Followers

If you visit here often or we follow each other on social media, you would have noticed some changes last fall to my photography and branding.

It was just some simple, subtle, yet positive changes that helped to spice things up around here and on my social platforms. Hello, new headshot! 😛

Its like when I re-arrange furniture in my house when the seasons change, it is the simplest thing to do and the BEST feeling when its done. In the social world, you really always have to be changing it up to keep fresh, continue to evolve and be noticed as you and your brand grow and evolve.

The intended change was good because it made me realize how you have to take continued stock or inventory of your digital footprint. Simply put, you have to keep track of all your social profiles. Sounds easy but it isn’t.

Even if you’re not rebranding, having all of your passwords and log-in information in one place is a good place to start. This made things SO much easier for me when I went to do my rebrand and proudly post my new headshot across all my social platforms last fall.

This blog post can serve both individuals or even businesses and social/digital managers that manage their company’s corporate communications and brands. Here are 7 things I learned last fall with my rebrand for how you too, can easily manage your digital footprint at any point in time.

7 Ways to Manage Your Digital Footprint

Create and maintain a locked password document (that requires a password to get into the document). This should contain all of your social media platform passwords. This is an easy way to keep organized, period.
Establish and set your brand guideline. This will ensure you execute your brand with consistent colours, fonts and look/feel across all social platforms you use. It is best to create a mood board and then a brand board to always refer back too. I’ve provided my latest rebrand branding board below for your reference 🙂
Once you’ve set your ‘look and feel’, hire a professional photographer to capture your brand – it’s a wise investment and some of the best money you will spend!
Have a consistent logo/photo/headshot across all of your social platforms.
When/if you decide to change your logo/photo/headshot, take the time to update your bio and descriptions with the same consistent wording and put this across all of your platforms.
Update your website or your blog at the same time to reflect any of these new changes and introduce your new rebrand.
Review your analytics on each of your social platforms and website/blog to determine what platforms are working best for you. When you rebrand, its a perfect time to add new platforms, change the function of existing platforms or decide altogether to stop using certain social platforms if you find you’re not getting the ROI for the value you’re putting in. Your followers on each of your social platforms will tell you a lot about what they consume from your brand.

If you have questions about your own social media profiles, need help in rebranding or want to know more about the analytics behind your social platforms,let’s get in touch!

Hello from sunny, friendly Manitoba! The canola fields are in full bloom and I couldn’t be happier to be spending some holiday time in my second provincial home, Manitoba!

Some food for thought while I am away….

You stumble upon someones social media profile and read that they have labelled themselves an ‘expert’ in their given field. Or, you read the tweets or posts of someone you follow who gives off the impression that they know what they’re talking about but you wonder to yourself, how do they know so much (or worse, why do they think they are an expert in [insert field]?) It makes you then question whether you could be technically considered an ‘expert’ in your given field.

What constituents an expert anyways?

Is it schooling?
Number of hours worked in the industry?
How knowledgeable you are on the topic compared to others in the field?
Number of followers you have in your social media networks and the influence you have?

Now a days, it is easy to be an expert in anything and be labelled as such. The internet, technology and social media have helped provide people with a platform to showcase their skills and talents. People now have access to people, communities, tools and resources like never before. Endless tools (that are free!) help people promote who they are and what they can offer to others.

So back to the initial question then, what constitutes an expert? Is there really a right answer to this question?

“What constitutes an expert?” – #PassionateVoice

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People with many years of schooling are highly regarded as an expert in their field. People who have been identified by their peers and continue to give talks/teach in their field are considered an expert. People with large social media networks are often regarded as experts by their followers because of what they share and the value they bring to their network.

To be considered an expert in your field, it comes down to how you are seen by others.

If you are the “go too” person in your field on a specific topic, then people most likely will view you as an expert. How you have positioned yourself in your field by what you’ve said, how you’ve said it and how you’ve made people feel all help establish yourself as an expert.

Referrals and testimonials also help speak volumes to your expertise. If you are good at what you do, you will come highly recommended by your peers which will help others see your value.

“To be an expert, you have to be trusted by people” – The Passionate Voice

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To be an expert, you have to be trusted by people. That is something that hasn’t changed over time regardless of new technology, social media or the internet. These tools have only helped enhance how many people can see you as an expert. The fundamental reason why experts exist, still lies in how you make others feel, how people see you and whether they trust you in what you are talking about.

Gain people’s trust. Be THAT expert in your field.

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