Branding as a Software Developer

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So I wanted to talk a little about branding and social media as a developer. Perhaps not almost exclusively as a developer. Personal branding for your career and branding side projects as a developer is important. What does your LinkedIn profile say about you?  How does your Twitter account frame you? Maybe this is something you haven’t thought about before but it is something employers are constantly looking at.
This comes after I re-branded some of my social media to mark a change in content and style.  I think branding and social media can separate the difference between two similar candidates at a job interview. One of the most important things to think about is what do you want your brand message to say i.e professional, stylish, modern? Having a strong, consistent brand can make you stand out, it gives you an identity. As well as this having a following from the community or an online profile where people in the community recognise you instantly can have major professional benefits from social media and professional reputation.
Not being skilled at building a brand for a side project can be the difference between the project being a success or failure. Surprisingly though, over 63% of developers continue to overlook this and admit that their projects failed because they didn’t consider the value of brand reputation .Branding is an emotional positioning of a product in the eyes of the consumer. As simple as having a captivating logo and eye pleasing adverts can encourage consumers to click on your social media to find out more. Many developers have said that their side project has failed due to no one knowing about it, not getting the word out. In this current age I believe it is an essential skill to be able to know how to use online resources to successfully brand, market and sell a product. This may seem all very business speak but it can all be applied in the realms of software development.
User interfaces embodies a brand for a company, it is the first thing a consumer interacts with. A user interface communicates the brands mission and values. You only need to look at Apple to see how effective marketing and a consistent brand message can separate your product apart. This is what Steve Jobs understood. You can pick up any Apple product from Apple TV to iTunes and immediately you recognise that this is an Apple product. It's simply iconic and tells you everything you need to know about the company. I can look at a Mac and immediately I think clean, stylish, smooth and modern. 
It’s not something they will teach you in University, it’s obviously more important to be able to code than to be able to brand yourself. However you can set yourself in a better light through the power of effective branding. I will leave a great resource that informed this article. ''Simple Programmer’’ also creates some great content about developing online identity and reputation.
https://simpleprogrammer.com/personal-brand-reputation/

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