One of the most effective ways to leverage the power of the social media and web technology to grow your business is to build a compelling and magnetic online brand online that shouts, “hire me” to prospective clients. Here are nine ways to get started.

1) Listen. Create a Google Alerts account and Tweet Beep account to monitor (i) your name; (ii) your business name; and (iii) keyword phrases related to your business solutions.

2) Develop a list of 15 keyword phrases that are relevant to your target market. Utilize the free Google keyword research tool and paid sites like Wordtracker to identify often used keyword phrases.

3) Create a profile on LinkedIn. Optimize your LinkedIn profile by including a professional photo, completing your employment history, listing your charitable activities and thoughtfully incorporating keyword phrases into your profile.

4) Establish a Google profile. Optimize your Google profile with keyword rich descriptions of your background, expertise and unique promise of value. To fully leverage the power of your profile, include links to your websites, blogs and social networks. Also, upload photos and videos related to your corporate and personal brand.

5) Create a Twitter account using your name or company name. At the start of every week, write a “Top 5” list of tips to solve a problem faced by your target market. Use Hootsuite (http://hootsuite.com) to automate the delivery of one tip from your “top 5” list each day of the week.

6) Establish a Facebook business page for your company or public personal brand. Share a client success story or an industry success story on your Facebook page each week. Use Hootsuite to schedule the delivery of your weekly success story.

7) Write reviews of your favorite books and products on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This is an effective way to build relationships with authors while increasing the visibility of your online brand.

8) Use online press releases to promote events and share your views on current events that impact your industry. A few sites for distributing online press releases include http://i-newswire.com, http://prlog.com and http://briefingwire.com.

9) Establish a Flickr account to share photos. Upload photos that feature your core business offerings, charitable functions and industry events. Optimize your photos by including your name and/or company name in the title field when uploading photos.

Now that you know what to do, it’s time to make your online brand shout “Hire Me”!

Play to Win!

TC Cooper

TC Cooper, is an attorney, branding strategist and online marketing coach. She is also the CEO of UpwardAction®, an agency that helps professional service firms and growth stage companies develop compelling online messages and leverage the power of social marketing to generate business. She can be reached at WeCare@UpwardAction.com or 1 (800) 753-6576.