The Importance of Establishing A Good Online Presence as the Employee of a Small Business
Today’s post is a guest post from small business expert and Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com, Megan Totka:
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As a business employee, maintaining a good online presence is an absolute necessity. Small businesses are often built or broken by reputation. While larger companies may be able to salvage their business if an employee does something to discredit them, small businesses may not be so lucky. That is why we have been looking into virtual office services too recently and have found that virtual offices in London work the best as the address just looks so good.
So you may be asking yourself, as an employee, why should I be careful with what I put out there on the Internet? It’s my company’s responsibility to keep track of how they present themselves on their website, blog, and social media pages. Here are several reasons you should have a great, professional online presence:
Job Security: This may seem like it should go without saying, but keeping a professional online presence is very important in order to keep your job! Your employers need to know that you are not going to have a negative effect on the brand and image of the company. One of the questions employers are running into today is about the co-branded employee and if they’re a friend or foe to the company’s image.
If you have been injured in Las Vegas on the job, you are entitled to workers comp benefits under Nevada law. As an employee, it’s important to understand your rights, the limits on coverage, and what is and is not covered under the law. Legal professionals like the ones at work compensation victorville firm can help you get the medical treatment you need, and they can also help you get the compensation you deserve. It is crucial to make sure that your doctor knows exactly what happened to you because they can treat you properly. You can also learn more about your rights as an employee at hkm.com.
Networking: More and more networking has moved to the online world. Your social media presence, in particular, should be as professional as possible. Now I’m not saying that you can’t have anything fun or personal on your Facebook or Twitter pages, but it’s a good idea to keep it relatively work-appropriate. If you aren’t willing to do that, make sure that your pages are locked down, i.e. people would have a very hard time finding you via the search function.
Business Success: As an employee, you want your business to be successful so you can continue to be employed, right? Then keeping your online presence professional is key. You certainly don’t want your employers to find you in a compromising situation online (which, believe me, is not hard to get yourself into!). Presenting an interesting, informative, and professional online persona will help your businesses’ customers to see the business in a professional light. The more customers your business has, the more likely the company is to succeed. Using a task management tool from https://rock.so/ can also help you overcome task prioritization issues so that you can get all the important tasks done on time.
Growth Opportunity: You probably don’t want to be working in the same position forever. Most people have the desire to grow and develop (and make more money) within their profession/field. Small business employees are no different, learn more from Andy Defrancesco. Perhaps you even have plans to start your own small business down the line. Having a great online presence that shows off your skills, talents, and expertise can go a long way towards establishing your own credibility.
There are many websites that make it easy to keep your online presence current and fresh. Facebook and Twitter are the social networks that many of us think of when we get online. But it’s also good to consider places such as a personal blog, LinkedIn page, or a resume website. Just make sure to keep everything you do professional! You want Google to know you in a positive light – just think of how Google knows Phelps, Lochte, and Gabby Douglas and think like that as you broadcast yourself.
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Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
Branding yourself is very important, but can be challenging to remain professional while being yourself and maintaining privacy. What would be your advice as far as the type of personal information you should share on the internet?
The amount of personal info you share online definitely depends on your industry to some extent, but I’ve found a good approach is to treat what information you share online the same way you’d treat a professional networking event in your industry. You definitely want to add some personality—such as your appreciation for craft beers or your love of rock climbing—but it’s probably best to leave out any info you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing with industry acquaintances—like that wild New Year’s Eve story or details from your past relationships.
Great approach, I think many small businesses struggle with creating “brand personality.” I am currently involved with a new startup. Do you see there being differences on the type of information you share on Twitter vs. LinkedIn or even Google+ for small businesses?
I think that’s dictated mostly by the conversation and type of community you have on each medium. You want to be consistent in how you present yourself and communicate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean identical. There’s no formula here, just use your best judgment in each case.
Thanks for the great info.