With so many platform options, how can you tell which ones are the right fit? Here are a few questions to ask yourself to figure out which social media platforms are going to be worth the time and effort.

Do you need to right-size your expectations of what social media can accomplish for your brand?

The trust built with your audience through consistent engagement will do more for your brand than any trendy strategy ever could.

If you are an individual or business with lots of ideas but little time to turn them into words or an industry expert with knowledge to share but who dreads writing, you are the exact right kind of person to work with a ghostwriter—no celebrity status necessary.

By Claire Sakaoka

As freelancers and solopreneurs, we are always looking for ways to either cut overhead or create more time in the day. Or very often – BOTH. And when you are busy, creating and managing social media accounts fall to the bottom of your list. Admit it, at least one day a week, the thought crosses your mind, “I should be posting to __________.”

Why is it that some people thrive and others survive in business? Much of it comes back to their network. A network is like a garden. You have to water it on a consistent basis for it to grow. However, most of us put our heads down and focus on daily tasks. We say that we are too busy to network. We end up neglecting our networking garden and focus mainly on what others can do for us. Unfortunately, this self-referenced behavior is the equivalent of spraying Roundup® on your lush networking garden that you worked so hard to create. So what’s the cure?

The Internet has changed the game for job seekers. The paper resume has been swapped out for a LinkedIn profile. Face-to-face meetings have been replaced with Facetime. Your local word-of-mouth reputation is small potatoes next to someone with a well-developed online presence. When it comes to the Internet, you are who Google says you are.

Fact: 92 percent of recruiters “Google” potential candidates according to a social recruiting survey.  LinkedIn is the clear favorite, with 94 percent of recruiters searching it to find top talent.  Potential employers also look at Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and really anything that search engines render when your name is entered.

How can you take control of your online reputation?