Tips for Curating Your Social Media Presence When Pursuing a Board Role

What is one of the first things a board of directors will do when your board bio hits their desk? They’ll Google you. And if you want them to find an online presence that matches the sophistication and level of expertise of the board bio you’ve submitted, then you’ll have to curate it.

Curating your social media presence is a smart investment that requires some heavy lifting in the beginning, but should become an organic everyday routine after you get it started.

What goes into curating your social media presence?

Highlighting your professional accomplishments to your network
Writing meaningful and quality content
Proudly displaying your professional headshot
Sharing about the professional events you attend, especially if you had a role in organizing them or speaking at them
Connecting online with other leaders you meet along the way

Here’s how to get started:

Self Advocate

Champion Yourself

Share your successes! This is one of the most overlooked areas for most leaders. You work incredibly hard for months, maybe years to ensure a product gets launched, investment gets secured or a project comes together and then you move on to the next thing. Take the time to note your achievements, give thanks to your team, and document the milestones - social media is a great place for this.

Have a Voice

This is especially true on LinkedIn since it is a professional networking site that was created for people to build their professional identity. Is there a new technology out? Is there a large conference going on? Did a new law or policy just affect your industry? Don’t be afraid to start a conversation - if you’re thinking it, we bet there are hundreds of other professionals out there thinking it as well.

Make your Value Proposition Clear

Talk about, engage with, and amplify the topics that are core to your beliefs and personal brand. You do not have to participate in every conversation, but you do have to make sure the dialogue you do participate in builds a cohesive story around the topics you want to be affiliated with and are invested in. This will be a small list for most, maybe 2 - 3 topics.

Define Yourself

Professional Headshots

This is another often neglected piece of the online presence puzzle. Using the same professional and current (tip: take a new headshot every 5 years) headshot throughout every online channel you’re represented on will elevate your professional appearance and perception. This includes all social channels, but also your company’s online bio and any other professional organizations, boards, press releases, and news coverage you’re included in.

Separate Personal from Professional

When it comes to your professional online presence, you do not need to be active on every social media channel, but you do need to separate your personal life from your career life. Here is a quick overview of how we suggest you utilize each of the available social channels:

LinkedIn - Professional Only

Twitter - A blend of both personal and professional, but stick to your clear personal brand and value proposition

Facebook - Personal Only (Private Account)

Instagram - Personal Only (Private Account), or create 2 different profiles if you want a professional account

Be Consistent

There is Only One You

Ensure that your name, title, location, and experience are uniform and aligned across the board.

Name - Some of us go by nicknames or married names, or even use our middle name from time to time. But when it comes to your social media profiles, stick to one name for the sake of people being able to find and identify you.

Title - Being the SVP of eCommerce on one channel and the SVP of Consumer Operations on another channel is confusing and questionable, even if they mean the same thing internally.

Location - Most of us live in one place and work in another, but sticking to the rule of using your business location on social media handles will create a more consistent presence.

Experience - Your board bio, resume, and LinkedIn profiles should all be communicating the same professional jobs, titles, and timelines.

Be Thorough

Include It All

Social media is not the place to be shy or modest - use these platforms to articulate the best version of you!

Include all board roles, memberships, organization affiliations, coaching gigs, and advisory roles - most of us have built out LinkedIn and other social media profiles around our operating roles, but have you included your board experience or the other professional organizations you are a part of?
Add any professional accolades, certifications, or special training, as well as if you speak multiple languages or have an extracurricular achievement relevant to your board work.
Don’t forget to include large conferences or events you attend, present or speak at - most events will have online groups you can join to expand your network and maintain contact with the other professionals in your space.
It’s also recommended that you even include mentions of being part of a family or investment business, even if it is just something you do on the side. Show off!

When you’ve created, curated, and published all of the social media channels - it’s time to begin joining in on the fun. Here are some tips to make sure your time is well-spent when wearing your professional hat on social media:

Activate alerts - sign-up to get informed when a relevant person, organization, or news source posts. You’ll want to keep up with your current company, as well as others on the executive team and even a competitor or two.

Add friends along the way - add your counterparts at other companies, fellow board members, acquaintances you meet along the way, and even your favorite authors and celebrities (use your best discretion here!). The people and companies you follow will feed the content you view which will dictate what conversations you are able to join. Curate, curate, curate.

Update your business cards and email signature - add your new and freshly curated social handles to your business cards and gain some organic followers along the way.

Quality over quantity - you do not need to post, re-post or respond to something every day on social media, but when you do, ensure that it is a topic core to your personal value proposition.

Write at least quarterly - create content! LinkedIn has a user-friendly blog platform with a built-in audience and distribution tool, take advantage of it! Find a timely and relevant topic at least once a quarter and add thoughtful and personalized articles to your online presence.