YNOT – We hear a lot about creating a “personal brand,” which can be very important in a relatively small industry where so many relationships are conducted long-distance and deals often are sealed with little more than a handshake.

A personal brand is the image you present to the world at large. It encapsulates the “you” you want others to think of when they hear your name. Are you friendly and outgoing? Aggressive but fair? An “idea person?” A hard worker? Are you trustworthy, or something of a weasel?

Remember: The brand you intend to convey and the brand others perceive may not be the same thing. Brand encompasses reputation, and although you have a certain amount of control over your own reputation, outside factors can exert major influence.

Your personal brand should be on your mind in every interaction. Why?

You can’t hide from search engines
Search engines are becoming more and more aggressive as competition has become fierce between Google,Yahoo and Bing. A few years ago, people paid Yahoo $300 to have their site “priority indexed.” Now it’s a race between the Big Three to get relevant information into search results as fast as a possible. Being aware of how you engage on Twitter, Facebook and other networks is becoming more important. The time between an unwise interaction and its appearance as a black mark by your name in a search engine may be as short as 24 hours.

Social networking influences employment
Eight percent of people on Facebook have been fired after posting a negative comment about their job. Online experts now caution about making trivial or highly emotional comments in any public forum. Entries on Facebook can result in loss of income if a manager or potential customer takes exception, even if what you wrote was sarcasm or in jest. Be mindful of what you post on social networks, in forums and on blogs. Others are watching!

Less is more
Social networks and micro-blogging services like Twitter are efficient ways to make contacts and get your message “out there,” but use them sparingly. Frequent posts to Twitter, for example, can make you look like you do very little work, while no posts may make you seem as though you’re reluctant to keep up with the latest trends. Use Twitter like a front-page headline to call attention to things that are potentially important to business, but avoid being a chatterbox.

Never post to your personal blog while at work. Most blog posts are time- and date-stamped, making them easy ways for managers to check up on how their employees use their workdays. I’m aware of at least one industry insider whose infrequent blog posts during working hours played a role in his termination.

Your social network potentially means money
People are beginning to look to their friends for product recommendations and paying less and less attention to ads. Companies are embracing “word of mouth” as an increasingly important channel for selling products. If you’re perceived as a major influencer on a specific genre or region or over a group of people, it could mean big bucks for you in the future.

Employers also are starting to look at professional directories like LinkedIn and examining the number of relationships and the quality of those people when considering new hires. In many cases, they turn to LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. Your personal brand, as displayed on such sites, could become even more crucial in the very near future.

Jim “GonZo” McAnally is marketing consultant and a veteran of the adult online industry. For more about him, visit GonZoConsulting.com.