might be an easy way to establish a presence on the first page of Google results, at the cost of just a few minutes of your time.”

- May 7th, 2009 (1:00pm) Simon Mackie

Blog tip #7 first made many aware of the new Google Profile option, and it has been shared with many local Richmond job seekers in the Career Prospectors and Virginia Career Network groups.  It’s another great branding option using social media, and people have been encouraged to take full advantage of it.

What are the advantages of a Google profile?  

• Creating a personal profile allows control over how you appear in Google
• Creating a personal page permits you to post resume information, links to other websites, blogs, profiles, recommendations for your work, favorite photos, and more, to tell your unique story and build your brand
• Help others find the latest information about you, when they do a Google search
• Give family, friends, and others a place to go for your contact information
• Use the “About me” section to differentiate yourself with a story that conveys your unique brand and value that hiring managers can view, and hopefully, bookmark your Google profile for future reference
• Setting up a Google profile is much easier than LinkedIn, and you can have more than just 3 links – so take advantage of this feature

How do I setup a Google profile?  

• Go to Google profiles site and  log in with your Google account

Fill out the form, and at least some of the fields, otherwise your profile won’t appear on the results page, according to Google

Add your personal photo, links, career information, interests, other photos

Include as much or as little information as you like, but as Google notes, the more information your profile contains, the higher its SEO rank will be, so keep this in mind and take a few minutes to add some content

A few Google profile examples:
Meg Guiseppi  Tim Tyrell-Smith  Felicia Day  Jeff Huber  Tommy Rollins  Dave Saunder

There is probably not  a “one size fits all” method for building a brand using social media, and which applications and tools an individual chooses to use will vary.  Google’s addition of a personal profile that allows a  personal photo to be displayed  in search results has been highly acclaimed and widely written about in recent weeks and should be a valuable addition to anyone’s online branding strategy. 

Best practice tip: Have you Googled yourself lately?
Are you monitoring your online identity? Hiring managers and recruiters are probably Googling you to get a more complete view of your brand before considering you for an open position.  You should Google your name at least once a week and make a habit of monitoring your online identity to protect your brand.  If you don't - who will?

- Daulton West , aka ”dwestjr” on Twitter  
 

Other articles that may be of interest:

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LinkedIn groups – are you building relationships for job networking?
Using Twitter for career networking
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More social media news, views, tools, & tips: Richmond Social Media Examiner