What do the words ‘first impression’ say to you? Do you imagine someone entering a large room and your first impression of them is your very first sight of them? Or is it when you are tapped on the shoulder and introduced to someone in a crowded bar at close quarters? Whatever you see in your imagination, how do you think people are getting a first impression of your virtual personal brand in the digital world? Are they seeing it as a welcoming open shop door full of interesting potential, or a dull, indistinct and boring business?

If someone were looking for you or your service on the internet, what would they type in to find you? If you’re digitally aware you’ll know the search engine keywords they may use to find you, but wait a minute, when Google pops up with its list of similar services, are you in the first three or four listed there, or way down the list or even on page 2, 3, 4 or worse?

What is the digital impression you have of the other people listed alongside you? It’s sensible to be aware of how they are coming across as the digital impression of your own brand is also attracting or detracting from your business. Compare their brand with yours, where’s your differentiation? Are you comparing favourably with your competitors? Are you an open or closed door operation? And when people do enter your ‘shop window’ are they going to be dazzled by your website, or immediately unimpressed and leave from the landing page?

Having a great personal brand with a digital open door, will give you a serious advantage over your competition. People will find your Google link more interesting than the others, and you can be sure that there will be more people looking at your business on line than you could ever hope to meet in a networking situation or just in day-to-day business interaction, so it’s vital to get it right and clarify your offering.

There are many advantages through positioning your personal brand in the most favourable way.

• People will contact you because they find your online brand pertinent.
• Your online network will grow into a powerful and useful part of your business.
• Unsolicited opportunities result from successful digital positioning.
• Trust you have built through your own brand will lead to shorter sales cycles and an improved bottom line.
• All of the above leading towards improved income and the perception of your higher promise of value.

So to spark interest in your online presence:

1. Use everyday, approachable language, no ‘business speak’ or techie jargon, allow people to enjoy your site and appreciate what you have to say.
2. Check and double check your search engine optimisation so that what Google sees and lists is an accurate précis of what you’re offering.
3. Check with the experts who run your website – they can tell you where people are entering and leaving your site, what they look at and how long they stay – the longer the better! Do you fascinate – or bore?
4. Make sure that you are providing exactly what you want people to see, for example on a social site put up a really good quality interesting photo then write to reflect your values, and for a company website – think of it as a high class brochure that you’d be proud to print – that broadcasts your company ethos. Clarity, authenticity and white space is a good thing – give people room to breath.

Never forget that you have no control over who is looking at your online profile and the digital content surrounding your personal brand. So to take control you need to make sure that you’re offering exactly what you want people to see, like and want in order to persuade them to connect. It’s no good having a shop window but no welcoming open door to let people in.

Thanks to Tessa Hood for contribution of this piece.

Tessa is making a presentation of Social Media for Personal Brand with #SMUK at the Social Media World Forum with us. You can follow Tessa on Twitter