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Posts tagged: personal branding

Optimizing Personal PR

Posted on February 6, 2009

Supernova star burst

What do you tell people you do when you meet them for the first time? Are you a title, a profession, an entrepreneur or something else?

On the way to a networking event, I decided to introduce myself as “The Optimizer” or someone who optimizes people, places and things. It’s fun to test out different personas like this at social networking events.

For the most part “The Optimizer” passed the test. At the end of the evening, one of my friends suggested “The Optimizer” brandish a sword to portray the persona. I countered with the comment that a light saber was more like it. And then, someone said, “No! To be The Optimizer you need a laser gun! You need to blast your way through to opitimalness!”

What do you think: what kind of tools do you need to optimize you, yourself or your place online?

0 Comments - Posted in PR Tagged with:

Holiday Greetings | Sharing Images

Posted on December 26, 2008

in the picture

A fancy bow, a cluster of silver spheres, and graceful greenery decked a grand staircase at Macy’s on State Street, formerly known as Marshall Fields. This image turned out as self-portrait captured in every ornament. How do you reflect in all the spheres you encounter?

View the Holiday on State Street 2008 collection.

 

 

1 Comment - Posted in Social Media Tagged with: ,

Personal Branding | How DNA Relates to Community

Posted on October 9, 2008

How does DNA relate to personal branding and community building? Read this post to find out.

On twitter, Gary Vaynerchuk, host of Wine Library TV: Gary Vaynerchuk’s daily wine video blog, shared a link to his New Media Expo presentation where he talked about how personal branding is in your DNA. At almost 48 minutes, the video is well worth watching [especially to hear Gary talk about his personal DNA], but if you don’t have the time right now, take a few moments and read these highlights.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s New Media Expo Presentation – My Top 20 Takeaways

  1. Understand who you are and execute it – examine your personal DNA
  2. “Legacy is greater than Currency” – the quote on Gary’s favorite t-shirt and a reminder that you don’t want to go for the quick sale, instead you want to build equity in the world
  3. Two things that will absolutely win this game: community and content
  4. Monetize: Google the words you want to talk about and look at who’s advertising to that audience, click on the ads and contact them about sponsoring you
  5. Become part of the conversation in your space, allowing at least 1-3 hours a day to comment
  6. Where should you be? EVERYWHERE!!!
  7. Open as many platforms as you can
  8. When you comment, leave a solid response that shows you understand the space
  9. Search for your name every single day
  10. Take what you can and build on it
  11. Produce a show and own your niche – it’s a gold rush out there
  12. Use Viddler instead of YouTube; you can add your own logo to Viddler
  13. Uploading to YouTube is a huge mistake; you’re promoting their brand, not yours
  14. Work 17-18 hours days on your projects
  15. Understand what you want – you have to go with what’s important to you whether it’s being at your kids’ soccer games or owning the New York Jets
  16. Stay on brand; @garyvee is Gary’s twitter id. He says it was a huge mistake.
  17. You are going to control your message anymore; that ship has sailed. You will be defined by the universe.
  18. Dominate your niche, no matter how small, and find the players who pay to advertise in your field and go after them.
  19. Answer every single email, even if you get 250 a day like Gary does
  20. Know what’s important to you, turn down opportunities if they conflict with your priorities

Video: Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV talks about Building Your Brand in a Web 2.0 World

 

Personal Branding-DNA Profile: Take a Peak into Your Passion

Let’s start with the top two takeaways:

  • Understand who you are and execute it – examine your personal DNA
  • “Legacy is greater than Currency” – the quote on Gary’s favorite t-shirt and a reminder that you don’t want to go for the quick sale, instead you want to build equity in the world

    • Well, what is your personal DNA brand? If you’ve lost touch with your passion or you like so many things so much you’re not sure about your true love, ponder these questions and listen for answers to help you focus. Could your passion be Alf Season 2 – the example Gary uses in the video?

    alf-season-two

    1. What do wake up excited about every morning?
    2. What do you search for online?
    3. What magazines and books do you read – why?
    4. What do your friends ask you about?
    5. What topics do know more about than most people?
    6. Where do you love to go?
    7. What did you like to do as a kid – why?
    8. What would you do if money didn’t matter?
    9. What are your doing when you’re having so much fun you lose all track of time?
    10. What kind of legacy do you want to leave – for who and why?

    Your Turn

    How about you? What would you say if someone asked you: What do you live for?

     

    5 Comments - Posted in Branding Tagged with: , ,

    Personal Branding Online-100 Ways to Be Yourself | Free ebook by Chris Brogan

    Posted on October 5, 2008

    personalbrandingbusinessprofessional[1] Okay, that’s not the title of the ebook, it’s really “Personal Branding for the Business Professional.” But, Chris Brogan does manage to list 100 ways to realize personal branding online – along with many sparkling gems of wisdom – in the 15 page ebook.

    Get your free copy of Personal Branding for the Business Professional by Chris Brogan. When you click on the link, you’ll go to Chris’ blog. While you’re there, take a few minutes to read the comments.

    If you’re lucky enough, maybe one day you’ll get to hear Chris Brogan speak like I have – twice this year, including a fabulous presentation on building new media communities. He’s the kind of guy that’s happy to take a picture with you after his presentation. And who knows? Your picture might wind up in his presentation – you know the one you just sat through. That’s personal branding visualized and personified.

    What do you think?

    Is it easier to brand in person, via direct marketing or online? How do you know when your brand is cold, warm or hot?

    2 Comments - Posted in Social Media Tagged with: ,

    Drop-Kick Humility – Be Who You Are PR

    Posted on July 11, 2008

    His name is Joe. He is a screenwriter. He goes to parties in Malibu. He flies to London. He will be famous. He wears it well.

    He is not proud. He is not humble. He is who he is.

    Last night at a techy-type social/networking event, I wondered who these people really were.

    What if you could be anyone you wanted to be? 

    I thought about “social camouflage” – a term I picked up from watching the movie “Catch Me If You Can.” Directed by Steven Spielberg, this is a true story about a high school student who successfully poses as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. Set in the 60s, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to pull off what Frank Abagnale did back then today. The movie’s tagline: The True Story of a Real Fake.

    How did Frank get to be so convincing? He dressed the part, studied, interviewed experts, associated with people in the professions he wanted to be in and watched TV shows about being a doctor.

    While I’m not suggesting posing an imposter, I wonder how many of us lay a real claim to who we are – or who we could be. Many times, our clients will ask to dial down their presence. Although what we say about them is authentic, their real  persona is too big for them. “Oh, we can’t say that. What will people think?”

    What if we drop-kicked our humility and just accepted that we are who we are? Can you see yourself in any of these?

    Social Branding Vignettes . . . 

    We exchanged cards. Hers said: A Top Chicago Writer

    I said: Wow! How did you get to be a top Chicago writer?

    She said: I know I am. What do you do?

    I said: I write, too.

    She said: Then, you’re probably a top Chicago writer, too.

    I said: Well, maybe . . . once I interviewed with the Chicago Tribune for a contract position and they said they were only interviewing the top writers in Chicago. And I’ve won a few contests.

    She said: Put that on your card – a top Chicago writer. Because your are!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    We exchanged cards.

    She said: So, you’re a blogger?

    I said: Yes, I write about social media, marketing and PR. I have over 400 articles and my blog is in the top 100,000 out of 12 million blogs.

    She said: You’re a super blogger! There’s a guy here looking for someone to help him with his blog – let me find him for you.

    The phone rang . . .

    He said: Is this the super blogger?

    I said: Well, not really, uh . . . let me clarify that for you.

    He said: Come on, you know you’re good. I want you to help me get my blog started.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A comment appeared in the comment box

    It read: You are the queen of networking!

    I said: Hmmm . . .

    A friend called

    She said: You are the queen of networking!

    I said: Hmmm . . .

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Your Turn

    Who are you that you are not now? How could you be more like Joe?

     

    6 Comments - Posted in Branding, Social Media Tagged with: , ,