Now we’re getting somewhere. Momentum is building in Chicago around all things social media. As a founding member of the second city’s Social Media Club, I’m thrilled to see people packing rooms to learn, network and advance social media for themselves, their companies and the community at large. Check out Social Media Club Chicago’s Facebook group.
One of the highlights for most of us is the speaker. January was a blockbuster draw. David Armano brought his Brand U.0 presentation to our group. In December Jason Falls talked about the future of social media and then recapped it for us on his blog, Social Media Explorer.
I love how YouTube framed David in front of this quote:
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.”
* The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier (book and SlideShare) Source for links: Substance
To paraphrase:
Branding is not a product or a service it is a connection with an emotion.
That’s easy enough for people to get.
One of our favorite consulting questions is: What brands best represent who you are and why? Diet Coke drinkers – in every crowd – swear unwavering loyalty to their brand, going so far as to say they never drink Diet Pepsi if there is no Diet Coke on hand. What brands do you identify with?
Seeing yourself in other brands and looking for common qualities is one step in the quest to build something that lots of people are uncomfortable with: Brand U.0, as David calls the personal brand phenomenon. He suggests people pack two business cards: one company brand and one personal brand.
But, it’s not all about graphics, although I do suggest you click through David’s slide show for a graphic depiction of how social media works. It is, as we all profess to know all about relationships and communication.
No sales – at all. When someone asked if they could promote sales on twitter, the room roared and grumbled. I can see their point, although I quibble with it a bit. As a former sales trainer, I believe there is a way to transition from selling to serving.
How do you incorporate or separate business and personal branding?
English
6 thoughts on “Digital Personal Branding: who me? yes YOU! | Chicago Social Media Club January Event”
The information in this post is incredible and should be a must read for anyone in business. As far as self and brand separation, when I created the Big Ooga it was never about me. Almost immediately it began rebelling against my notions – emerging with its own personality. The name honked and would not go away – the colors pink and green just emerged as right. If I ever thought of myself as Big Ooga I would feel like the Wizard of Oz. There are times when I say the name of my company and feel like I’ve lost my mind, but there is this emotional response to it – an LOL that keeps me on the course.
The information in this post is incredible and should be a must read for anyone in business. As far as self and brand separation, when I created the Big Ooga it was never about me. Almost immediately it began rebelling against my notions – emerging with its own personality. The name honked and would not go away – the colors pink and green just emerged as right. If I ever thought of myself as Big Ooga I would feel like the Wizard of Oz. There are times when I say the name of my company and feel like I’ve lost my mind, but there is this emotional response to it – an LOL that keeps me on the course.
Lennie – thanks for your comment. David’s a phenomenal speaker whose own personal brand is a great success story in and of itself. Thanks for sharing the Big Ooga brand story. With a name like that, the brand establishes itself every time someone says it.
Lennie – thanks for your comment. David’s a phenomenal speaker whose own personal brand is a great success story in and of itself. Thanks for sharing the Big Ooga brand story. With a name like that, the brand establishes itself every time someone says it.
Great blog. I am glad I found it on Google.I’ll be back to visit your site soon.
Great blog. I am glad I found it on Google.I’ll be back to visit your site soon.