In our ever-increasing social world (and by social, I don’t mean going out to the pub on a Friday night), it’s a given now that we must each manage our online social presence to the rest of the world.

Gone are the days where you would only have to focus on your physical appearance, alone; we are now embarking on (if not, are already in) a digital age where what you appear like online must match the person that you present to the rest of the world around you. Brand management (think: personal branding) is in large part a primary component to making any sale.

Now, before you go and tell me, “but I’m not trying to sell anything…” realize that everything is a sell. 

That hot date you want on Saturday night? Sell.
Your new promotion at work? Sell.
Giving a school presentation? Sell.
Making sure your neighbours don’t call the cops on you when your backyard party is getting a bit too rowdy into the wee hours of the early morning? BIG sell.

The thing is, whether we like it or not, we’re all selling something. In essence, we’re all selling our ideas and our perfected viewpoint of the world around us that we wish to manifest.

Social media and online branding is just another avenue to help us make that sale.

Think about this, when you read someone else’s online comments and think to yourself, “how could they post that?!” “Don’t they realize that everyone can see that, too?” You are correct. What the individual is failing to realize is the “sell”.

As we embark further and further into the digital age, this type of personal online branding will become increasingly important; especially with the next generation feeding off of a desire to manufacture their online social status.

Large number of followers? “Wow, they must be onto something.”
Informative and creative posts? “Huh, they are so artsy.”
Lots of travel photos? “Man, they must be cultured!”

It’s all a sell and what we trade in is social clout.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we should just outright lie online. If the discrepancy between who you are in real life is greater than the continuity been who you are online and off, people will know right away. You will end up being considered a phoney, fostering resentment, or even potentially losing all of your social ranking and have to start back again at zero.

How can you avoid such a drastic social pitfall? Be yourself online. Granted, not everything needs to be said, just like not everything needs to be curated. You must strike a balance, as with all things in life, about what you want to share and what you don’t; always ensuring that what you do share is worthy of helping to foster your online social brand.

Your digital self, ultimately, stands out as your business card to the rest of the world and lets the outside world know (before you even get to meet these people in person), “this is me, and this is what I stand for.” So, what message do you want to send out into he world?

Only you can answer that for yourself… sell wisely.

-why fit in when you were born to stand out (online)?