You could have an incredible product, an amazing amount of knowledge in your industry or the most affordable solution available; but if you aren’t marketing yourself, opportunities are passing you by. So you have to ask yourself, if someone searched for you online right now, what would you want to them to find? What impression would you want to make? What would you want them to know about you?

In today’s social media driven world, the search box of Google and Social Media platforms reign supreme. It's the first place people look to gather information on anything, deciding what might be the right opportunity for them, and where your first impression is made. Even when a decision has been made, most people will return to Google or their social media contacts to validate the choice and learn more. A well thought out & executed digital presence is your most important tool in marketing your brand today.

It is recommended that you start searching for your brand by the most terms that people would use to find your brand. See what comes up about your brand or competitors. Look at how changing the phrase by one word can completely alter the search results & the resulting links. Try putting related industry jargon or local city names in front of your brand when searching too. Are potential connections and customers getting the right image of your capabilities, skills or products?

Every word you post to Facebook, every customer that you engage on Twitter, or the comments you make on Instagram are marketing messages to the world. Protect your reputation by being intentional about the words you use to engage people and the content you choose to share, as it all reflects back on your brand. The people who know your brand best is your team, so leverage their stories & knowledge to share what make you special or unique. Start now and you can take yourself much further than you may have ever dreamed with the reach of today's global internet market.