Digital self-marketing (DSM) for Academics

The way individuals present themselves professionally and personally can influence how others perceive them.  Historically, individuals could navigate the way they were perceived by others only through face-to-face encounters. People used a range of tools to influence others’ perceptions in such face-to-face interactions, from body language to the way they dressed and vocal pitch and tone.

Individuals, from athletes and actors to politicians in public-facing sectors have been marketing themselves for a long period, but professional publicists have usually handled many of these efforts.  However, individuals’ interest in self-marketing has grown notably over the past 30 years because business leaders, academics, consultants and career development practitioners have increasingly emphasised the idea of branding oneself specifically to aid in career advancement. Professionals are increasingly expected to market themselves and to establish a personal brand as part of their efforts to advance their career and the notion of ‘personal branding’ has grown in popularity as professionals dedicate concerted efforts to market themselves with the specific goal of career growth. For many employees there is an expectation to be on LinkedIn, the most popular professional networking platform.  This adds to already pressurised workloads.  It is a challenge to know what to post and how often, how to communicate and whether to keep the personal separate from the professional.

Academics face these challenges and like other professionals, feel under pressure to be online and navigate the complexities of DSM such as managing their online brand, finding enough time to dedicate to it and to reach multiple audiences such as students, other researchers for potential collaborations, the media and the public.  They need to communicate research to demonstrate impact. 

The need to market oneself and establish a personal brand is increasingly central to professional success for academics, given the volatility of the higher education sector. The additional pressure of universities closing programs and faculties, adds to the pressure.  There is extremely high competition for full-time equivalent positions with a contraction within the academic job market during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In Australia, this has been partially due to the system’s significant dependence on international student enrolment, with the international education sector shrinking by AU$13.5 billion from the start of 2020 to the end of 2021 and thousands of academic jobs cut (Hurley 2021). These circumstances have created an extremely competitive, pressurised professional environment for academics.   Making efforts to market and brand themselves is critical to their professional success. 

There are many academics hoping to move out of their roles, from Professor level to those still completing PhD’s, there are thousands of academics on Facebook groups supporting each other on how to develop careers outside of the academy.  Those who have been made redundant or wish to change careers can find it challenging to navigate the complexities of how to market themselves.

Here is an example of what my workshops or coaching packages include:

I work with academics progressing their careers within universities and those rebranding for another role.   I have a range of coaching packages, seminars and workshops that can be tailored to your needs.  Contact me for further details, dates and pricing.

Conduct an audit of your online presence.
Develop your personal brand strategy.
Create a social media strategy.
Develop digital self-marketing (DSM) tactics: 

• develop career objectives.
• identify your target audience.
• create key messages.
• develop tactics for communicating your research and expertise.
• develop branding collateral and social media profiles.
• prepare an elevator pitch for your content creation.
• presentation skills for camera.

Contact me for further details about coaching, seminars and workshops.