Yesterday, I found a great opportunity to learn some new "stuff" in the wide world of media, which is one of my favorite things to do. It was a series of events sponsored by the Social Media Club of Evansville.
The first workshop I attended was titled, "Personal Branding Success with Social Media."
I loved it; my notes are posted below. Erik Deckers did a fantastic job of convincing us that no matter how we feel about it - we are a brand - each one of us. So, what do we do with that brand?
I must confess that the points he earned with me quadrupled when he mentioned that he doesn't really "get" Pinterest. FINALLY! Someone who is talking my language! Here is someone who speaks of the importance of social media, yet gives us permission to live without Pinterest. SCORE! (I simply don't get it, either; nor do I want to. Piling pictures on top of more pictures is just sensory overload to me. Put them in a Prezi, then you have my attention!)
He also made me realize that I need to re-visit my LinkedIn profile.
I bought his latest book and you should, too:
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| Click here to purchase on Amazon. |
Branding yourself… my notes, along with commentary, of course...
1. You are a brand, so get over it.
Each one of us is a brand. Companies are brands. Schools are brands.
What emotional response do you have when you see a specific logo, a web site, or a blog?
What response do you want your readers to have after they read your blog?
Figure out how to make
your brand a positive experience.
2. Fill in your profiles completely.
On Twitter, for example – do your
bio thoroughly. Let people know why they should follow you. Include the city where you work. Use real pictures.
LinkedIn is your online resume, so it should be updated regularly with lots of details.
Make sure readers are not left
wondering about anything. Link your blogs to your LinkedIn
profile. (LinkedIn is not a tool I think about very often, because I'm not looking for a job. I love what I do and I love my school, but my profile is outdated. Thanks for the reminder, Erik!)
3. Build your personal brand around your blog.
Your blog must be the center of your
social online personality. You’re
sharing your ideas…
It was once believed that Twitter would kill
blogs, but it hasn’t. If you can
put everything on Twitter, then you’re not very deep! There must be more that you need to share, so share it!
>>>It’s all about building
relationships!!!
People don’t buy from people. They buy from people – relationships!! (My connection - as my favorite teacher always said, "People don't leave companies/schools: people leave people." ~Todd Whitaker. Can I get an amen?)
Of all the social media tools, these are the 3 that Erik recommends:
Don't forget to link your profiles among all of those you have.
Pinterest appears to be all about pictures - not words, so they leave you wondering... Where's the context? (My connection - Leonard on Big Bang Theory: he's always clarifying the context!)
What do you blog about?
- Anything
- Your job
- Your field
- Industry trends
- Special reports
- Your life
4. Get back to LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the new phone book!
Make your information public, not private, well... unless you're a spy!
70% of hires are made through networking
28% of hires found through job
boards
Don’t waste your time on job boards!
5. Search engines…
Google yourself! (Really? That's a little weird...)
If I ran for public office, what would
people find? This is a good
measuring stick.
Tip: to get real results – sign out of Google to do a search on your name.
Google Chrome, Firefox, etc. – do a private a
search on various search engines - not just Google.
Don’t use Internet Explorer! (I almost stood up and shouted "AMEN" at this one! I didn't provide the link here because I don't want you going there!)
You can set up Google alerts; they will email you with alerts
when a new instance of your name appears on the web… You must have a Google account to do this.
6. Social media is not about
nagging, annoying, etc.
People don't like to be shouted at. I loved the example he used: when you DVR a TV show, do you fast forward through the commercials? Yes, most of us do. We don't like to be pestered.
It’s not about me at all –
Sell yourself – without talking
about yourself. You talk about
yourself without talking about yourself.
7. Social media is about trust and relationships.
If people like you and trust you,
they will click on that link you just posted.
Talk about others – not yourself.
9 to 1 rule: post 9 times about others, 1 time about
me.
Retweet others’ praise of others –
but not about me. It tells them you care and earns trust.
Go change your passwords – now and often.
Speaking of relationships, how do you find people on Twitter?
Twellow.com (How cool is that?)
Mash-up of twitter and yellow pages…
Think about it:
It’s better to have 500 Twitter followers
who believe in you than 50,000 who don’t even know you. (I love that!)
Build your network.
If you plan to follow someone on Twitter, examine his/her Twitter page THOROUGHLY to make
sure they’re not spam.
The people you trust – go to their
page and see the people they are following, especially if you know they vet them.
(I want to add, that if you're on Twitter, the best way to build your network and navigate the Twitterverse is to understand and use hashtags. More on that, later.)
8. Write good stuff
If It’s stuff that people WANT to read… they will read it.
If it’s interesting and meaningful, they will read
it.
"Write drunk; edit sober." - Ernest
Hemingway (Okay, so I won't be doing that, but I understand the point being made.)
Blog, but don’t post immediately.
Go back and read it later; make changes/edit; then post.
“I know what I’m talking about…” Is that your message?
#9 Measure everything. (yay, data!)
You can track the trends in those who visit your blog, how long they stay, and what brought them to you.
Tools for measurement:
Tools for measurement:
Kred (a more advanced tool)
#10 Take your networking outside.
Get out from behind the
computer!!!!!
Shut it off and go meet real people face-to-face.
Shut it off and go meet real people face-to-face.
It’s personal branding.
How do you get to be in front of
people?
Public speaking
strategies…
Networking…
Find groups with like interests…
build relationships; they help you – you help them!
“Givers gain.” Give as much as you can – pay it
forward. Create opportunities for those with whom you’ve connected online.
Facebook pages – the successful pages
ask questions - frequently. If people aren't asking questions, answering questions, then they're not interested.
Other tools for Networking:
- LinkedIn Groups
- Meetup (I added that one.)
- Church and Civic Groups
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