10 WAYS TO BUILD PERSONAL BRANDS

Photo by Sol Fotografías:

It’s important to remember that the existence of your personal brand doesn’t start the first time you think about it. Put yourself in the shoes of people searching your name and look at yourself from their point of view: Google yourself!

Browse the first few pages and see what comes up. What do the results say to you? If results link to social media profiles, what do those profiles reflect to the people that may be viewing them?

You already have a personal brand. Now it’s a matter of leading it in the direction you want. Define your own personal marketing mission by thinking about these 3 simple questions: WHO, WHY and WHAT. Here’s my personal brand mission:

I want to be known by business and marketing leaders interested in achieving better results through content that authentically connects with their audiences.

While many of us use social media to connect with friends and colleagues, to share our favorite photos, or even for business, how many of us are actively working to build our personal brands?

Should we bother? Won’t our managers wonder why we have the time to tweet and post and +1 when we should be “doing our jobs?” Many marketers are asking themselves if now is the time to build their personal brand.

We know that while “brands” used to be only for businesses, we are seeing the start of a new era: the employee-brand.

These were my answers to the questions on the Personal Branding webinar with the Convince & Convert’s MeganLeap…

1. Why is personal branding important for marketers?
Because our personal brands and the marketing that we do are inextricably linked. We have to create compelling content and we need to nurture our networks so that we have the personal influence to share great content in an authentic and helpful way. Personal branding is the only way for the marketing of the future to be successful.

2. Should marketers keep separate social profiles for personal and business use?
Do you become a different person when you walk into the office or a meeting. Of course not. We are who we are and we need to own it! Our personality is what makes us unique and powerful. The context may be different and we have to respect that a business meeting and family time with our kids are different situations that require different context and norms that must be adhered to.

3. How important is blogging when it comes to your personal brand?
Your blog is an opportunity for you to create your own space on the web. Blogging is really important because it allows you to share your unique point of view. It allows you to share content you find valuable. And it allows personal brands like you to become thought leaders.

4. When and why did you start CHR?
I started blogging in May, 2014 because I was asked to drive social media as the head of digital / online advertising for CHR. I had always wanted to start one and this was just the push I needed. I also knew that in order to do social, you have to be social.

I was already some years into my Twitter addiction and once I started blogging, I really saw how the power of dynamic personal blog content could be amplified by my social connections.

A whole decade ago, I wrote my first blog posts on why I was in Marketing and why I was starting this blog. The key reasons, aside from what I explained above were to claim a stake in my personal brand, to interact with people around common themes, to share my experience and opinions and because I was excited for the journey. I believe blogging is the most important marketing campaign of your life.

5. Any advice for marketers who want to start developing their personal brand?
First, is just do it. You have to fight the common myths, aka excuses, people don’t do social or build their personal brand: that you don’t have time, that your opinion is not unique, that no one will read it. These are all bull because most people simply have irrational fears that no one will read it or that they will get in trouble or feel stupid. The fact is that we all have unique experiences and opinions and that the world needs to hear your voice.

Second, is to simply commit to a regular blogging schedule. I took an advice to imagine that there is just one person out there who is waiting for your content and to write for them. With that motivation, I get through the days when I really don’t feel like writing.

Third, is that blogging is very therapeutic. It helps you to process new information, challenges, frustrations and to take those emotions and turn them into something practical and positive.

Last but not least, are the people you meet and the connections you make. I have met and interacted with the most amazing people. And nothing is cooler then when I interact with someone online, we comment on each other’s blogs and re-tweet each other and then we meet in person and have a drink. It’s like seeing an old friend even though you just met. The single biggest factor that keeps me going is all the great people I have met along my own personal branding journey.

Simple steps to develop your personal brand:

• Define your audience and area of expertise. What do you have unique knowledge about and a point of view? Why are you doing what you do?
• Define what your brand means. Why you are talking? Who are you talking to? What’s in it for them and you? You have a unique set of experience and passions.
• Build it every day like a habit. I scan, filter, read, connect, write, respond on social every single day. I share everything that I personally find interesting. Just like email. I believe the adage that social media success is found in just minutes per day. And for me, goals are important. I make every effort to write at least 2 blogs per week.
• Build real relationships. I try to thank everyone who retweets me. I also share a lot of other content from bloggers I admire. For me, a personal brand is about the people you surround yourself with. Build meaningful relationships with those who you can help and those who can help you. Follow someone new every day. If you can’t find anyone, follow the social networks’ recommendations.
• Create content on a regular basis. Answer your customers’ questions. Comment on the big trends. Have a consistent voice. Use keywords. Titles matter. Bullets help. Tell stories following the traditional story arc: a Hero, has a quest, goes on a journey, encounters an obstacle and achieves resolution.

Craft Your Digital Presence

If you want to get started in producing thought leadership content of your own, I’d advise first getting clear about what you have expertise in and what it is that you love. That’s just a starting point however. It’s really about where you find your passion.

Sometimes I write about things I hate, things that annoy me. So it doesn’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows, but it has to come from an honest place. One example is when people talk about content quality versus quantity. It’s so annoying, why do people think you have to choose! You have to do both!

The next step is to commit to sharing these views on a regular basis. This can include the things you love, the things you hate, your pet peeves, challenges you see clients facing, etc. And it’s important to share the views and thoughts of others. You don’t know everything. Your audience will appreciate you sharing great content from other people even more than they appreciate your unique point of view.

One of the big excuses I get from people who are avoiding thought leadership content is the fear they’re giving away their “secret sauce.” I get this especially from consultants who are worried they’ll be giving away their services for free. This is a baseless fear! No one is paying you for the level of insights you’re giving away in a short article, they’re paying you for the deep attention and results you can produce in their business.

I often recommend that my clients write one post a week. Whether that’s on LinkedIn or a personal blog. LinkedIn is great in lieu of, or in addition to a blog because you can gain followers and create connections from there. It usually takes me about an hour a week to write an article, so it’s not a huge time commitment but the results speak for themselves.

And if you follow this, you will…

Make Yourself Visible (SEO)

Let’s return to the scenario where someone else is searching for you online, but this time, imagine they don’t know your name.

The only way you can make yourself visible (and thus, more important in your industry) is by ranking in Google for the search terms people actually use.

When you write a piece of content, use the keywords people search for, create the content you know they are sharing, and you too can rank for the top keywords in your industry.

How to Find the Time for Social Media

When my kids ask me what I do all day at work, maybe I should answer “I do email, sit on conference calls and listen to my colleagues talk about TV shows.”

Is this true for you?

Consider this:

• We spend nearly a quarter of our day in meetings. Half of which we think are meaningless.
• Execs spend nearly a third of their day in meetingsl.
• We spend another 25% of our day dealing with meaningless distractions.

To me, finding the time for social media is just about making it important.

• Be social every day. Sounds ridiculous if you think about it in the real world sense. So why not make it “real” online. Make small “investments” in social every day. Tweet once a day. Blog once a week. Do whatever works for you and be realistic. But it’s amazing how persistence pays of when you do this year after year. You’ll have sent hundreds of tweets, created dozens of blog posts, connected with lots of great people and learned more than you would have ever imagined.

• Share your unique skills and passion. Write about the things you care about, share what interests you, and you will find people with similar interests. Then they will inspire you and encourage you with their own point of view, and interesting that lead to amazing conversations. This in turn becomes the idea factory you need to consistently generate lots of great share-worthy content.

• Help others. I believe we all have to “pay it forward.” Karma works in the social world. Share the work of people you admire and they will take a second look at your own work. Over time, you will become an authority yourself.

Lastly...
Personal branding is good for you, for your business, and for your career. Using these practices to build a positive personal brand for yourself will always have positive consequences in your career and your life.

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