The fundamentals of personal marketing

Yannick Chalelain, an IT and digital expert, is a researcher and associate professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management. He shares with us some fundamental concepts to successfully implement personal marketing. He is the author of a book on the best and worst practices for personal marketing (Editions Pearsons - Le Strat'Ego - Published June 2018).

"It's no longer a question of whether or not we like social networks… The challenge is to have a reasonable approach to managing them. One that doesn't alienate and, in particular, one that isn't compulsive!" exclaims Yannick in reference to the plethora of tutorials or random selfie posts that clutter our web interactions.

"Whether your a student looking for an internship, an unemployed professional looking for a job, a company director or a salesperson seeking to attract clients, personal marketing is really 'work within work'. It's also important for anybody working in an organization." Creating a reliable plan for personal marketing enables you to take back control of how you use social networks, which can definitely be a plus for anyone.

It's no longer a question of whether or not we like social networks… The challenge is to have a reasonable approach to managing them. One that doesn't alienate and, in particular, one that isn't compulsive!"

Personal SWOT analysis - identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

The first step in personal marketing is to carry out an objective analysis of your strengths and skills. "You have to self-evaluate and that's hard to do. It's a good idea to ask close friends to check your self-analysis," suggests Yannick. Measuring your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is the first decisive step and it's a fundamental part of the process in order to define clear goals.

What are your goals?

"What are your goals when you interact with the internet? Are they clearly identified? What strategies have you set up for a particular context?" questions Yannick. Are you looking for a job in a highly demanded sector or in a sector that already has too many people? Are you looking for sales contacts in a competitive market or a niche market? What are your ambitions? Your goals will help determine and fine tune your choice and use of social networks.

Follow the leader!

"Being everywhere is like being nowhere," underlines Yannick. What tools will you use to promote your visibility? On what criteria did you base your choice? LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc. All of these options can be relevant depending on the situation. "The key is to choose the right tools, understand how to use them, and use them to contact the right audience at the right time. There is a simple rule: Follow the leader! Each sector has its own specific social network. You have to find these specialized networks. It's a quick way to increase efficiency!"

Time is precious

How much time do you spend on personal marketing? Do you do it at the right time? "Deciding to dis-alienate yourself from social networks is the key to using them in a relevant manner," says Yannick. The fundamental piece of advice: Be regular! Having regular interactions with social networks is the key to optimizing them. If you have a set frequency for social network publications it helps organize behavior and avoir compulsive reactions.

Last but not least: "The Royal Society of Health states that more than 25 hours a week on social networks can cause mental health issues. Facebook depression is a clear illustration of this." For this reason, it's important to become aware of your usage of social networks. The ideal behavior? "Set two hours aside per week to communicate about what you're doing. And always communicate in a way that is relevant to your current goals," concludes Yannick.