What’s Your Online Persona?

Your “second life” – the one you live on the internet – requires strategies for basic online reputation management and essentials for creating your online persona.

Persona?  What’s that?!

In a nutshell, it’s your fabulous presence online – your Fab Factor.

A little fuzzy on the concept?

Here’s the dictionary version of persona:

The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one’s public image or personality, as distinguished from one’s inner self; a person’s perceived personality, personal image; public role.

The key word here is “public” and in this case – your online public.  So remember …

The information you post and share online has all the confidentiality of a postcard.

Assume anything you post or—are tagged by—is visible to the world‐at‐large.  Know what’s out there about you and monitor your digital dirt!

You can influence your own online persona in lots of ways and on a wide variety of platforms – social media venues, blogs, personal website, and social bookmarking sites to name a few.

Following general netiquette rules is a must.  And remember that developing an online persona is a process, not a transaction.

Want to know more about how to create a fab persona online? Claim your FREE report from my friend Cathy Goodwin, “3 Easy and Essential Steps to Create Your Fabulous Presence Online”. It’s only 5 pages long and you’ll learn things like why being “intriguing” is much more important than being “memorable”.

You need to know this information since you want to attract more clients and sell more products online, right?

  • I think I am still in the process of developing my personna. I look back at some the the first blog posts I wrote and I have to laugh!

    This post reminded me of a Tweet I saw by Chris Garrett it went something like this. Since when did “if you have nothing nice to say” mean you should blog about it.

    • Oh, I love that, Sheila! And Chris is RIGHT.

      Developing your persona most definitely is a process. So many of us as online marketers make a “shift” in our business from time to time so our persona will naturally need some enhancements and fine tuning.

      You’ve created a wonderful and unique persona in your niche. You’re very clear with your messages and you know exactly how to speak to your target audience. I’m deeming you an excellent role model!

  • Thanks, Ken, and talking about finding your unique “voice” …

    Blogging on a regular, consistent basis like what’s required in a blogging challenge is one of the best ways to develop your voice, your online persona.

    Writing, in general and in my opinion, calls upon your creative thinking skills and has a way of pulling up thoughts and ideas that just don’t shine through any other means of communication. The more you write, the better writer (or blogger!) you become, and the closer you get to communicating clear and attractive messages that resonate with your target audience.

    Now pardon me while I step away. You’ve tempted me with a post you crafted on August 27th – you sneaky Pete!

    Heading over to your blog …

  • Great minds think….

    I actually wrote a blog post along these same lines back on August 27th (http://justanotherrumor.com/developing-a-blog-persona/).

    You come at it from a completely different angle but the larger point is the same: it’s important to create a “voice” or persona that is both uniquely you and attractive to readers.

    Bravo!

  • This is a great point. It’s easy to forget, that when you write a blog here and there, and comment in a few places, that all of these can be added together to give an overall impression of exactly who you are. This can also be called your “personal brand”. Very helpful post. 🙂

    • You’re SO right, Fiona. It IS really easy to get very relaxed and sometimes a little too carefree and nonchalant regarding online behaviors and habits.

      It’s paramount to be perceived as a “professional” if you’re striving to build a business and build your “personal brand”.

      Thanks for swinging by today!

  • Amen to this, Melanie! Especially when a solopreneur *is* their brand, it’s crucial to be aware of the persona that’s being projected online. Especially in places where the personal and professional can so seductively cross over (e.g., Facebook) – remember that not only friends, but also clients and potential clients can see it all. A timely reminder!

    • You’ve nailed it, Phila!

      And, boy, have people crossed over those lines! I don’t believe people stop to realize that airing their dirty laundry or sharing the most intimate details of their lives is not the best thing to do online – especially if they’re trying to build a business. Small business owners need to stop and think before getting a little too “social” on social media venues.

      Thanks for knocking on my door,
      Melanie