How to use social networks to position myself professionally

Social networks have become indispensable for most people. We spend at least two hours a day on social websites, but often we do not know how to take advantage of all the potential they have. From a professional point of view, social media allow the user to publicize their profile and, if necessary, offer or promote their services. They are, from the personal branding point of view, a great way to be close to our potential clients or employers, which allows us to tell who we are, what we do, and what differentiates us in our market. Learning to take advantage of these tools is simple, pay attention to the following tips on how to use social networks to position yourself professionally .

one

The first thing is to choose the social network that best suits your professional profile . If you are a photographer, a profile on Tumblr, Instagram or Pinterest may make sense, while if you are an expert content editor you will need networks that allow writing, or at least share articles written on blogs.

LinkedIN is the professional network par excellence but is somewhat limited in some aspects, so it does not hurt to have profiles in other portals with more features. There are more social networks than you think, if you do a little research you will find many that cover your work needs.

two

The following, although it may seem like a truism, is learning to use the network you have chosen. As intuitive as a network, there are always "tricks" or bad practices that distinguish the expert user from the enthusiastic novice.

Have you seen those tweets filled with hashtags that are almost incomprehensible? They are a great example of how to misuse a social network.

On the Internet there are dozens of professional tutorials, sometimes offered by the website itself that you want to use. Make sure you learn all the tools and do not forget that you want to give your network a professional use.

3

The most important thing in networks is knowing how to create content . A person whose presence on Twitter is based on retweeting everything that is moving is not creating anything, does not provide its own content and is condemned to not being heard.

Think who you want to address and what things may be interesting. Start a blog if you see that what interests them most are analysis or long texts. If not, a good tweet or an interesting Facebook status will suffice to make you hollow.

4

Listen to your audience . If nobody clicks on "I like it", if you do not share what you publish, if your only followers are your brothers-in-law ... something is wrong. It is not enough to intuit what the sector you want to approach wants, make a real search. See who shares what you write, read the comments that you leave on the blog and always try to respond.

It is impossible for you to position yourself if nobody is interested in what you say, or if you only receive negative feedback. Do not be afraid to start from scratch, better that to maintain a profile that only brings you criticism.

5

Frame your work in networks within your strategy of personal branding or positioning as a professional. Social networks are a tool, but they can not be the center of your positioning strategy. Complement them with good networking and, of course, with a good job in your sector.