Ritu Punjabi
Personal branding in the virtual world
With the lack of human interaction, people will rely on your social media profiles to decide whether or not they’d like to do business with you. Hence, all business-related platforms must carry a professional picture of you with crisply written profiles and content that represents your ethics and values as a professional. eals when on call, avoid any background noise, etc.. Be ready with the agenda to be discussed just as you would in an offline meeting.

1. Appearance:
Wearing clothing appropriate to your business industrD tells the viewer how serious you are about your business. Stick to basic collared shirts in subtle colours, of course well ironed. Avoid any kind of t-shirts except the collared one, if your industry follows a Business Casual dress code, even if you are working from home. Ensure you are well-groomed at all times. Ladies may opt for blouses in firmer fabrics and lighter, brighter colors.
2. Behavior:
When logging in to a video call/meeting ensure you are on mute and your video is turned on only when you are appropriately positioned in front of a professional or non distracting background. Ensure you are following appropriate virtual meeting etiquette, such as remaining on mute when you aren't speaking, avoid eating your meals when on call, avoid any background noise, etc.. Be ready with the agenda to be discussed just as you would in an offline meeting.
3. Communication:
Considering only the portrait figure of your body is visible, you have lesser usage of your body language to communicate your message, effectively. Make sure you make the most of your hand gestures and facial expressions while you are seated upright on a comfortable chair.
Your voice will have to start playing a very crucial role to send out your message, it must be crisp with a good command and strong.
4. Digital Footprint:
With the lack of human interaction, people will rely on your social media profiles to decide whether or not they’d like to do business with you. Hence, all business related platforms must carry a professional picture of you with crisply written profiles and content that represents your ethics and values as a professional.
With meetings, discussions, and cracking deals going virtual, it is time we adapt to create a Virtual Personal Brand.