The word "personal brand" is thrown around a lot these days, but, if you asked most people to define it, they would probably mumble something about LinkedIn and change the subject.
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This is a shame, because "personal brand" actually has a very precise meaning, and one which is particularly important for people in business who want to market themselves effectively.
Because, in a social media age, potential clients can be watching you anywhere.
According to Zahrina Robertson, author of Magnetic Branding, your personal brand "encompasses your skills, who you are as a person, and how you convey that to the marketplace to show how good you are".
In short: it's about matching your personality to your career. Or, more importantly, crafting and displaying your personality to people in a way that matches your career.
A decade ago, cultivating a personal brand meant printing lots of business cards and attending lots of networking events, but the rise of professional social media networks such as LinkedIn, as well as the ubiquity of professional social media accounts and business websites, mean that now the business battlelines have shifted.
Robertson describes this process as a shift from networking to "netweaving".
"Instead of people pushing their business cards under your nose, the connections we are expected to make now are much more subtle," she says. "The term netweaving means that, instead of networking or 'net-pushing', business today is more about relationships and a softer approach to dealing and meeting with other people."
Netweaving can be acts like following certain people on Twitter, or sending LinkedIn requests.
But, don't throw your box of business cards into the recycling just yet. Julie Lamberg-Burnet, founder and director of the Sydney School of Protocol, says a physical business card can still be useful, although it should be coupled with a professional online presence.
"Even in the age of Instagram, it is about your relationships and, as such, small talk and face-to-face meetings are here to stay," she says.
"[But] having your online business card (AKA your website and media profiles) down to a tee is just as relevant."
Just like our online communications, online personal branding has seen a shift from text to image.
Robertson has made a career from personal brand photography, taking pictures that communicate her clients' "essence" to be displayed
"All of these social media sites, LinkedIn, Instagram, that people are using for business are image based," she says. "You probably only have three seconds to make an impression."
Social media accounts can be used to share images ranging from professional business headshots to #iwokeuplikethis selfies. But, just because Kendall Jenner's Instagram account jumps from pictures of her latest magazine cover to pictures of her in her pyjamas doesn't mean you can pull off the same feat.
"Keep your personal life separate to your business," Robertson says. "There's a very clear definition; you can share the 'realness', but don't forget that social networks like LinkedIn are for business."
While Robertson is happy to share a few behind-the-scenes pictures of her work, she says it is normally pretty clear what isn't appropriate.
"Your business followers don't need to see you down at the pub on a Sunday."
For Lamberg-Burnet, the distinction between public and private is an ideal, but there are obvious exceptions, particularly for growing a business via personal social media networks, like Instagram, which has solidified the career of many a personal trainer or homestyle trend forecaster.
"Do keep in mind that how you build and maintain your personal and professional relationships are all based on your personal and business brand together. And a lot of successful business brands are driven by strong personal brands, so anything is possible."
