HOW TO | Build your social media 'portfolio'

Social media has become such an important factor in how professionals live their every day lives, mastering it can mean improving not only your connections with other PR professionals and agencies, but also your ability to get a job in the field. It's more than just promoting yourself to others; it can also be the perfect way to build your portfolio by expressing yourself and what you are interested in, if done properly!

There are so many social media sites out there now, how are you meant to know which is the best for you? Here are my top choices for building a social media 'portfolio' and how to use them properly to network and promote your personal brand:

Twitter: Twitter is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to developing yourself as a PR professional and connecting with the PR community because you can tailor your Twitter feed to suit you by following, retweeting and liking posts that are to your interest. Twitter is great for engaging in PR conversation whether it be through the #PRStudent hashtag while at uni or #PRTips, #PRAdvice conversations as well as engaging with agencies and professionals you're interested in. One think I'm so guilty of at the minute is following people with my dream job, they're only people! Your Twitter profile can also be used as a portfolio as it's showing your interest in a certain community or topic and shows clearly how up to date you are on what's going on in that field.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the obvious one when it comes to using social media professionally and networking. It's the perfect platform for finding out industry news and easily connecting with industry professionals. You can use this platform to connect with new professionals and keep in touch with old ones. Your profile on LinkedIn is like your online CV/portfolio - add all your best bits to it, both work experience and links to your existing work, you never know what role it could land you! It's the perfect platform to show how professionally connected you are to the community.

Instagram: Instagram is perfect for those who want to get a involved in a career that has a visual aspect, such as the fashion industry or working across social media graphics. Instagram is a great way to show your personality through style and passion for any specific industry. It's the perfect outlet to show yourself doing what you love and your interests!

KEEP THESE 3 TIPS IN MIND WHEN TRYING TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD!

1. Read over your social posts before you send them - if you're going for say a copywriter role and your socials are full of grammatical mistakes it won't look great.

2. Things you post about on social media stay with you forever (think Jack Maynard, I'm a celeb situation) nothing is ever 100% private online, so make sure you think before posting a rant about that bad day at work or posting that inappropriate photo.

3. Use your social media to make a positive change!