Introduction to

Personal Branding and Social Media

How do you make people feel?

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how

you made them feel.

~Maya Angelou

Something to think about

A brand is the sum of the all the perceptions and emotions about a product, or service that live inside a customer’s mind.

The definition of a brand

This is a product

This is a logo

This is a brand

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A brand is a promise of value

• A product is made; a brand is made up of trust and relationships.

• A service is a value delivered; a brand is a

personality.

• A product is sold by a merchant and a service delivered by a consultant; A brand is bought by a customer.

• A product or service can be easily copied by a competitor; a brand is unique.

How a Product or Service differ from a Brand

The Good News…

A brand can be a business person’s best friend

The Bad News….Or Not

The reality…. you have one (like it or not)

People we recognize by first name alone?

The soda we drink The car we drive

The computer we use

We choose, use and engage with brands every day

Visible representations of brands are everywhere

Your Customers Do!

Without their perceptions and emotions in their heads, all you have is a

product or service.

You DON’T own your brand

People buy from who they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST!

This is important because of a simple truth:

Driven by the following activities•Marketing •PR•Sales •Business Development

The brand influences the perceptions and emotions that cause people to “like and trust” you

The idea that business is strictly a numbers affair has always struck me as preposterous. For one thing, I’ve never been particularly good at numbers but I

think I’ve done a reasonable job with feelings. And, I’m convinced it is feelings and feelings alone that account for the success of the Virgin brand in all of it

myriad forms.”

Richard Branson

Branson on Branding

A Personal Brand definition

The perceptions and emotions maintained by someone else other than you describing the total experience of having a relationship with YOU

YOU have a brand

Your role as Marketing Officer of Brand YOU

To steer, shepherd, direct and inspire theseperceptions and emotions so that they align with your vision for your brand and your

goalsfor your career.

“The good news, and it is largely good news, is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to

learn, improve and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand

worthy of remark. “

~Tom Peters

Tom Peters on Personal Brands

Why you need a Personal Brand?

HERE

We all are Free Agents in this new economy

• Creates differentiation– A Personal Brand helps those buying what you’re selling to choose you

• Increases your visibility – Social Media is a big driver behind the recent growth in Personal

Brands

• Shortens sales cycles – Speeds up the process for people to know, like and trust you

• Improves confidence – Gets you in the right “mindset”

• Supports your goals and objectives – A good brand is developed at a strategic level and executed (and

lived) daily in the details

A Personal Brand

Company Brand Personal Brand

Brand Attribute(s)

Brand Promise

Brand Identity

Change Fast, accurate, search results

Charismatic, Great Orator Locate things

Personal and Company brands have similar elements

There are three equal elements of a Personal Brand

•Value Identification•Value Communication•Value Delivery

Value Identification starts with introspection

What are your goals?

What do you value?

What do you like to do?

What are your personal drivers?

What are you known for knowing?

What do others value in you?

What are you most proud of?

What do you do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguishable value?

And includes listening to how others experience you

How do others experience you?

What do people compliment you on?

What about you makes people stop, watch and say WOW?

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And identifying who needs what you sell

Photo Credit: www.andreasbard.com/goals2007.jpg

What is important to your target audience?

What keeps them up at night?

How can do you deliver a unique solution to them?

Driven

Easy Going

Persistent

Self Starter Energetic

Punctual

TrustworthyLikeable

Diligent

Detail Oriented

Results Driven

Organized

Creative

Hilarious

Facilitator Prolific Adaptable

Adaptable

Helpful

StrategicThoughtful

MotivatedContinuous Learner

Quick Study Innovative Dynamic

Reliable

Organized

Efficient

Methodical

Consistent

Choose ones that are authentic for you and relevant to your goals and audience

Genuine

What are your brand attributes?

And end with your brand promise

Finish with a written, one-sentenceBrand Promise that describes:

•The value you offer•Who it is intended for •Your differentiation

Make sure it is short, simple, easy to memorize and understand

A Good Brand Promise provides focus for decision making and helps you prioritize work and marketing activities

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Value Communications starts with a plan

Choose communication vehicles to reach your target audience AND play to your strengths

Use your brand attributes to develop key messages that communicate your unique value proposition

Develop a timeline to implement that supportsconstancy in your communications

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Bio &Resume

Social Media

Public Speaking

Volunteer

Articles Networking

Brand Communications Wheel

Consistently walking your talk is key to Value Delivery

Design processes and implement habits that align with your brand attributes

Use your brand promise as a decision making tool for your work, time-management, marketing, etc.

Get regular feedback to document your value delivery

Photo Credit: MarzanaMax - Flickr

Social Media

Use the three brand principles to tie it all together

Photo Credit: MarzanaMax - Flickr

Social Media

Take the time to bring clarity in what sets you apart

Consistently deliver predictable value

Be constantly visible to your targetaudience

The number of internet devices • 1,000 in 1984• 1,000,000 in 1992• 1,000,000,000 in 2008

Did you know

The years it took to reach and audience of 50 million

Did you know

Radio – 38 years Television – 13 years

Internet – 4 years

Facebook – 2 years

At 200+ Million Profiles

Facebook is larger than the country of Brazil!

Brazil

Did you know

There are 31 billion searches on Google every month

Did you know

In 2006 there were only 2.7 billion

You ARE being “Googled” so whynot manage Brand “You”?

People are searching for YOU!

Of course, you know

So you need to be found online

has replaced this

This

Word of Mouth is the largest influence on purchase decision

Word of Mouth

Is now powered by Social Media

• Start with the big picture– What do you want to accomplish?– Who is your target audience?– What are the right tools?

• Pick a home base – Linkedin, Facebook, Blog, Website– Reserve your name URL

(www.yourname.com)

• Add other social media outposts that align with your goals

• Build your online network

• Share content that demonstrates your expertise

Getting found online

Social Networking Tools

Start with the right Mental Mindset

• Patience is still a virtue - Social networking/media is about relationships which take time to build and maintain

• Be a friend to get a friend

• Know your community

• Be yourself - everyone is already taken

• It is a dialogue - Monologues are for late night and traditional media

Social Networking

200 Million Users and Growing

Small Business Page Example

• Set-up the page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

• Add your logo or a photo

• Post relevant video, photos, notes

• Promote it to get some fans

• Add links to your website or other social media profiles

• Send updates to your fans

Getting Started with a Page

Best Practices

• Get a custom URL for your personal Facebook page i.e. www.facebook/yourname

• Keep your personal page activity separate from your business fan page

• Encourage professional contacts to be a fan vs. a friend

• Use Facebook’s Privacy Settings to control who can see what on your profile

• Remove photos that don’t support your personal brand

Social Networking

Edit Your Profile Edit Account Settings

Linkedin – Where to Start?

Create Your ProfileCreate a compelling headline

Add a picture (very important)Create Current and Past positions and EducationFill out key details but be concise

Create your SummaryYour chance to sellUse Keywords that people would search on

Profile and Summary

Profile Key Points

Use Status UpdatesAnother way to stay in front of people and share thoughts

Get Recommendations

Personalize Web Connections

Show Pertinent Links

Use ‘Other’ to allow you to generate your own description

Claim your namePersonalize your URL

Social Networking

Why ?

• Listen to the conversation -About your industry, specialty or company

•Build relationships and grow your network -Like minded individuals- People interested in your products and services

•Amplify your message

•Share Content

•Promote events

How to get started with ? • Pick a name (twitter handle)

• Create your profile – • Add some personality • Link to your primary Home Base

(website, blog, Linkedin profile, Facebook page)

• Download Tweetdeck or equivalent • So Twitter makes sense to you sooner than later

• Follow people (http://twitter.com/search, http://twellow.com ) • Friends• People with similar interests• People who could be interested in buying what you sell

• Listen first

• Tweet second • To engage others in a conversation that isn’t “you” centric •About topics/information relevant to your target audience/personal brand

• Start with the right mental mindset

• Profiles– Claim your name– Fully complete a profile for your “home base” plus one other social

networks

• Consistency counts with profile names, photos, etc.

• Generally listen first, engage second

• Be authentic; “faking it” is never a good strategy

Social Networking Best Practices

Social Media Tools

Putting the Social in Media

Radio

Broadcast TV

Newspapers

Written Articles, E-books, Blogs, Slideshare

Audio Podcast, Teleclass

Visual Picture sharing, Slideshare

Video Youtube, Webinar, V-cast

Live Presentations, Workshops

Create content to tell a story

Then share it

Social Media Best Practices

• Remember the Social Media Mindset before you start

• Always keep your target audience in mind when creating content

• Serve your audience first by providing meaningful content, tips, advice• Ask yourself is it relevant to my target?

• Link between your social media sites

• Stay on message with your category of interest

• Be transparent – it is critical to building trust

Five ways to use Social Media to find a job or client

Social Media

Listen to relevant industry conversations

Tools: Google Alerts, Twitter

Research prospective employers and prospects

Tools: Linkedin, Twitter

Network with friends and colleagues

Tools: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin

Find people in your field

Tools: Twitter, Linkedin

Share your expertise

Tools: YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare, etc.

Photo credit: www.attcnetwork.org/images/mainphoto_find.jpg

• Google yourself to get a baseline on your online visibility– Set-up a Google Alert on your name

• Get a professional head shot taken

• Pick a home base online: Facebook (Fan Page) or Linkedin • Linkedin Group: Social Media for interior design • Social Networking Site for Interior Design: www.avaliving.com• Put the URL for your website or Social Networking “home base” in

your email signature line

• Share your portfolio of work • Ask yourself what content can you create and share relevant to your

target audience.

• Reserve a URL in your name: www.yourname.com

Next Steps

Live it inside, Tell it outside, and People will LISTEN

Your brand is your story!

Linkedin.com/in/AliciaFalconeTwitter.com/AliciaFalconeAlicia@thebrandatwork.com

www.thebrandatwork.com

Thank You! “A brand WORKS when the stories you tell about yourself are the same

stories others tell about you What stories are people telling about you? “

~Alicia Falcone