Modern Reach

What’s In A Name? ... Three Essential Elements to Building Your Personal Brand

2013-06-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

What do Apple, BMW, Coca-Cola and Brad Pitt have in common? In addition to being fabulous, they all have a well-known reputation, a brand. Now, if you are anything like me, this seems obvious for the large organizations on this list but Brad Pitt? A person as a brand? Doesn’t that only work for people like Mark Echo?

Beyond the Buzzword

The short answer is of course no. Everyone has a brand (whether you are keen to admit it or not). The term personal branding is a pretty hot buzzword being thrown around these days and you are probably familiar with the concept. But for those of you who may not spend your afternoon reading miscellaneous business blogs littered with the newest lingo and for those of us who can always use a refresher, here is a simple definition of personal branding: a self-application form of marketing, where you articulate your value to an audience, with the sole mission to build a reputation and credibility for your niche or idea - essentially, how to be yourself with skill.

As a Millennial business professional I realize just how critical this task is. With a world of possibilities in front of me it is essential to brand myself in such a manner that intrigues future employers, empowers the team around me and sets the tone for my career development. The same is true for you.

However, knowing about this concept and actually using it are two very different things. So this leaves us wondering, “How can I use personal branding to advance my career?” This is an excellent question. While personal branding is an expansive topic and we will not be able to cover everything right here and right now, I want to share a few things that can help guide you when developing your personal brand.

“How can I use personal branding to advance my career?”

1. Embrace the Youness of You

First, do you know what makes you exceptional? A wise man once stated, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” While the little children who read these words of the trusted Dr. Seuss often wonder, “how can I be anyone but me,” it is scary how often we lose sight of who we are in the midst of the humdrum of everyday adulthood. The first step in developing a powerful personal brand is simply getting to know you.

Ask yourself: What do you stand for? What drives your motivation? What defines success? What do you LOVE to do?

2. Stand Out Above The Crowd

We intuitively know that everyone is different, like snowflakes taking on unique shapes and patterns, yet we are taught from a young age to only focus on similarities so that conflict will not arise. Often we revert back to this habit in the workplace and mute our differences for the sake of corporate culture and not wanting to rock the boat. Yet the truth is everyone has something that marks him or her as a unique asset. Something not limited to a company or position (although certainly something that benefits the organization). Something good. The challenge is to find what differentiates you and how that difference is a strength, not only for your company and team, but for your career. Now is the time to stand out, not to blend in.

Ask yourself: Why are you different? What makes you better, different, or more special? What makes you unique? What makes you stand out?

3. Marketing Matters

After establishing what you stand for and what makes you stand out, the question remains: “what makes you compelling?” The third element of an effective personal brand lies in your ability to articulate your value. You know what you do for your company better than anyone. You know the intricacies of the work, the role that you play, and how your efforts contribute to the success of your company. Marketing yourself in the workplace may seem shady or selfish but it is critical if you desire to grow your career. Let me suggest a paradigm shift from marketing to markEDing – where your goal is not to sell yourself but to educate your audience about the awesomeness of you. While possibly the most challenging of the three, this is the most important for advancing your career because it involves making connections, knowing your audiences and communicating your value.

Ask Yourself: What is one thing you have done for your current (most recent) employer that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t there? In what critical areas do you add value? How does your team and/or organization benefit from your work?

The Light At the End

Using these elements to craft a well-executed personal branding campaign creates a strong, consistent, and specific association between you and the value you offer. To say that creating a brand and living up to it is easy would be a lie. It takes commitment to create, cultivate, and maintain a positive brand but the results far exceed the effort.

Personal branding:

Is the most effective way to clarify and communicate what makes you different, special, and valuable to employers and customers – and use those qualities to guide your career.
Is the most effective and innovative strategy you can use to achieve professional success and fulfillment.
Allows you to clearly communicate the unique promise of value that you have to offer.
Enables you to leverage what distinguishes you from others with similar skills and abilities.

There is no time to waste. Figure out what you stand for, what makes you stand out, and what makes you compelling. Then craft your personal brand statement - just do it.

Authored by Taylor Fitzpatrick in association with The Learning Cafe (www.thelearningcafe.net)

Better Blogging: 6 Tips for Being Heard Above the Noise

2012-11-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this you are no stranger to blogs. You have probably heard the term more times than you can count, have read more than your fair share, and maybe even have your own online novel collecting “dust” in cyberspace. Even still, the desire to be heard above all the chatter on the web remains. And so here is a blog on blogging.

First, let us address an essential question: why is blogging important?

Blogging can be a tedious process, however the reward of effective blogging significantly outweighs the challenges. A blog can help you:

Demonstrate the breadth and depth of your knowledge, expertise, and experience
Increase name recognition and exposure
Brand you as a team player, committed to a community
Build an army of personal brand advocates

All of this is not just to build your personal reputation (although a crucial element of blogging) but it also marks you as a thought leader and has the potential to catapult you to the next level in your desired field.

Now that we have established the benefit of blogging, here are a few tips to ensure you have an effective blog that cultivates genuine conversation, builds advocates, and highlights your expertise.

1. Anticipate Your Audience

Start by asking who you want to reach – then figure out what you want to say. Remember, every connection is a PERSON. The tone of your content should be geared toward the people you expect will read it.

2. Provide Genuine Content

People don’t want fluff, they want to be informed. What you say and how you say it will determine audience engagement. Remember that headlines are the hook and the content reels them in.

3. Don’t Make it Complicated

Simple is better. The key to effective communication is being understood. The more complicated the message, the more room for confusion.

4. Capitalize on Momentum

The beauty of modern media is the ability for messages to be passed both vertically (directly from you to the reader) and laterally (from reader to reader). This simple process enables messages to go “viral” and builds your army of brand advocates.

5. Always be Improving

The world of blogging is constantly shifting and you cannot be afraid to change with it. Your message and methods should constantly be adapting to be as effective as possible. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

6. Be Conversational

Blogs are a platform for you to share your expertise, but they are not meant to be a manifesto or mandate, separate from the audience. Rather blogs are a vehicle to elicit conversation and engagement as a part of a community while discussing that which you are most passionate about.

These are the things I find most useful when blogging, but I am curious to know:

What is your top blogging tip??

The Cure for Social Media Pitfalls - 5 Guidelines for Getting Recognized

2012-11-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

With the constant barrage of social media status updates and endless marketing ploys that rage around you, how can you ensure you are heard above all the static? How can you use social media to effectively communicate your image and message?

Last week I discussed a few social media personalities that drive me crazy. This week I want to share how you can avoid these pitfalls and use social media to help you get recognized (both personally and professionally). Here are 5 guidelines for creating an engaging, memorable, and marketable online presence:

You Are Uniquely You. There is no one that can be a better you than you. Dr. Seuss says it this way, "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." This simple statement has powerful implications. Confidence is attractive (not arrogance but confidence) and nothing will gain you more respect than being true to who you are. Use social media sites to publish your story as this is part of your "personal brand". You may be surprised how sharing who you are can cultivate engagement and foster advocates who feel like an integral part of your story.

Minimalism Creates Connections. Social media is not the next-generation of the door-to-door salesman or cold call. After decades of being inundated with a constant barrage of advertisements, the average person expects genuine connections on social media sites. Do not use automatic feed generators to have an "online presence" as this is merely the modern rendition of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. When you have something important you truly want to share, you will have no where to turn because your barrage of meaningless posts severed all potential interest. Less is more. Share what is meaningful to you, not because you think you need to post eery 30 minutes to stay relevant.

Loyal Advocates Perpetuate Brand Awareness. You are your own brand. You have a message, a platform, a personality, a perspective that is marketable. You can create "brand advocates" for yourself. These people can start off as family and friends, but as you continue to invest in a positive online reputation, they will eventually become coworkers, bosses, potential bosses and even people you have never met. The power of social media lies in the viral effect of a band of loyal advocates who unite to share your story.

Content Matters. "Blue Light Specials," incessant chatter, grammatical errors, pictures of food, etc. often do nothing more than annoy your connections and cause them to mute your message, even if it is relevant to them. What you have to say is important, and people want to listen. People do not want to be “sold” to, they want something to “buy into.” Genuine, relevant content gets your message out and gets people invested in your brand. Share real, applicable, valuable content and make your message something worth listening to - eventually you will be heard and recognized.

You Get Out What You Put In. Despite common misconceptions, social media does not perpetuate itself. Like Rome, your presence and influence cannot be built in a day. An engaging conversation takes at least two people to dialogue and time to move the conversation forward. I like to think of social media as a very large integrated conversation and I believe the more effort you put into engaging your audience, the more effective your efforts will be.

These are a few basics I use, that if you implemented could help you get recognized and may even revolutionize your social media presence. What are some tips or techniques you use to get noticed?

5 Social Media Personalities that Drive Me Crazy

2012-11-12T13:17:00.001-08:00

I love being social on social media sites. From Facebook to Twitter, Govloop or LinkedIn, I enjoy staying in touch and reading about happenings in the world. However, recently I have noticed a few personalities emerge that make this experience less enjoyable. Do you know who I mean? Those people who you can almost anticipate their next post because they are so predictable and (to be honest) annoying.

These people tend to take the “social” out of social media and leave me longing for genuine connections. Have you noticed this? Have you encountered personalities that drive you crazy? Perhaps the incessant “liker” who never says anything but clicks the “like” button or the hyena who only says “lol”… Here are the 6 Social Media Personalities that Drive Me Crazy:

The Self-Promoter: “Look how awesome I am… I can breathe in and out…”
This person just can’t help but share ‘exciting’ news about their recent success stories, what their company is doing, or their kids’ most recent accomplishment. The tone of these stories goes beyond wanting to celebrate with their excessively large network and always has a distinct air of superiority.

The Drama Queen: “Like OMG… My world is ending… I broke a nail!!!”
There is nothing small or insignificant in the life of a drama queen. Every post must have at least three punctuation marks (whether exclamation points or question marks) or be recited until someone responds with the proper amount of sympathy or elation.

The Lobbyist: “This cause, this political candidate, this important message, will change your life.”
The lobbyist finds social media to be a perfect soapbox to promote their message. Converts not conversation is their goal and they abuse the social network for their cause.

The Foodie: “Check out what I had for dinner last night (followed by an instagram picture)!”
The foodie loves sharing photos of the most recent culinary “piece of art” they consumed. The foodie cares little for the interest of the audience but rather finds their food so fascinating that it must be captured on film and shared with the world.

The Creeper: “Hey, I saw that you checked-in at the gym. Be there in 10.”
The creeper falls into two categories: the person you knew years ago that makes it their mission to know the intricate details of your life (and comment on it) and the person who uses check-ins to stalk you. Either way, the creeper knows a little more about your life than you are comfortable with.

How can you ensure you don't fall into one of these categories? Next week I will share some tips on how to effectively use social media as the "social" network it was meant to be.

Twitterpated: How to Use Twitter to Excite Your Audience and Build Advocates

2012-10-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tweet-ely-dee... tweet-ely-huh...?? I often hear this question: what is the point of twitter? How can a string of words less than 140 characters long do anything to build my business? Isn't this just meaningless chatter?

To understand the business implications of Twitter, first you must understand what Twitter is. According to their webpage, "Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting." Many have labeled it the "cocktail party" of the social media platforms where interesting information travels faster and further than ever before.

A cocktail party is a venue where you move from person to person having brief conversations about topics you find mutually interesting. There are people and topics you avoid, people you get into deep conversation with, and people that you merely wish to meet. Twitter is the same. This is a site that allows creativity to take flight. The limited characters force you to clearly articulate your message and encourage you to participate in brief conversations that are pithy and informative. With your tweets you may spur on a long conversation or merely be sharing a tidbit you deem worthy to pass on, all the while you are getting your name out there.

Now, how does all of this really relate to business...?

Twitter is a brand builder that helps you engage directly with a large audience and create a buzz about your organization through sharing information the masses find interesting. The more people talk about you, the greater the opportunity to build brand advocates. It is a chance for people to get to know the person behind the brand, an opportunity to share the recent happenings in your company and exciting adventures on the horizon. Twitter can help you connect with potential clients and every connection is an opportunity… to expand your reach, to increase your bottom line, to cultivate loyal advocates, to hear what your customers want and to stay ahead of the competition.

Curious how you can use Twitter to excite your audience and build advocates? Here are five easy tips:

Be Real.
In both a figurative and literal sense. People are interested in WHO is behind the brand and what YOUR thoughts are. They are not interested in the constant barrage of overly pessimistic or incessantly peppy posts that reveal nothing about "the man behind the curtain." Be authentic. Show them the real you and actively engage with your audience. DO NOT use animated systems to share information. The only time people like a robot is on the dance floor. No automatic "thank you for following me" direct messages or posting every 30 seconds from Hootsuite so you don't actually have to take the time to interact with your network. Only GENUINE connections produce advocates.
Be Relevant.
You need to know your audience. If you are a car salesman you do not need to be tweeting about the latest winner of the dog show (at least not on your business profile). Your audience follows you because you are the expert at what you do. You are uniquely you. Twitter is the perfect place to flaunt what you know. This does not mean you should shamelessly promote yourself (no one wants to read a commercial) but rather that you should be sharing relevant tidbits that will inform and inspire your audience. Talk about what you know. Ask questions. If you wouldn't want to read it, don't post it.
Be Responsive.
Social media sites are not meant for one-way communication. Be sure to monitor your twitter page so that you can provide quick responses to questions that arise or respond to folks who engage in conversation with you. It is essential that you do not let the conversation die once one begins. Know that some people are more chatty than others (don't expect 1000 answers to every question you ask) and that EVERY person who engages with you is just as important as every customer who walks into a store. Don't wait days to connect as the average conversation on Twitter lasts less than two-hours. If you wait too long you may miss the opportunity to build advocates.
Be Well-Written.
OMG I h8 IM spEk on twtr. I know you only have 140 characters to share your message, but if you want to be taken seriously as a business professional steer away from online shorthand. You are not hip or cool if you know the latest acronym and try to flaunt it on twitter. Please take the time to provide a professional, well-thought out, clever post that fits in the 140 characters and leave the shorthand to the middle-school text messages.
Be Consistent.
If you are not committed to a consistent social media presence - do not create the profiles. It is better for you to have NO twitter presence than to post once every nine months. If you are the expert in your field (like I know you are) then you have information you can share (and should share) everyday. Don't be afraid to post multiple times in the same day if you have a lot to say. As long as your content is relevant you should flaunt it on a regular basis. Put an alarm in your phone or on your outlook if necessary, it is only five minutes out of your day and it could make all the difference in the world. Remember, you represent your company and if you disappear from the online world, people will wonder if your company may soon disappear too.

A few more free thoughts:

Title your blog in a way that makes an interesting tweet so that your image is integrated
Less is definitely more - clear, concise communications are a minimum requirement
Get acquainted with twitter terms. A little clue:

RT means retweet - sharing another persons tweet
The @ symbol means you are directing your comment at a specific user
#hashtags are akin to keywords and categorize Tweets to help them show more easily in Twitter Search

All of these tips are to help you cultivate an engaging Twitter presence that will help you build brand advocates who are interested in what you have to say and who will pass the message on to new connections. I wish you the best of luck in twitter-pating your audience.

Blue Light Specials Are Not Suited For Social Media

2012-09-25T23:06:00.001-07:00

Remember the days where your adrenaline began to surge and your inhibition went out the window with the simple phrase "blue light special on aisle..." Truth be told... neither do I, but I am well aware of the success this marketing strategy provided for K-Mart.

Blue light specials, in case you do not know, were sales that we announced over the intercom in K-Mart stores that encouraged shoppers to purchase a specific product as the sale was only available for a limited time. This strategy (instituted in 1965) created a shopping phenomenon - hundreds of customers were purchasing items they didn't need merely because it was a "good deal." These results have caused millions of companies to alter their marketing strategy in order to capitalize on this phenomenon. While intentions are motivated by revenue, modern marketers need to be wary of using these same ploys in the modern media market.

Twitter, due to the 140 character limit, is often viewed as the optimal space for these brief solicitations. Think again. This is the site for creativity to take flight. A place for small, “shallow” conversations that are pithy and informative. A place for engaging headlines that link to valuable content. A space for sharing intriguing quotes, funny moments, or creative ideas. This is a space where #runonsentences are embraced. With Twitter, less is more and shorthand is crucial. People want connections - not sales "calls." If you only use this platform as a way to promote your latest deal, people will stop following you and become disengaged. This is space for connection, not coercion.

Facebook and LinkedIn are no different. In fact, in these spaces people feel intruded upon if you merely connect with them to try and sell a product. Discount codes, promotions, what-have you, are only well received when genuine relationships are established or genuine content is provided. Social media is not the next generation of door-to-door sales. It is the stratosphere of connection that cultivates brand advocates through sincere engagement and valuable content. It is the next generation coffee shop, where people hang out just to hang out and meet people (if they get a free coffee in the mix, the better).

So please, next time you think tweeting a discount code or sharing your "latest product" is going to boost sales, remember you just may annoy your next client into the vortex of "what could have been" and miss out on creating a loyal brand advocate who assists you in exponential growth. Choose your words (and ploys) wisely.

B2B, B2C … It all boils down to P2P

2012-09-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Social media is marketing, plain and simple. Whether you are marketing yourself to your closest connections or your corporation to the masses – it is all PR. From this perspective you would think that integrating social media into your organization’s marketing plan would be “easy as pie” (which, if you have ever made pie, is not remarkably easy, so perhaps the saying is fitting) and yet many struggle to realize the potential that lies in social media.

Is there a way to market to only other businesses? How can I ensure I am reaching the right customer base? Is there even any value to social media if I primarily sell to other businesses? These are all great questions. In fact, entire books have been written to answer each one. But, may I propose a paradigm shift? Organizations have long since fallen into two buckets: Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Customer (B2C). While there are companies that like to flirt with both businesses and customers, most fall well within these two distinctions. However, social media sites are simply that – social. Perhaps instead of asking, “how can I craft the perfect B2B or B2C social media strategy?” we get back to being in the people business.

Behind EVERY social media page or post is a PERSON. Yes, I realize there are generators that spit out content like carnival tickets. But someone, somewhere, had to take the time to compile and distribute that information. Social media is relational PR. It is the realm of modern marketing where you get to interact directly with customers and businesses alike. It is here where you are able to answer questions, provide meaningful content and submit thought provoking inquiries. Social media is one place where everyone is equal and everyone can have a say. It is up to us, as business owners, to remember that behind every tweet, every like, every share, and every +1 there is a chance to cultivate a genuine connection with a person.

It is in this mindset that social media becomes a whole new sphere of potential. The potential is in the people. People YOU can connect with merely by being social. Remember: conversations should never be one-sided, nor should comments be ignored. Being social requires you to listen just as much (if not more) as it requires your input. The same “social rules” we follow face-to-face still apply in these settings (but more on that at another time). The power of these simple interactions lies in the creation of advocates. After all, it is the people behind the profiles who make purchases.

A Brave New World: Understanding the Power of Social Media

2012-09-20T00:02:00.003-07:00

I never cease to be amazed at how overwhelmed people get when trying to understand social media. Albeit it is a new "beast" in the world of marketing that can be rather intimidating if you don't understand a few basic principles. I suppose that is where I come in, helping folks to understand that this "horse of a different color" is not to be feared but cherished. Social media sites have somehow found a way to integrate our personal lives, interests, professional lives, and relationships into a single frame of interaction. Like "state" and "religion" so were our work and home lives until social media harmonized the two. Granted you still have the professional site (LinkedIn), the friends and family site (Facebook) and the cocktail party (Twitter), but they no longer have to be strictly such and the lines of distinction are pleasantly blurred. Over the next few days I plan on exploring each of these platforms to help ease those troubled minds. Stay tuned...

Twitterpated: How to Use Twitter to Excite Your Audience and Build Brand Advocates