Balancing the Personal and the Professional in your Branding.

In the past, we could shut off our business life just as simple as we can flip off the neon sign that reads “OPEN” and turn the locks on the door to head home to our friends and family and be ourselves. Those were the good old days, but bridges of communication for your business and for your clientele came fewer and far between. So we have the Facebook’s, the LinkedIn’s, Tumblr’s, Reddit’s, StumbleUpons, PRWeb’s and all that fun stuff and now a good connection with a customer is only a like away.

But here’s the trade-off with all this technological advancement. Your brand is everywhere, on statuses, tweets and trends. So guess what? The brand is you. According to a recent post on Vocus by Peter Shankman (http://www.prweekus.com/you-have-one-brand–not-personal-or-professional/article/236617/), “Every single day, someone directs me to their LinkedIn profile to learn more about them. You know what I do when they do that? I go right to Facebook and search on their name there. Why? Because I know they’re on their best behavior on LinkedIn, but on Facebook, they’re going to be ‘real.’” Guess what? I’m not the only person who thinks this way.”

However, while there is a trade-off forcing you to watch what you say, this advancement can still be worked to your advantage. With the right concern and consciousness for who you are and where you stand, as well as great SEO and reputation management, you can make yourself a more ideal individual and a spokesperson for more than just yourself. With a strong sense and a strong standing, the merging of personal and professional can build a brand simply by being yourself, so be aware of who you are and what you really want. As Shankman’s article rightfully suggests, treat everything that you post online as personal.

Besides, in the day of advancing technology and accessibilities, the value of speaking to a true and genuine person is at an unparalleled high. But so is the means to which they can check for the truth, so watch your back.