In a previous article we discussed why every adult, regardless of age, should develop a personal brand. To recap, the three primary reasons are:

1. It separates you from others, and distinguishes you from the crowd.

2. It makes a promise to others that you have a strong foundation, that know who you are, and that you will be the same in the future. It exudes confidence.

3. It keeps you focused on who you are and helps you to maintain the highest standard for yourself day after day.

Since we have established why a personal brand is important, we will now begin the process of creating a personal brand, brand YOU. Remember, no two people are exactly the same. You are uniquely different from every other person in the world. Your DNA proves this, as do your fingerprints. Your personal brand should similarly distinguish you from every one else.

There are five distinct areas YOU should focus on when building your personal brand:

1. What YOU value. Your personal brand identifies who you are, as opposed to what you do. Values ultimately reflect what is most important to you. Integrity, for example, indicates that you place a very high value on being thorough and not cutting corners. You also project an aura of honesty and sincerity.

This first step is critical in the building process of a personal brand as it lays the foundation for everything else. It is very important to take the time to consider and write down those values that guide you each and every day. Do not assume that others hold the same values. You might ask yourself something along the lines of what do I stand for? Then list at least ten core values that you will not compromise.

If you have children or grandchildren, it might be of value to ask yourself, what do I want my (grand)children to know me for? As you think about this, you might consider the importance of keeping your word, or the value you place on education and knowledge.

2. How YOU want to be perceived by others. Much of personal branding is about what others perceive you to be. Fortunately, you have the power to influence and control other’s perceptions by how you handle yourself.

How do you want others to perceive you? Go back to step one and ask if every action you take reflects your core values? All of us have some sort a reputation, good or bad, related to what we are known for; hot-headed, level-headed, decisive, follower, clown, buzz-killer. The list goes on.

As you build your brand, it is an excellent time to reflect on your reputation. It is positive or negative? What should you change? What are you willing to change? All branding is about perception. Companies recognize this and many have re-branded themselves in order to change their perception in the marketplace. It is no different with personal brands.

Make a list of at least ten perceptions that you want people to have about you and your brand.

3. How YOU are unique. What differentiates you from the crowd? Obviously, it depends somewhat on what crowd you are part of. Start with your peer group at work. Perhaps you are the first one to arrive every morning, or the last one to leave. Maybe you are the only one with a college education. Begin by considering those attributes that make you distinguishable from all of the others you work with.

If you are not currently employed, or you are self-employed, you can still answer the question by thinking of groups to which you belong; your church, social networking group, or simply the people you pal around with on a regular basis. The idea here is simply to help you realize that you are different and unique. As you become increasingly aware of positive characteristics, make sure you are making them part of your personal brand.

4. What expertise YOU have. What specialty are you known for, or want to be known for? Consider areas where you are already viewed as an expert or an authority. Don’t only think in terms of your vocation. Again, personal branding is about defining who you are, not simply what you do. Perhaps you are recognized as someone who is an expert at raising children, or caring for the elderly.

Expertise often reflects what we are most passionate about and what we spend our time perfecting. Expertise reflects added value. If you are an expert at taking an idea and putting it on paper, you will bring great value to every new project. If you are particularly gifted as a speaker or writer, your communication value is highly prized for moving a product or service out to the public.

When added to the other steps, your expertise will distinguish you from everyone else. Be known as the punctual person with high integrity who can build anything, and your brand is established.

Write out a list of five things you do particularly well. Then identify the one or two that you do better than the rest. Begin to focus on making that the center of your brand.

5. Who YOU want to have as a customer. One of the great things about building your personal brand is that it is an opportunity consider what people you want to deal with. As you consider your unique values and abilities, it is much easier to determine your target audience.

Your target audience should primarily consist of people who will most benefit by using your brand. Your brand should be the brand of choice when a prospect thinks about the areas in which you specialize. Your brand should build trust. When someone uses your brand they should confidently expect satisfaction, guaranteed.

As you put these five elements of a personal brand together, think about some of the best, most recognizable corporate brands. What are they known for? How are they perceived in the marketplace? How are they unique from their competition? What do they do better than anyone else? And lastly, who is their target customer and how do they reach this target group?

Pick two or three brands. Determine what they have in common. Now consider the brand YOU, and ask the same questions. Determine what you, personally, have in common with these exceptional corporate brands. Determine how you can best Incorporate these common traits in your brand. By doing so, you will be well on your way to creating a strong personal brand.

Thom Lane, aka “The Branded Boomer” is an online coach and trainer who works with Baby Boomer entrepreneurs and internet marketers. Want to learn more about personal branding? Visit The Branded Boomer where you will find many additional free tips, downloads, and resources. Be sure to subscribe to the FREE Branded Boomer newsletter.

Author: Thom Lane
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Five Components Required to Create a Personal Brand

Personal branding is the powerful but simple concept that promotes everyone to the CEO position of themselves. Although the term has only been around for a little over a decade, the idea itself is probably as old as the first salesperson that discovered he wasn’t the only wheel maker. Yet personal branding may be more relevant today than ever. Why? Because most marketplaces are no longer local and the competition for a product or service now requires survival tactics.

Understanding the keys to building your personal brand begins with creating an image and more than a little passion. Knowing your skills, strengths, values and goals is the foundation of solid personal brand construction. When the right elements are in place, your brand is visible, unique and a reflection of your authentic self.

There are infinite ways to grow your personal brand once it’s been established, but only a short list of essential keys to ensuring successful results and maximizing your potential:

• Explore your own truths. Building a strong personal brand demands an honest assessment of what you have to offer. It’s about knowing your weaknesses as intimately as you know your strengths and assets. It’s as much about spending the time to analyze what you are not willing to do to achieve success as it is commiting to an agenda that you know you can and will follow.

• Be original. The definition of personal branding stems from the theory that there is something different about our unique blend of talent, personality and principles. Make a list of all the creative things that sets you and your brand apart from everyone else. Finding a niche you know you can fill better than your competitors do is the beginning of making a name for yourself.

• Perfect your skills. Keeping the mindset of a student of your craft can be an invaluable tool to a winning brand. Very few marketable skills remain stagnant in any business or service industry. Staying open to the fact that there is always something new to learn or a way to improve what you offer will keep you competitive and at the top of your game.

• Establish credibility. Become an expert in your given field by aspiring to know more about what you do than anyone else doing the same thing. Position yourself as a source of information and be willing to share that knowledge. Create a reliable and credible personal brand that makes you the authority among your peers or colleagues.

• Remain open to new ideas. Understand the critical concept of change management. Many markets are in a constant state of evolution and changing faster than we can write about it. Good personal branding means staying true to your own core identity. However, it also means being flexible enough to make adjustments and explore new developments as inevitable changes occur.

• Know your audience. Build your brand to attract your special audience. As simple as it may seem, it is often overlooked during the formative stages of brand building. Do your own research and learn what customers or clients want and need. Find out what price points, services and ideas they respond to and how you fit into the picture. Never assume that mastering your skill or product automatically makes you a marketing expert. Investing the necessary time to become one will pay off immediately and in the long run.

• Act with integrity. One of the most notable characteristics of the best personal brands are those built on the golden rule. They become quality brands through consistency and honesty. It will always be advantageous to honor commitments, respect the rules and treat others fairly. And whether that personal brand belongs to a scientist, plumber or engineer, they understand the irreplaceable value of the image their personal brand projects.

Maurisa Westbury is Chief Training Strategist for OnlineTraining2Go an e-learning solutions company specializing in providing computer based training via the Internet for individuals, small to medium sized businesses and the association market. OnlineTraining2Go offers an extensive catalog with over 2500 topics. The company also offers career coaching, FREE teleseminars and webinars related to career developement and personal growth. If you’re ready to reinvent yourself, get noticed and move to the next level in your career get your FREE report on career advancement and success now HERE

Author: Maurisa Westbury
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital pipeline

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Seven Keys to Building Your Personal Brand

What do Sir Richard Branson, Barack Obama, and Suze Orman all have in common? They have each built powerful personal brands that have propelled them to the top of their businesses, their careers, and their lives. How did they do it?

Like other successful personal branders, they took the time to define, communicate, and protect their brands. You can be sure they followed all of the top ten secrets below to reach their great success. There’s no magic to it: You can apply the same personal branding principles to your work and life not only to achieve your goals, but to surpass them.

Secret #1
You already have a personal brand whether you want one or not – simply by virtue of being you in the workplace. It’s up to you to determine where your personal brand is strong and where it could use improvement. Then, it’s up to you to make changes as necessary to make it as strong as possible.

Secret #2
Your personal brand exists in the minds of others in the way they perceive, think, and feel about you. Think about your favorite corporate brand for a moment. It can be the best “functioning” product of its kind in the world, but if the public fails to perceive it as the best, it won’t be successful. So, it’s critical to keep in mind that your personal brand is now what you think it is but it’s what others perceive it to be.

Secret #3
A common misconception about personal branding is that it’s self-centered and all about you. But the truth is: personal branding is all about your Audience – the person or people you most want to impact with your brand at work and in your career. Just as corporate branders must offer a benefit to consumers in order for a product to be a success, you must fill a need your Audience has in order for your personal brand to be a success on the job.

Secret #4
Since your personal brand exists in the minds of your Audience, the only way to determine if your brand is successful is to find out how your Audience perceives you. If there is a gap between what your Audience thinks and feels about you and what you want them to think and feel about you, your personal brand should be adjusted and strengthened.

Secret #5
The only way to have a strong personal brand is to carefully define it. Many people believe that personal branding is all about how you “execute” your brand, but true personal branding starts with a crystal clear definition. Until you define it, your brand is just a vague premise with no real foundation. No corporate marketer would dream of putting a product in the marketplace without a clear definition of the brand. That definition tells the marketer which consumers to target and where to focus advertising dollars. On a personal level, your own brand should do the same.

Secret #6
The best brands respond to both emotional and functional needs. In the workplace, functional needs are the tasks you perform on the job and are typically listed in your job description. The emotional needs that you fill forge a very important connection with your Audience. For example, if two accountants are equally qualified, the one with a stronger personal brand will be the one who is reliable and precise. That accountant’s Audience can relax in the knowledge that the work will not only be done, but will be done on time and well!

Secret #7
The best personal brands are credible, so you must prove that you can deliver what you promise. It isn’t enough to simply say that you can fill a need at work; you must show that you have the experience and/or training to do it. Help to prove it with your background, your education, and the unique qualifications you bring to the job.

Secret #8
Your personal brand is built 24/7 and 365 days per year through what you say, but even more importantly, through what you do. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be human or make mistakes, but it means that you need to think about behaviors that could damage your brand. Even when you’re not on the job, if someone sees you drinking too much at the local pub, it could get back to your manager … who might begin to wonder about your reliability. No need to be paranoid, per se, but unless you’re behind closed doors, make sure to think before you act.

Secret #9
While it’s important to avoid negative behaviors that can undermine your brand, it is also important to be consistent in how you communicate your brand. If Nike’s ads suddenly focused on encouraging you to become a couch potato, you wouldn’t know what to think, would you? Just as Nike is consistent in promoting sports and fitness in all of its advertising, you must be consistent in how you present your personal brand every day at work.

Secret #10
Even though your personal brand is all about your Audience [out], it never makes sense to pretend to be someone you’re not. You won’t be happy in your career, and it’s hard to remain consistent with a “fake” personal brand. So, the task is to find out what your Audience needs, and align those needs with your own unique strengths and your unique character traits. Your personal brand will then reflect who you really are, which will not only bring you greater success in your career, but greater fulfillment as well.

You don’t have to be famous like Suze Orman or Barack Obama to benefit from defining, communicating, and protecting your personal brand. But you can certainly learn from their examples and take advantage of the same personal branding secrets that have helped these heavy hitters reach their full potential.

Brenda Bence is an internationally-recognized branding expert, certified executive coach, professional speaker, and award-winning author of the How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo personal branding book series. With an MBA from Harvard Business School, Brenda’s 25-year career has included developing mega brands for Procter & Gamble and Bristol-Myers Squibb across four continents and 50 countries. As President of Brand Development Associates International, Ltd. Brenda now travels the world speaking, training, and coaching individuals and companies to greater success through corporate and personal brand development.

Visit http://www.BrendaBence.com

Author: Brenda Bence
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Wordpress plugin Guest Blogger

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

The Top Ten Secrets to Mastering Your Personal Brand

One of the most important skills that we can develop to enhance our business success and our personal success is that of being able to speak and present in from of others. However, few of us ever get assistance and guidance in presenting and speaking in public.

Being able to connect with an audience, no matter if there are 3 people or 3000 people in a room or at a virtual event such as a webinar or teleconference and being able to deliver a clear and inspiring message is a sure fire way to build your reputation and personal brand.

Whether we speak for a fee or for a free, speaking and presenting can support our goal of positioning ourselves as an expert in our field and can lead to more clients and potential joint ventures.

So here are three steps for building your personal brand as an inspiring and confident speaker:

1. Understand Your Audience – Make sure that you research who will be listening to you speaking or presenting. What is their previous experience of your subject matter? What are the areas that they are going to be most interested to hear about? Being able to address their key areas of concern and offer a clear and compelling answer to their problem will ensure that you get remembered after the live event.

2. Develop Relevant Content – Very often as experts in our subject matter, it can be easy to be over zealous and wanting to deliver too much content that we leave our audience confused and ourselves under time pressure. If you are speaking for only 30 minutes, then identify the three key messages you want to deliver.

3. Become a Great Storyteller – Take the time to research stories and content that reflect your audience and use the language that they are familiar with. Your efforts in customising content will enhance your standing and reputation in the eyes of your audience. Using stories to bring to life your presentation will help your audience connect to the content.

Take these three steps and you will be on your way to building your reputation as a great professional speaker.

Do you want to learn more about this and similar strategies? Then join me for my no-cost branding and business development teleseminars.

Register today at: http://www.bizgrowthlive.com

Want to get started immediately? Then visit http://www.bizgrowthnews.com for immediate access to free resources, articles and audio tutorials and bring your corporate brand, employer brand and personal brand to life today!

Copyright Krishna De. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long the article is printed in it’s entirety, you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and include the copyright statement.

About the author: Krishna De is considered to be one of Europe’s leading branding, business blogging, corporate podcasting, marketing and media experts. You will find Krishna building her brand online at http://www.krishnade.com where you can also access her content rich branding and business development ezine, bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to attract more clients in less time with less stress.

Author: Krishna De
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Personal Branding 101 – Three Steps To Building Your Personal Brand As A Professional Speaker

Whether you are in an organisation and developing your career or you are the leader of your own professional services practice, one thing you can be sure about….

…. at some stage in the next 12 months you are likely to be asked to present yourself on paper.

That could be for a proposal you are submitting, a job you are applying for or a profile you have to present as a speaker at a conference.

But when was the last time you reviewed your personal profile or CV? And does it accurately reflect your expertise and experience?

I was recently working with a professional association to support them building their brand on-line. They had developed a new web site which gave the members of the association the opportunity to add their details to the data base, providing them with increased visibility.

However, the quality of the personal profiles was so poor, they certainly were not likely to attract interest from potential clients or strategic joint venture partners.

I was also recently working with an executive who was looking for their next career move and we were working on developing their personal brand. However when we looked at their personal marketing materials – their CV – it certainly did not enhance their reputation.

I am frequently asked for a copy of my personal profile and what I have some to learn is that we need to have a core profile available at a moments notice so that we can adapt it to the needs of the audience requesting our profile.

You see it is much easier keeping your profile up to date and relevant than having to create it the first time.

So if your personal profile or CV is out of date, here are four personal branding action steps to ensure that your profile projects your personal brand.

1. Print out a copy of your current personal profile and identify which elements are no longer current.

2. Update your profile – whether it is a CV or professional profile make sure that it does not exceed 2 pages.

3. If you are not sure if your profile accurately reflects your personal brand and expertise, ask a colleague or friend to review it and provide feedback.

4. If you need additional assistance consider the support of a resume writer or personal branding coach to help you create

Do you want to learn more about this and similar strategies? Then join me for my no-cost branding and business development teleseminars.

Register today at: http://www.bizgrowthlive.com

Want to get started immediately? Then visit http://www.bizgrowthnews.com for immediate access to free resources, articles and audio turorials and bring your corporate brand, employer brand and personal brand to life today!

Copyright Krishna De. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long the article is printed in it’s entirety, you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and include the copyright statement.

About the author: Krishna De is considered to be one of Europe’s leading branding, business blogging, corporate podcasting, marketing and media experts. You will find Krishna building her brand online at http://www.krishnade.com where you can also access her content rich branding and business development ezine, bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to attract more clients in less time with less stress.

Author: Krishna De
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Personal Branding 101 – Present Your Personal Brand Through Your Personal Profile

About 75% of the 22 million small businesses in the U.S. are owned and managed by a single individual. The typical business reflects the solo owner’s values, tastes and personality. Most importantly, the business and its owner are inseparable in the eyes of customers and prospects.

You can turn personal involvement into marketplace advantage by creating a strong, distinct Personal Brand identity.

What is a Personal Brand?

Personal branding represents a powerful personal self promotion and small business strategy. You create a Personal Brand based on your talents, skills and values. This Personal Brand identity becomes the foundation for all your marketing efforts. With a clear marketing identity, you can intentionally shape positive perceptions about you – as the symbol for your company.

Think about brands you use and recognize. Your perceptions about those brands have been shaped by consistent and persistent marketing messages. When your personal experience as a customer confirms those messages, the brand perception becomes reality.

Do you know any small businesses with a strong brand identity?

One of the most powerful small business owners tools is personal branding. Examples of individuals who created strong Personal Brands and developed them into multi-million-dollar enterprises include Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Nora Roberts, Stephen Covey, Tiger Woods and Tommy Hilfiger.

However, very few small business owners will use branding to be distinctive from their competitors. You are likely to be aware of a business owner with a strong Personal Brand ONLY if they are active in your market space or network. Most small business owners just don’t know how — and won’t make the effort — to use personal brand reputation building as an effective marketing strategy.

Personal Branding represents one of the most powerful — and under used — small business owners tools!

How can you create a strong Personal Brand?

Follow the five steps to create your Personal Brand identity. The process is adapted from Brand Me, Inc: How To Be Distinctive And Remarkable In What You Do And How You Do It, a guide for small business owners.

Step 1: Define Your Target: Everybody is NOT a potential buyer for what you have to offer. The biggest mistake you can make is being unclear about your target customer. Write a detailed description of the person who is your ideal buyer.

Step 2: Identify Your “True” Competition: Never mind who YOU think the competition is. Who does your target buyer consider when shopping for products and services like the ones you offer?

Step 3: Find Your Point of Difference: A great marketing myth is that your Brand has to be unique. You don’t have to be unique. But you must be different vs. the competition AND relevant to your target. List all the ways you are different from the people and companies your target buyer considers as alternatives. Then review the list and circle only what’s most relevant to the target customer. You should identify one to three items that qualify as your Point of Difference.

Step 4: Write Your Personal Brand Statement: This strategic statement pulls together your results from steps 1-3. Write one paragraph with three sentences that (1) describes your target buyer and what they want, (2) your true competitive frame of reference and (3) your point of difference. This statement becomes your Personal Brand Identity. It is an internal reference, not something you say or write to other people.

Step 5: Create Your Personal Brand Marketing Plan: You bring your Personal Brand to life by how you communicate verbally, in writing and visually. Your Personal Brand Statement represents the fist steps for preparing a marketing plan. Now, you have the foundation to develop a brand promotion strategy. Use your Personal Brand Statement to create, evaluate or revamp ALL your marketing materials. Your Personal Brand Statement becomes the basis for everything from your ‘elevator speech’ to your web site copy, even how you answer your phone.

Build your Personal Brand and beat the competition.

You don’t need a catchy slogan, fancy logo or clothes that match your marketing materials. And you don’t need a big marketing budget, because you only have to establish your Personal Brand within your target market space or niche. Building your Personal Brand mostly requires commitment.

Keep in mind, your Brand is established by other people’s experiences and perceptions of what you do and how you do it. Few business owners even realize they can shape other peoples’ perceptions as a marketing strategy. Few will invest time or effort. So it’s much easier than you might think to establish an advantage for your company with a distinctive Personal Brand that reflects the best YOU have to offer.

About The Author

Denise Barnwell is co-author of Brand Me, Inc., the only step-by-step guide for solo small business owners to create a Personal Brand marketing strategy. Get more information about how to turn your talents, skills and values into market place advantage at http://www.BrandMe-Inc.com

Copyright 2006 – Transformation Marketing LLC. Reprint Rights: You may use this article in other ezines, websites and print publications as long as you comply with EzineArticles.com terms of service for Publishers.

Author: Denise Barnwell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Beat Your Competition With A Strong Personal Brand

DNFTT: Do Not Feed the Troll

I was reminded of this important lesson by this great post on Copyblogger: The Dark Side of Authority. I first got online 20 years ago, USENET was the main form of “social media” out there. One of my favorite groups was comp.sys.mac.comm and I was also heavily into a couple rec. groups as well. Some of the activity was social and I also provided tech support for my company’s product through comp.sys.mac.comm.

For the most part, life on USENET was a lot of fun. Discussions were lively and I made friends from around the world and spent the next 20 years actually connecting with many of those people face-to-face. I’m not sure I’d so that with some random Facebook acquaintance but back then the circles were smaller. If you went to the industry tradeshows like InterOp, you’d run into most of your fellow posters eventually anyway.

Sadly USENET had its dark places too. There were several groups where people hung out to congratulate each other on some common hatred. Seriously, the fact that these people hated the same thing was their only common link in some of these groups. I stayed away from those groups after the initial curiosity wore off, but once in a while one of those trolls would come lumbering out and try to spill hatred on everyone else.

Trolls love to practice rhetoric and are amazingly adept at ignoring direct questions. They’re rarely that persuasive but they are persistent and abusive. Back in the old days, most trolls actually used real accounts online—in other words, they were trolls but weren’t so anonymously—but today it’s easy to find trolls lurking around forums and social media sites using obviously fake handles.

Bold and yet cowardly at the same time. Wow.

Trolls come in many varieties but I think their basic psychology is the same. These are people who don’t feel heard so they act out in an attempt to build up their own weak self-esteem. Of course, by not feeding the trolls, they feel even less heard and go back to their online hate-caves, complain with the other trolls and then come back out even more abusive.

I have friends who used to run popular channels on YouTube who dropped out entirely because some of the amazingly hateful comments left on their videos. Another YouTube celebrity I know simply ignores every hateful comment that comes through. He doesn’t even delete them. It’s a pretty impressive show of integrity and strength.

We need more people like him online.

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Do not feed the troll

Years ago…I got a ticket for an expired inspection sticker.

I had been in Japan and after getting back I went off on a ski trip with the rest of my engineering group. While there, the State inspection for my Explorer expired. As I was driving home (early because I had to catch a flight for another International trip), an officer was driving in the other direction. He turned around on a snowy road and pulled me over to give me a ticket.

I had the option to pay the fine by mail or I could appear in court if I wanted to argue the case. The officer told me that if I chose to mail in the fine, it had to be there before the court date or they would issue an arrest warrant for me.

Sheesh

Anyway…travel, travel, travel. Work, work, work. I forgot all about the ticket until the day before my court date. I needed to send a check to this courthouse and it absolutely, positively had to be there over night.

FedEx right?

That’s exactly what I did.

The next day, I called to verify that the check had arrived. I was younger then and worried more about things like this.

The clerk told me FedEx hadn’t arrived yet.

I called FedEx in a panic.

Why hasn’t my letter been delivered yet!

“Well, there was a heavy snow storm last night in that area so the driver can’t make it to the address safely.”

The clerk didn’t seem to have any problems getting there.

WTF

I called back to the clerk and asked if US Mail and UPS deliveries had been made that day.

“Yes sir, and DHL too.”

But not FedEx.

Everything turned out ok. I gave the clerk the tracking number and she apparently told the Judge and that was that.

Oh yeah, and at some point I did get my vehicle inspected too.

Funny thing is that this happened just over ten years ago (going off memory here) and I have not used FedEx even once since that day.

The moral of the story: If your going to stake your brand on a promise, you’d better damn well deliver.

I’m sure they don’t even notice the loss of my business and it’s only just now that I even realized that though I have sent quite a few overnight packages in the past ten years, I haven’t used FedEx even once. I don’t remember ever making such a decision consciously and if you break the promise of your brand with one of your clients, they might not consciously decide to stop working with you either. But chances are they will.

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

The Critical Need for Consistency In a Brand

A lot of energy goes into search engine optimization. Searching for the best keyword phrases. Comparing keyword density between your site and the next guy. Looking for the latest tricks for getting indexed quickly.

It’s a big cat and mouse game.

There’s a bigger consideration you should be making though.

What do you want someone to do when they find your stuff?

I’ve seen companies spend huge sums of money on website designs where the phone number is buried on a single contact page requiring three clicks to get to. Other people will do nothing but Tweet keyword phrases and links without ever providing the slightest thing of value to the reader.

So before you crack into something like WordTracker to dig up keywords with high traffic and low competition, take a minute to ask yourself some key questions.

• Who do you want to find you?
• What do you want them to do when they find you?
• Why do they want your stuff?
• Why should they believe you?

These may seem like simple questions, but few take the time to answer them. The current state of the economy is a reflection of that. Average people are doing what other average people are doing and getting average results. Unfortunately, average right now means they’re losing money.

SEO opens some amazing doors that have never existed before. Don’t ignore its value, but don’t forget that in the end, you’re still dealing with people. Just because Google points someone at you doesn’t mean they’re going to buy.

Learn how how stand out online with Dave Saunders  at http://www.davesaunders.net Read the Social Media Manifesto from http://www.yoursocialbrand.com

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Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

Zen and the Art of SEO

In personal branding there are two types of style. One is the kind which has little meaning. If you’ve ever heard someone refer to personal branding as “style over substance” that person is thinking of this: a signature haircut, a catch phrase a flower in your lapel every time you go out.

If your personal brand relies on the shape of your eye glasses, you’re in trouble.

The style that feeds substance into your personal brand is the style that drives your actions.

Are you a creative thinker?

Are you highly organized?

Are you an eloquent speaker or a person of few words?

Do you seek the opportunity in all things or are you the type who points out all the land mines?

Are you a high energy person or the “even keel?”

Do you tear up when puppies get their first nail trim or are you Spock?

None of these examples are right or wrong. They’re reflective of the way people do the things they do. When you recognize your style you can apply it to one of the most important attributes of a personal brand: consistency.

Lacking self-awareness of your style can lead to more erratic and reactive behavior. Others aren’t sure what to expect of you.

Professionally, this can lead to trouble.

Imagine paying to see Tony Robbins in one of his performance enhancing extravaganzas.

Hi…[sigh] I’m Tony Robbins…I’m  little tired today, but I’m here to help you achieve a new level of personal mastery and performance…can I get a woot? [sigh]

That just wouldn’t do, would it?

It’s not just about the content Tony Robbins delivers. He delivers his content with a style that reflects the fires burning inside him. Maybe you’re not getting up on stage week after week, but in your job and your profession people are expecting you to “perform” in some way.

The style of Tony Robbins is not dictated by the nature of his content. I’ve seen motivational speakers who charged up the audience with a calm, measured demeanor.

What are you styles? If you haven’t thought about it before, make a list (or better yet, a mindmap) and do a bit of self-exploration. Call friends. Call enemies. Solicit input and get a feel for what other people think your natural style happens to be. Then, take that knowledge as start using it as a “North star” for your activities in your job, your business, on social media and with your friends and family. The result should be a lot more relaxed enjoyment in life.

Personal branding and social media post from: Dave Saunders

What’s Your Style?