What’s the first thing you do when you meet someone new? If it’s in a professional setting you probably have checked them out on LinkedIn or other social networking site. What happens when someone’s profile is not well tended – the information is old, there’s no photo, few contacts? Doesn’t leave you with a very good impression, does it?

So the first thing you should do is spiff up that online presence. Make sure your site looks as good as those of the people who are leaders in your field.

You may be thinking: this is all about the outside world, what about within my company? I’d counter with the belief that it’s very much about getting better known within your firm. It’s a passive way of self- marketing. Have you noticed how many times your profile gets looked at by people within your company? Probably a lot more than you realize. If you grow your network by linking with key peers within your firm, then increase activity by commenting on posts or posting some original thoughts yourself, those coworkers will be getting little reminders of you as they receive notifications of your activity. You can create an image of yourself as a forward thinker, engaged in your profession. (just whatever you do – don’t do it during working hours)

That carries on to your company’s IM or “White Pages” system, where once again your information should be clear – and include a good photo if the system allows.

Just as we talked about marketing your team last month, you should have a plan for yourself. There’s probably someone in your network from Marketing – why not ask them for advice? And if that person works within your company, even better. Corporate cultures are all different, and someone in a people-focused role like marketing may have some great observations for you.

It’s often hard for those of us in support functions to speak up. So rather than trying to become the “life of the party:” overnight, consider working on two short paragraphs: one, an introduction on yourself, that “elevator speech” you’ll use when you meet someone new at work or find yourself actually on an elevator with someone. The second is a question or two – something you can ask the person you meet, as a way to begin a short dialogue. If you get tongue-tied like me, having a question or two in your hip pocket is a good way of initiating dialogue.