Could your web presence use some work?
If you’re serious about getting your name out there, you need to target a multitude of well-trafficked web directories and social media properties. For all its obvious benefits, Facebook alone won’t cut it.
Where should you start? These five platforms are as good as any. Here’s what you need to know about each, and how to get started.
LinkedIn needs no introduction. It’s the world’s most popular social media platform for business users. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you need to get with the times.
Use your LinkedIn profile to:
- Showcase your CV, all the way back to your first career-track job
- Post content that shows off your expertise and experience
- Connect with potential employers, investors, advisors, thought leaders — whoever might help advance your career
- Research competitors, peers, and other individuals and organizations with which you might work in the future
- Crunchbase
Crunchbase is the go-to directory site for entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. Use it to:
- Highlight your professional achievements
- Showcase your leadership experience, including executive and board appointments
- Maintain a gateway to the rest of your web presence, as this serial entrepreneur’s Crunchbase profile does
- Promote companies in which you’ve taken a stake or worked at a high level
- Angel.co
Angel.co is another platform by and for early stage companies. It’s a bit more jobseeker-friendly: if you’re looking for a fast-paced job with a rapidly growing startup, there’s nowhere better to begin your search. But it’s also useful for companies, talent recruiters, and investors. Whatever your motives, you need an active angel.co page.
- Medium
Medium is arguably the web’s premier clearinghouse for written content. If you worry that your personal website’s blog isn’t visible enough to meet your self-promotional needs, Medium is a great way to expand your reach on your own terms. Use it to promote original content you’ve posted elsewhere, make personal and professional announcements, or pursue passion projects for which you don’t have another platform.
Twitter is one of the oldest, most durable micro-blogging platforms on the web. Yes, it can be noisy, and certain corners are rife with trolls, but Twitter remains a powerful platform for unimpeded self-expression — and opportunistic of the sort the more buttoned-up LinkedIn isn’t very good at facilitating. Use Twitter to carve out a coherent niche (this content marketing account is a great example), share content relevant to your work, and to connect with thought leaders who might be able to advance your career.
Share the Promotional Love
By themselves, these platforms have limited reach. Yes, each one boasts enviable unique visitor counts. But, as you know all too well, web users’ attention spans are shockingly short. If you don’t have a plan in place to sustain your promotional efforts, you’re simply not going to gain the traction you need to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
All this is to say: creating a multi-platform web presence is only the first step. It’s up to you to weaponize that presence.
