ABSTRACT

Increasingly graduates, and anyone who is entering employment, need an individual digital presence to stand out and showcase themselves to secure their first professional role. This book takes an employability approach to encourage those currently studying, or about to enter the world of work, to develop a set of skills that enables them to recognise and deliver an effective digital presence, firstly for themselves and then for the organisations who would employ them. It does not assume any prior technical knowledge and emphasises the value and benefits of creating a presence to actively participate in the digital economy.

By structuring the chapters incrementally, the reader is guided through the development of their own presence while also being given the concepts and tools that will enable them in the future to scale this activity to suit the needs of a startup, an SME or a social business. By using well-established business principles to design a strategy, the reader is guided through the creation of a personal Theory of Change that will enable them to turn an abstract goal into an individual digital presence through a defined series of stages and intermediate change objectives. The book then proposes a series of tactics to draw out concrete actions. A range of examples and case studies from around the world feature in each chapter to showcase the range of different types of digital presence that can be created.

By using a strategic and systematic process, this book draws together academic thinking with tangible and highly practical outcomes. It is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying any discipline related to the digital world, particularly digital marketing and digital business, entrepreneurship and strategy, as well as those taking employability and personal professional development programmes.

part I|63 pages

Concepts

chapter 1|17 pages

What is a digital presence?

chapter 2|11 pages

You need a digital presence

chapter 3|12 pages

You need a strategic digital presence

chapter 4|9 pages

Personas – understanding your audience

chapter 5|12 pages

Ethical and legal issues

part II|36 pages

Planning

chapter 6|12 pages

What is a Theory of Change?

chapter 7|8 pages

Tactics for building your presence

chapter 8|14 pages

Content is king

part III|60 pages

Delivery

chapter 11|6 pages

Curation – sharing with your audience

chapter 14|6 pages

Measure

From SMART to SMARTER

part IV|15 pages

Maintenance

chapter 15|6 pages

Maintaining your digital presence

chapter 16|7 pages

Securing your digital presence

part V|17 pages

Extending

chapter 17|9 pages

Extend your value proposition