Confession: I was once one of the many journalists who feared and resisted the digital revolution, refusing to open a Facebook account because I was hoping it would all go away.
Like the rest of my profession I’ve been forced to adapt to the new world and I’m so glad I did.
No matter which way you look at it we are living in a 24/7 digital global village full of great promise and peril.
Yes, it evolves fast but there are a few things I’d love to share to help other women stay ahead of the game.
7 reasons you should care about your online reputation:
1/ The biggest competitive advantage is to show up.
I can’t tell you how many times I ‘google’ accomplished people and I can’t find any information about them.
There is great value in just showing up in the market place, this speaks for everyone – entrepreneurs, aspiring politicians, tech gurus, creatives, designers.
Millenials are all over it, they are not shy about sharing their value, and we look like dinosaurs if we don’t!
2/ The world craves stories and wants to know your ‘why.’
I firmly believe almost anyone can ‘influence’ in relation to their expertise. Don’t assume people won’t think you are interesting. A career interviewing people from all walks-of-life has taught me everybody has a valuable story and a message to share.
3/ People don’t want to be ‘sold to’ they are looking for authenticity.
Women in particular are wired to hear stories. We are looking for an emotional connection and to be inspired. We are suspicious of companies and don’t want to be sold to by brands or governments.
4/ People aren’t mind readers, so tell them who you are.
Unless your clients, boss, colleagues or partner knows what your vision is, how are you going to execute that plan?
You need to outline your vision, which is easier to do in the modern world than it has ever been before.
5/ We need more females in leadership positions.
This is a big one. Unless we thrash out issues hampering women and have the tricky conversations how can we implement real, lasting change?
Young women can’t be it, if they can’t see it yet many high achieving women are reluctant to fly their own flag.
Create your digital persona to share with clients, peers and partners.
6/ It’s ok to own your value.
Most of the ‘engaging women’ I chat with ‘own’ their successes and have no trouble making sure I share them on this blog.
It’s a common female trait to have humility but what good does it do us? Men often talk themselves up. Own your value, share your hard-fought successes, and elevate your voice.
7/ Data bases have long memories.
It’s a disturbing fact that data aggregators are constantly pulling together profiles on all of us which are sold to companies. We must assume everything we do online is being recorded. You can’t change this so my best advice is to ensure the online ‘you’ reflects your off line integrity.
SIGN UP TO HEAR ‘HOW’ YOU CAN SHARE YOUR STORY BY TAPPING THE ENVELOPE, OLD SCHOOL… OR CONTACT ME VIA THE CONTACT PAGE.