These Tools Make Personal Branding Easy and Affordable

Imagine this:

You found your ideal opportunity to work in sports or your dream job of coordinating events for your favorite baseball team. So, you wrote your resume, created an awesome cover letter, and then passed your application.

Then, you sent your follow-up email and wait.

While you’re on pins and needles, your employer is doing their research. JobsInSports conducted a survey and found that 22 percent of employers say the first thing they do when they review an application is search the candidate’s name in a search engine.

They’re looking for a strong online presence that can wow them. In other words, you need to brand yourself to stand out.

The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money and time on personal branding. There are a lot of personal branding tools you can use to make the process easier and more affordable.

Check them out:

Your Website

What do you want to show up when your potential employer googles your name?

This is where your personal website fits in.

You don’t need to pay a lot of money to work with a website designer or learn how to code on your own. Companies like Squarespace make building a website simple. They provide excellent customer support to help and guide you in building a professional site in minutes.

When you build your website, consider what you want employers to find.

You should include a page that highlights your personal interests and another page that showcases your resume. Aside from that, focus on creating content. This can show your passion for your expertise, which can help you stand out.

In fact, our survey found that approximately one in 10 employers say candidates who start an industry-specific blog stand out from the competition.

If you’re looking for work in sports, select a topic you love, which aligns with your career and write about it. For example, as a hopeful events coordinator for a sports team, you can highlight trends in the industry, comment on common best practices used in event planning, and offer tips on shopping for liability insurance providers.

This shows you’re an expert. Plus, you’re creating content that’s educational to others in your field.

Suffering from writer’s block? Use tools like Hubspot’s topic generator to help with content ideas. They provide five suggested titles that can help spark your creativity.

Your Look

Personal branding also involves developing a specific look that represents you as a professional and as a person. A logo is a perfect way to communicate those things in visual form.

There are several tools that make logo design straightforward. You don’t need to teach yourself graphic design or hire a pricey designer. For example, Canva helps users design logos, infographics, slideshows, and more in a user-friendly way. They offer a free version for basic designs.

Also, Adobe offers Spark Logo Design maker for free. They take you step-by-step in establishing a theme, a font and personalizing the design.

When you create your logo, first look at who you’re competing with. Then, think about what sets you apart from them. Once you know this, establish a tone, font and color palette that fits that.

See Also: 6 Tips for Designing the Perfect Logo for Your Brand

Your Damage Control

When potential employers google you, they don’t spend much time digging deep into the results. So, you’ll want the best results about you to show up right away.

Ensure all negative results associated with your name are not among the top results. You’d rather your professional website and LinkedIn profile rank high, not your party pictures from college.

Reputation management is crucial as you execute your personal branding strategy. Use tools like BrandYourself to help you manage and track Google results tied to your name. Another way to monitor results associated with your name is to set Google Alerts. This tool will notify you when new results arise.

Your Social Media

When you’re working on personal branding, don’t overlook your social media presence. Our survey found that 13% of employers say the first thing they do is check a candidate’s Facebook page after reviewing their application.

What’s more, employers also said candidates can stand out the most when they share industry content on social media and engage in professional groups through platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

To put it simply, start engaging! Join professional groups that align with your career, start discussions, and share your ideas. The more you publicly network through social media and share your knowledge, the better you look.

Tools like Naymz can help you track and manage your social reputation. Use the insights you can get from it to see how your peers view your credibility and what level of influence you have.

See Also: 5 Instagram Tools That Can Boost Brand Performance

Personal branding is essential in today’s competitive job market. When you strategize, look for ways to simplify your process and make the most out of your actions. Find the perfect personal branding tools to help you with that.

How are you simplifying your personal branding strategy?