How to brand yourself through social media connections

Making connections is what social media is all about. However, when it comes to personal branding, the quality of those connections is important.

Imagine a recruiter looking through your Twitter followers and finding a spammy “Buy 5,000 Twitter followers” account, or worse, a porn account. What does that say about you that you didn’t block such accounts?

If you’re still using the number of followers to measure your social media success, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Audit your audience, determine which users are the right ones and cull your lists accordingly.

Once you’ve completed the audit, what can you do in the future to ensure you have quality connections that will enhance your online personal brand?

Start by having a thoughtful approach to whom you’ll follow.

Here are some tips for deciding whom to follow on social media for personal branding success.

Linkedin

Questions to ask when someone wants to connect:

• Are they in your industry or a related industry? (Related question: Are they in any Linkedin groups you belong to?)

• Are they active on Linkedin and other social media?

• What do they talk about and what do they share on social media?