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Education

Use social media to establish your brand, demonstrate
professionalism and prove your worth in the industry.
Knowing who you are and Focus on the niche in which you're an expert. Engage

what you want to be known for with other people's content by commenting on their posts,
writing your own content and so on. In the future, this
is the most important step in exposure could lead to unexpected opportunities or a
competitive advantage.
developing a personal brand. A professional website is an excellent platform for

demonstrating your knowledge and skills while also
providing helpful advice to potential merchants. Use
• Separates you from the competition: When you're your website to build your brand while also providing
not around, other people's perceptions of you shape value to potential merchant clients. But be sure to do so
your personal brand; it is your reputation and has in accordance with the card brands' rules and regulations.
the power to make or break your career. A strong If you have questions, reach out to your relationship
personal brand is more important than ever in our manager.
highly competitive market, where all MLS compete
for the same merchants and referral opportunities. Post more than just text updates or text blogs. Include
photos and videos to create a more diverse feed. People
Having a strong personal brand can result in new prefer visually appealing information, and if you provide
opportunities and improve your visibility. A strong it, they are more likely to follow you.
personal brand can also lead to new opportunities. How to expand your reach
Merchants will be more likely to do business with
you if they believe you are an expert in your field. Return a favor and pay it forward. Whenever one of your
colleagues posts something interesting, gets promoted or
• Increases trust from prospective merchants: In is scheduled to make a public appearance, mention it on
today's digital age, anyone can access information social media. When it is your turn to shine, those you have
about you with a few clicks, which is why it is criti- promoted will put you in the spotlight.
cal to be mindful of how you are presented online.
If merchants perceive that they know who you are Go live! Attending an industry conference? Post
and what you stand for, they are more likely to interesting and informative snippets from presentations,
trust you and do business with you due to a sense photos from the exhibit floor, and links to the speakers'
of familiarity. books and other assets if they are published authors. Use
How to properly develop your brand a consistent hashtag to ensure that people can follow your
story throughout the day.
Sadly, most MLSs don't recognize the significance of
personal branding and believe it requires a significant It's clear that to be successful, you must establish an
amount of extra effort. I hope I've now established the online presence and increase your brand. Your online
importance of personal branding and will discuss how presence reveals who you are, what you care about and
to develop your brand without undue effort. There are the contribution you make to the industry. This may
numerous ways to do this, but knowing who you are and seem like a lot but building brand awareness—and a
what you want to be known for is the most important step following—requires time and dedication. Not to worry:
in developing a personal brand. you can strengthen your brand and open new doors by
being consistent and making valuable contributions.
Cleaning and decluttering your social media accounts is
a good starting point. Make yourself known, and make it Natasa Cvijanovic, co-founder and CEO of Tesla Payments, has a proven
easy for people to find your professional, expert presence. track record within the payment industry of cultivating successful rela-
You have control over your online reputation; therefore, tionships with ISOs, MLSs and strategic partners. In developing national
to maintain a positive image online, you should avoid sales channels, she provides training and coaching to sales partners to
posting anything that could be damaging to it. enable them to become better business partners and advocates for their

We've all felt overwhelmed by social media and tempted to merchants, and to assist them in building portfolios producing steady
avoid it at some point, but avoiding a professional role on residual streams. She is also dedicated to consistently delivering high
social media will only limit your growth potential. Simply levels of professionalism, integrity, dependability and trustworthiness.
having a social media account alone is not enough. Don't Contact her at natasa@teslapayments.com.
overdo it, but post frequently enough to remain visible to
your audience. And be sure to post meaningful content.

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