Michael Brenner
Brands used to be just for businesses. Companies hired consultants and agencies and spent millions of dollars to determine what color their logo was, what fonts really set them apart, what messages covered the key value of their products.
But then the Internet happened. All kinds of information started moving around the world. Companies and governments and institutions became less important.
Social media allowed us to connect with anyone with an internet connection, and later anyone with a smart phone.
And now we’re all publishers. And while we have all always had a personal brand, now, this brand is evident on every platform we use to connect with others.
Now is the time to build your personal brand.
In what I think is one of the greatest magazine articles ever, “The Brand Called You,” Tom Peters in Fast Company, said “It’s a new brand world.” He continued:
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here’s what it takes to be the CEO of Me, Inc.
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
My tips for building your personal brand:
- Define what your brand means: “Why you are talking?” “Who are you talking to?” and “What’s in it for them and you?” You have a unique set of experience and passions.
- Make it a habit every day: I scan, filter, read, connect, write, respond on social every single day. Just like email. I believe the adage that social media success is found in just minutes per day. And for me, goals are important. I make every effort to write at least two blogs per week.
- Build real relationships: Your personal brand is totally connected to the people you surround yourself with. Build meaningful relationships with those who you can help and those who can help you.
- The new content rules: If it isn’t a customer questions or a keyword, no one cares. Titles matter. Bullets help. Tell stories following the traditional story arc: a Hero, has a quest, goes on a journey, encounters an obstacle and achieves resolution.
How to find the time for social media?
When my kids ask me what I do all day at work, maybe I should answer “I do email, sit on conference calls and listen to my colleagues talk about TV shows.” (Disclosure: these examples are purely fictitious. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental.)
Is this true for you?
Consider this:
- The Atlantic says we spend almost a third of our day answering email!
- We spend nearly a quarter of our day in meetings. Half of which we think are meaningless.
- Execs spend nearly a third of their day in meetings, says the Wall Street Journal.
- We spend another 25 percent of our day dealing with meaningless distractions.
To me, finding the time for social media is just about making it important.
- Be social every day. Sounds ridiculous if you think about it in the real world sense. So why not make it “real” online. Make small “investments” in social every day. Tweet once a day. Blog once a week. Do whatever works for you and be realistic. But it’s amazing how persistence pays of when you do this year after year. You’ll have sent hundreds of tweets, created dozens of blog posts, connected with lots of great people, and learned more than you would have ever imagined.
- Share your unique skills and passion. Write about the things you care about, share what interests you, and you will find people with similar interests. Then they will inspire you and encourage you with their own point of view, and interesting that lead to amazing conversations. This in turn becomes the idea factory you need to consistently generate lots of great share-worthy content.
- Help others. I believe we all have to “pay it forward. ” “Karma” works in the social world. Share the work of people you admire and they will take a second look at your own work. Over time, you will become an authority yourself.
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