How to Build a Personal Brand Online (for Executives)

How to Build an Online Personal Brand (for executives)

Arik C. HansonACH Communications, Inc.

About Arik

Why is an ONLINE personal brand important?

• Two-thirds of consumers say their perceptions of executives impact their perceptions of the company– And only 30% of Fortune 500 CEOs have an active

social media presence on at least one channel

Today’s key customer channels: • Sales force• Web• Channel partners• Call centers• Traditional media

Customer channels five years from now: – Sales force

–Social (256% increase)– Web

76% of other executives think CEOs should be using social media

And, more importantly…4 in 5 employees would rather work for a social CEO

Why use social media to build your brand?

1 – Extend your brand—and your company’s brand

2 – Grow your network

3 – Build thought leadership

4 – Enhance your company’s customer service

5 – Own page one of your Google search

6 – Identify new customers

7 – Position yourself as innovative

8 – Build rapport with employees—and potential employees

So, what does a personal brand look like online anyway?

Universal Personal Branding

Guidelines

Be a human being—not a “personal brand”

Showing up is 95% of the work

Humility wins favor

Be a creator—not a follower

Visuals matter—A LOT

So how do you BUILD your personal brand online?

Research: Do your homework

Who is your key audience?• Where do the live online?• How do they consume information online?• Who, exactly are they?• Audience profile?

Plan: Define the personal brand you WANT

Define your personal value proposition• I help people better understand online marketing.• I help people with professional development.• I help bloggers become better bloggers. • I help provide pragmatic communications solutions.

Execute: Consistency over time pays off• You need to post/engage on Twitter more than

once a month.• You need to write a blog post more than once a

quarter.• Look to help one person in your LinkedIn

network a week.• Most people bail quickly—stay the course.

Measure: Monitor and adjust• Check your Google Analytics regularly (I check

them 1-2 times per week)• Follower/fan counts aren’t everything—don’t

get caught up in them.• Relationships > numbers.

6 tips to a rock-solidonline personal brand

1 – Have an opinion…a STRONG opinion

Benefits of having a strong opinion online (for me):

• Never-dreamed-before speaking gigs: Seattle, Destin, Solo PR, BlogWorld

• Instant credibility: With clients, bloggers and media

• Random—but useful—opportunities: Guest posts, opportunities to connect, etc.

• Networking cornucopia: Through guest posts, PR Rock Stars, list posts.

• The opportunity to meet people’s Moms (I’m kidding…kinda)

• An opportunity to showcase my skills

• However, there is no direct tie to the bottom line (but, blogging has been a HUGE factor in my business success).

• Community=power

2 - Build your online ‘home base’

What’s the value of a robust LinkedIn profile? • 238 million worldwide users (84 million in U.S.

alone)• 39% of members are a manager, director, owner,

vice president or CEO• 50% of Fortune 100 companies hire through

LinkedIn

What should a robust executive LinkedIn profile look like?

Make sure the basics are in place:• Short summary• Head shot (personality)• Work experience (with detail)• Honors/Awards/Education

Then, enhance:• Blog posts• Presentations• Status updates• Recommendations

3 – Become a LinkedIn juggernaut– Share 1-2 relevant posts/stories each day.– Set aside 10 minutes each day to connect with 3-5

colleagues, peers or vendors.– Make an effort to HELP people in your LinkedIn

network.– Use LinkedIn as a research tool to help YOU:

• Identify candidates/connections• Research coffee meet-ups• Spot rising stars

4 – Build out (low-maintenance) spokes– Slideshare– Instagram– YouTube– Quora

5 – Use Twitter as the ultimate door-opener

Network with like-minded people (using Twitter lists)

Better opportunity for success (fewer people at executive level on Twitter—better chance you’ll get noticed and remembered)

Let your personality shine through… (for me craft beer, kids, Minnesota sports, TV)

Use hash tags, WeFollow, Twellow and Twitter Search to find the RIGHT people to follow.

What would I share/talk about?• Personal interests• Professional articles/posts (journals, industry

blogs, etc.)• Live tweet events/conferences• Share your OWN blog posts/Slideshare decks• Bottom line: You have PLENTY to say

6 – Master the art of “Propinquity”– Show up where your key audiences live—a lot– Foster the allusion—you can appear more

busy/prolific than you really are online– Don’t take every opportunity—just the ones with

big payoffs

Questions?

arikhanson.com@arikhanson.com