Know this…

• 52% of individuals put their trust in what others have to say about you
• 77% of Executive Recruiters use LinkedIn as a tool to research a candidate online
•  Over 80% of companies today make hiring decision based on your online search results

Let’s take a look at the three simple steps to building your personal brand.

Step One: Defining your brand

Define your elevator pitch: A strong message that people are likely to remember about you. In order to define that you need to do a thorough personal assessment. Identity your values, strengths, how you want to describe yourself, and how you want others to describe you. You need to ensure that you are not diluting the focus by adding too many titles or adjectives to brand yourself.

Define your mission: Identify your target audience and clearly describe what people can expect when they hire you. Again, you want to ensure that you are offering a powerful value proposition that is unique to you and your business. Identify your niche and build on it.

Define brand character: What does your brand look and feel like? Define attributes that describes you. Show your personality—Knowledgeable, invigorating, personable and so on. Apply the KISS formula. Keep it simple stupid. You want your brand to communicate a strong message that is simple, consistent, and unique to you.

Building blocks: Your brand should come across as authentic. Are people saying nice things about you? Do you have good testimonials? Do you have enough experience in your industry?

How do you demonstrate that expertise?

Some quick tips: Write blog posts, do volunteer work, be consistent in what you say across all your social networking sites, create a professional image of someone who can add value by demonstrating the things you say you do.

You may also find value in this blog post by Scott Dinsmore who shares some valuable advice on Personal Branding: http://www.biggirlbranding.com/be-your-own-most-valuable-brand/

Design Elements: How you dress, your professional pictures, your online work portfolio etc. are all the design elements that will help people to identify with the professional image you are trying to create. Krista Neher shares her own example of how she maintains a certain look when she is speaking in public—she wears black or grey suits, wears the same jewelry, her hair is styled in particular way, and so on.

Step Two: Creating your personal brand using social media tools

Once you have a clear idea of what your brand stands for, how you want to differentiate yourself, and who your audience is, you can identify the social media tools to create a personal brand. The key is to be active once you decide to sign up on social networking platforms. Here is a list of few social media tools that you can use:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is probably the most powerful personal branding tool available to you. Therefore, it was covered in greater detail than the others. You can do the following things to get some visibility on LinkedIn:

• Title and industry are probably two key elements of your LinkedIn profile. Ensure that your title has the right keywords and your profile shows up if someone is searching for professionals with your skillset.
• Ensure your profile is 100% complete. That means you are updating all the sections including your work history and have displayed at least three recommendations on your profile.
• Join industry groups and post discussion topics. Active participation in various groups by answering questions and posting discussion topics will give you a chance to be visible and position yourself as an expert.
• Post interesting status updates. You can post news items or topics that showcases your thought leadership. One good way to post status updates is to link your twitter account and blog posts to LinkedIn.

Blogging

Blogging is also a very powerful tool to create a personal image and position yourself as a thought leader in the industry. WordPress is the most recommended blogging tool. It is simple and intuitive. You can start with writing a blog once a week and then build on it.

Twitter

Twitter is yet another underutilized tool for personal branding. Tweeting useful content, blog posts, news, and updates is really a great way to demonstrate your expertise.

Step three: Managing your personal brand

Managing your personal brand is all about staying on top of your game. The most important step in managing your personal brand is to monitor your social network and look for information and comments that concern you. Regular monitoring will ensure that you respond to what’s being said about you and try to filter that message.  

Google Alerts

Google Alerts is a very valuable tool that automatically notifies you when new content from news, web, blogs, video, and/or discussion groups matches a set of search terms selected by you and stored by the Google Alerts service.

This is just one of the several tools that are available to you to monitor what’s going on in your network/industry and respond to blog posts, tweets, and comments as soon as they get posted.

Key things to remember…

Building your brand takes time and effort. It is an ongoing endeavor. Keep it consistent and simple. Keep your profiles up-to-date, stay in touch with your contacts, build and maintain your network, and work on your branding on a regular basis.

How are nonprofit organizations (NPOs) optimizing resources and leveraging their social networks to further their mission?

How are NPOs integrating social media with fundraising campaigns?

What free resources and tools are available for NPOs to build community engagement?

If you are a nonprofit organization looking for these answers, you will find value in the Nonprofit Symposium (www.nonprofitsymposium.com) on May 17, Red Cross Cincinnati, Ohio.

12 recognized national speakers, hot topics in social media, digital strategies, case studies, networking reception, and much more! We are talking about Cincinnati’s first social media symposium for nonprofits that will bring together nonprofit professionals in our community with innovative digital and social media strategies that can advance their missions.

Randal Moss, the author of “The future of nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in Digital Age” (www.thefutureofnonprofits.com) and a speaker at the nonprofit symposium gives us a sneak peak of what will be covered at the symposium in an exclusive interview.

a)  How can social media address nonprofits’ goals?

Social Media is a great channel for organizations to connect with and engage their constituents. Fundraising, social action, and volunteer organization – Social Media is something that can empower nonprofits to do more with less if they know how.

b)  How can nonprofits build deeper engagements with their audience? 

Part of the challenge nonprofit organizations (NPOs) face is that there are so many entities vying for the attention of their constituents. To build engagement, NPOs have to look deeper than their standard best practices and find ways to transfer some of the ownership of the engagement to the constituent. It seems counter-intuitive – asking the constituent to take on more responsibility. However, the reality is that when constituents make the engagement their own, they take deeper interest and exert extra effort to make it the best it can be.

c)  Tell us a little bit about your book

Our book takes a look at NPO innovation as it pertains to working in the digital age. The book reviews the history of innovation and then sets out three pillars of Innovation: Awareness, Structure, and Staffing. It looks at upcoming digital trends in the fundraising marketplace and provides a long view on the shifts that NPOs will need to make in their overarching strategy to stay competitive and grow.

d)  Where do they make a start? What social media platforms are must and most effective for nonprofits? 

You can always make the case that larger the platform, the more inclined NPOs should be to leverage it. However, some NPOs may find more value in smaller niche social networks that more closely align with their cause. Even then, some organizations may find maximum value in creating their own social network like relayforlife.org or shareyourstory.org

e) Is there a way to track social media ROI? 

Everyone is working on the ROI of social media. Part of that calculation can be assigning a growth in fundraising when you implement more social media channels. If you have a great technology partner, you can begin to track users from social media channels into donation conversions. Track your call-to-action conversion (donate, advocate, volunteer) the same way that e-tailers track sales. The key is to assign value to your conversions on the front end. What is a letter to Congress worth? What is a day of volunteer work worth? Just like in business, there is a value to the branding and awareness that accompany social media campaigns but the value is not as tangible as a donation.

f) How do nonprofits attract social media talent?

NPOs have the same opportunity to attract top talent as for-profit companies. Many candidates will gravitate to the NPO field first because their interest aligns with the NPO mission. The challenge is retaining top talent, and that is where NPOs fall short. Young, digital natives have very specific needs when it comes to retaining them, and the traditional career advancement structure that NPOs have used for 25 years will not keep them around. Beyond the compensation, young digital natives will want a greater share of engagement beyond their daily duties. A savvy NPO will be able to attract, grow, and retain top talent but it will take effort and a new approach to talent management.

Want to learn more? Register for the Symposium and learn from the thought leaders in the industry. Visit www.nonprofitsymposium.com

Randal Moss, Author, Speaker, and Social Media Strategist: www.thefutureofnonprofits.com

12 recognized national speakers, hot topics in social media, digital strategies, case studies, networking reception, and much more! We are talking about Cincinnati’s first social media symposium for nonprofits that will bring together nonprofit professionals in our community with innovative digital and social media strategies that can advance their missions.

Randal Moss, the author of “The future of nonprofits: Innovate and Thrive in Digital Age” and a speaker at the nonprofit symposium gives us a sneak peak of what will be covered at the symposium in an exclusive interview.

a) How can social media address nonprofits’ goals? 

Social Media is a great channel for organizations to connect with and engage their constituents. Fundraising, social action, and volunteer organization – Social Media is something that can empower nonprofits to do more with less if they know how.

b) How can nonprofits build deeper engagements with their audience? 

Part of the challenge nonprofit organizations (NPOs) face is that there are so many entities vying for the attention of their constituents. To build engagement, NPOs have to look deeper than their standard best practices and find ways to transfer some of the ownership of the engagement to the constituent. It seems counter-intuitive – asking the constituent to take on more responsibility. However, the reality is that when constituents make the engagement their own, they take deeper interest and exert extra effort to make it the best it can be.

c) Tell us a little bit about your book

Our book takes a look at NPO innovation as it pertains to working in the digital age. The book reviews the history of innovation and then sets out three pillars of Innovation: Awareness, Structure, and Staffing. It looks at upcoming digital trends in the fundraising marketplace and provides a long view on the shifts that NPOs will need to make in their overarching strategy to stay competitive and grow.

d) Where do they make a start? What social media platforms are must and most effective for nonprofits? 

You can always make the case that larger the platform, the more inclined NPOs should be to leverage it. However, some NPOs may find more value in smaller niche social networks that more closely align with their cause. Even then, some organizations may find maximum value in creating their own social network like relayforlife.org or shareyourstory.org

e) Is there a way to track social media ROI? 

Everyone is working on the ROI of social media. Part of that calculation can be assigning a growth in fundraising when you implement more social media channels. If you have a great technology partner, you can begin to track users from social media channels into donation conversions. Track your call-to-action conversion (donate, advocate, volunteer) the same way that e-tailers track sales. The key is to assign value to your conversions on the front end. What is a letter to Congress worth? What is a day of volunteer work worth? Just like in business, there is a value to the branding and awareness that accompany social media campaigns but the value is not as tangible as a donation.

f) How do nonprofits attract social media talent?

NPOs have the same opportunity to attract top talent as for-profit companies. Many candidates will gravitate to the NPO field first because their interest aligns with the NPO mission. The challenge is retaining top talent, and that is where NPOs fall short. Young, digital natives have very specific needs when it comes to retaining them, and the traditional career advancement structure that NPOs have used for 25 years will not keep them around. Beyond the compensation, young digital natives will want a greater share of engagement beyond their daily duties. A savvy NPO will be able to attract, grow, and retain top talent but it will take effort and a new approach to talent management.

Want to learn more? Register for the Symposium and learn from the thought leaders in the industry. Visit www.nonprofitsymposium.com 

Employers, business partners, customers, friends, family and even recruiters are Googling, Facebooking and LinkedIning you online.

Are you actively managing your brand?

In today’s world your information is available at the click of a button.

It is increasingly important to create and manage your personal brand online. During this social media class we’ll show you how to do it right!

Register Now. Seating is Limited.

REGISTER NOW

In the age of the Internet people are searching for employees and key executives of the organizations they want to work with.  A consistent personal brand is crucial to any business’s success. Over 80% of recruiters use social networks to look for information on candidates.  Sales people are researched online. Agents (Real Estate, Insurance, Financial Advisors) are Googled to determine their expertise.

Crafting and bringing to life a strong personal brand is vital.  

This session will cover common issues and concerns with online personal brand management as well as strategies to build a strong and consistent personal brand that gets results.

DETAILS

• Topic: Building Personal Brand  ***REGISTER NOW!
• Date: May 14, 2012
• Time: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
• Investment: $27 ***Lunch is included!
• Special Offer: Buy 4 Lunches Get 1 FREE
• Location: Boot Camp Digital,  1600 Main Street, M1, Cincinnati OH, 45202

**Please reserve your seat today, as our lunches often sell out**

LUNCH VALUE

• Educational presentation
• Case studies/Examples
• Q&A
• FREE lunch
• Networking opportunities with other business professionals interested in Social Media

This session will show you how to create a personal brand and how to bring it to life on the Internet. 

HURRY UP!  Register Now As Seating is Limited!

REGISTER NOW

This infographic speaks for itself!  Check it out and share with us your thoughts in the comments below. 

Source: Zintro

Mariya Newman

Follow me on Twitter (@MariyaNewman) and add me on LinkedIn!

For those who are not familiar with this project: every time we receive a check-in on Facebook or Foursquare we donate $0.50 to the charity or non-profit of the month (capped at $50 per month).  So, by checking-in at Boot Camp Digital you will be able to support great local non-profit organizations!

LAST MONTH…

Last month was dedicated to City Gospel Mission and today, after counting all check-ins, we will send a donation to this non-profit!  We’d like to thank everyone who checked-in at Boot Camp Digital in order to help City Gospel Mission and be a part of our charity campaign.  A special THANK YOU to Meshell Giblin (@Meshspeak) for suggesting this great organization!

THIS MONTH…

This month we will collect your check-ins for making a donation to Sheltered Paws - a great animal focused non-profit, based in Cincinnati.  Sheltered Paws Dog Rescue was established in 1997, they are a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, all of their work is done by volunteers.  This organization is dedicated to helping save shelter dogs by placing them in temporary, loving foster homes.

“When you adopt from us, you are helping to save a shelter dog!!” – Sheltered Paws

This organization was suggested by Katie Kotowski (@kjkotowski).

It only takes a moment to check-in at Boot Camp Digital on Facebook or Foursquare and you will increase the donation to this great non-profit!