The Real Truth about Bouncing Back from ‘Reply All’

March 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The technology of today has made it a lot easier for people to communicate with each other. In the past, people sent letters through what is now called “snail mail,” and expected them to arrive in a couple of days or even weeks. Nowadays, most people prefer communicating by email – it’s quick, it’s easy, and you even get confirmation that it’s been sent (unlike snail mail, where you worry about your letter getting lost, stolen, etc).

Communicating by email is incredibly convenient for people. With just one click, your message can arrive to its destination, and you can even have a copy in your sent folder for reference. Need a document signed? You can simply scan it and send the document through email. And best of all is the fact that email is free, and you can do it right in the comfort of your home.

Due to the ease and convenience of email, however, issues have cropped up in people’s usage of it. Spam emails, for example, are very rampant – there are times when a person signs up for a newsletter or something similar, only to have their emails flooded with advertisements. You don’t even have to sign up for anything actually – many people get a deluge of spam everyday, which is why the ‘spam folder’ has become a necessity.

If there’s one common email faux pas that many people have already committed, it’s the ‘reply all’ button. Though most incidents are simply annoying, such as a personal conversation by two people being sent to everyone and cluttering emails, some incidents can prove detrimental to your job and business. Due to this button, people have accidentally sent emails to their boss, colleagues or clients that they really shouldn’t have, resulting in loss of jobs, businesses and even friends.

As a personal brand, you may experience this dreaded mistake. So what do you do? How do you bounce back?

1.   Apologize immediately

Most of the time, the best thing to do is to immediately and sincerely apologize. Yes, the damage is done, but if you express true regret in doing it, then you may get off lightly.

Cases when an apology should immediately be done include accidentally sending private information to many people, making rude remarks about a person, and getting caught on a lie. Though someone may still take you up to task about what you’ve done, a sincere and heartfelt apology may help you keep your job.

2.   Let the message run its course

If the message you sent to everyone through ‘reply all’ isn’t that serious, it’s best to just let the message run its course. You may get a few rude comments, people asking to be taken of your list or people making fun of you, but in the end, there’s really no (or not too much) harm done, so you simply get a slap on the wrist for your mistake.

3.   Lighten the message with humor

With some email ‘reply all’ mistakes, you may get away lightly if you lighten the message with humor. It won’t work for all, however, and don’t do this if you made a serious faux pas, such as insulting your boss. If you accidentally revealed something embarrassing about yourself, it may actually turn out well for you. You may have to put down your head in shame for a while, but people may accidentally see you as more human afterwards (because really, no one’s perfect).

4.   Lay low for a while

After a ‘reply all’ mistake, it would be best if you lay low for a while. You might have become an overnight sensation due to it, so it’s good to be on your best behavior so as not to create more reasons for you to get reprimanded, suspended or even fired. Put your best foot forward and avoid sending out any more errant emails.

Sadly though, there are incidents when it’s hard to bounce back from a serious ‘reply all’ faux pas. Jobs are lost, friendships are ruined, and relationships are broken all because of a simple email mistake that could be avoided.

So lesson learned. Though the ‘reply all’ feature of emails can be very helpful to people, it can also be the cause of your downfall. So use it sparingly, and always take note of the people you’re replying to.

And never assume that an email you sent is private. Did you know your emails could even be subpoenaed if you’re involved in a lawsuit? So always think twice before writing an email, and avoid the ‘reply all’ button like the plague.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding Quick Tips, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Can Anyone Really Own Your Social Media Contracts?

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We interact with brands differently now. In the past, it was easier to catch your customers’ attention through advertising and mass media – now, customers build relationships with the brands they love, and they are becoming increasingly loyal to these brands

This is why it’s become essential for brands – both personal and business ones – to build relationships with their consumer and connection base, and one of the best ways to do this is through social media. Social media has changed the game, making it easier for brands to connect with people, interact with them, and build meaningful relationships.

Small businesses typically assign one person to manage their social media platforms. This ensures a consistent message across the board, as well as a consistent style and personality. Often, the reasoning behind it is lack of marketing funds to focus on it so interns and family members are tapped for the work. With regards to large corporate brands, it depends – usually, many employees represent the brand through their different social media accounts, enabling them to reach a huge number of people.

Herein lies the problem – if you work for a company, you represent yourself as well the company, but what happens when you and the company finally sever ties? Who owns your social media contacts? Does the company have a legal claim to the contacts you’ve accumulated during your tenure with them?

Contracts and Agreements

Well, it depends. First of all, there are the contracts you signed when you first joined the company (this is why it’s important that you comprehensively read anything you sign). If you aren’t sure about the things you agreed to, you may have to ask for a copy from your company.

For example, if you signed an intellectual properties agreement, which means that the accounts and things you’ve created during company time belongs to the company, then the company you worked for may claim your blog, Facebook and Twitter account, etc, that you created while you worked for them. This is especially true if you use these social media accounts for promoting and marketing the company.

Another contract you may have signed is a non-solicitation agreement, which means that you agreed not to solicit clients, vendors and employees of your employer once you’ve severed ties. If you leave the company and start adding these people in your social media accounts, your employer may be able to make a case against you.

And even if you didn’t sign a contract regarding this, if a company hired you to create and manage their social media accounts, then these accounts very likely belong to your company, which means the contacts that you’ve accumulated also belong to them.

Exceptions

Of course, if your social media accounts have been well established even before you joined a company, then it is very likely that you do own your social media contacts. If you have a strong personal brand even before becoming an employee, then it would be very difficult for your employer to make claims on the social media accounts you have.

The Real Question

But the real question is, can anyone really make claims on a person’s social media contacts? Because people who are active in social media can easily become popular and thus have a well known personal brand in their own right. So how can a company claim that they own the contacts when it’s the employee’s voice that the people are tuning into? Losing that employee can easily mean losing those people who are following the brand in social media as well.

We discussed this during a recent #brandchat conversation and it’s exciting to see how diverse comments are about this subject.

Social media has really blurred the lines between what’s personal and what’s business. This is because your job typically bleeds into your personal life, as your colleagues and clients become friends, as vendors admire and follow you in social media.

And in reality, even if a company makes claims on your social media contacts, the real truth is they cannot really claim the contacts unless the people agree. Because in social media, it’s all about the relationships you build with people, whether you’re a personal brand or a company one. It’s easy to unfollow one account and follow another. It’s really up to the people to decide whose voice they want to hear.

In the end, no one really owns these contacts. And it’s not the ownership that’s important, but how well the engagement and relationship is that determine real ownership.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , ,

Is Your Visual Brand Smart?

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s a fact that most people are visual creatures. This is why when it comes to your personal brand, it’s important that you grab your audience’s attention visually – from your website, to your social media accounts, and even your caller ID, you need to ensure that you’re memorable and that people can identify that it’s you.

There is too much noise out there which is why it’s getting harder and harder for brands stand out. Personal brands also get overlooked even though their impact is stronger than product brands since people are the ones who are doing the interacting.

Since the first thing that people are going to notice is your visual brand, have you taken the steps to ensure that your brand is visually appealing? What are some of the ways you can ensure that your visual brand is smart?

1.   Amp up your website/blog design

Your website or blog is one of the first things that people will visit when they want to learn more about you and what you have to offer. Ensure that your website or blog is attractive enough to capture their attention and make them stay long enough to read the content you share. Because even if you have the most amazing content, if no one stays long enough to read it, then people aren’t going to know about it.

Your website or blog should represent you and what your brand is all about. Your design should reflect your style and personality – it would be odd, for example, if your design is very dainty and girlish, but your brand is all about rock and roll. So it should help represent you visually to your audience – make sure it’s in line with how you want people to view your personal brand.

2.   Optimize your social media accounts

Social media is where most people are currently spending their time, which is why it’s essential for personal brands to establish their presence in different social networking sites. Though it would be easy to simply create an account and post status updates every other day, it would be better for you to optimize your account so that it is visually attractive and that it represents you.

Facebook, for example, has rolled out a new profile for users – Facebook Timeline. The most distinctive thing about it is the landscape cover that spreads out horizontally at the top of every user’s page – it’s a great way to enhance your page and establish a unique and distinctive visual brand. Put up a great picture that really represents you so that you can quickly grab the attention of anyone who visits your page.

3.   Utilize your visual caller ID

Did you know that you can now control how you appear to people you call and to people who call you? YouMail offers you this option so you can control how your personal brand appears through caller ID. In light of this, you now have the ability to show the image and information you want to portray, and not simply be represented by a random number or even the wrong information.

YouMail’s app is called WhoAreYou, and it’s a completely free visual caller ID application for android phones. With the use of this app, you have better control of how your personal brand appears so you can ensure that your visual brand is as smart as possible.

4.   Consistently use one picture for all accounts

Having one distinctive picture for all of your online accounts can help your visual branding. It helps you become memorable and helps people associate your work with your persona.

Of course, make sure that your picture accurately represents how you look in person, so that people who meet you will be able to remember your online profile. Don’t use a picture taken years ago since this will only confuse the people you meet. As a speaker, I’ve found that it’s always beneficial to you to look “better in person” than you do in a photo.  So, don’t use old photos to depict who you are now.  No one appreciates that “bait and switch” feeling when they meet you in person and you look so much older than your profile pictures.  Always offer something that is current and updated, as well as something visually appealing.

When it comes to your pose, it depends on how seriously you want to portray yourself. If you’re a graphic artist or marketing specialist, for example, you may want a more casual pose that shows you’re easy to work with; but if you’re a lawyer or doctor, you may want a more professional photo so that people will see you as competent and able to do the job.

Yes, it’s time to evaluate your visual brand. Nothing’s worse than blending in and becoming a random person among millions of people. Be distinctive, be smart, and be unforgettable with your visual brand.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

You Are The Product

February 16, 2012 By 5 Comments
In today’s highly competitive world, everyone claims to be the go-to person in their chosen niche. So-called “gurus” are a dime a dozen. This is why it can be tricky to stand out among all the competition. As a personal brand, you need to understand and utilize different platforms well in order to separate yourself from the crowd.

Social media is definitely one of the things that you need to use effectively in order to position yourself as the expert in your niche. Establishing a presence there is not enough – you need to know how to communicate and engage with your audience well.

Simply put, it is not enough to simply be yourself. You need to realize that you are the product – you need to be able to sell yourself to people, to keep them coming back for more. Otherwise, you are just going to be another faceless, nameless voice in social media, trying to get yourself heard over all the other noise.

So how do you become the product? What are the things you can do to engage your audience and keep them interested?

1.   Know your audience

In order to effectively sell yourself, you need to know and understand your audience. You have to find out what they like and what interests them, and then figure out how to build a relationship with them through the things you’ve discovered.

A simple thing you can do is to ask questions. People in social media enjoy answering questions, especially when it’s relevant to them. The more answers you get, the more you understand your audience and what you can do to engage them. Social media has really made things easier since it lets you communicate with your audience directly and get inspiration from them.

2.    Get the conversation going

True product engagement means that people are talking, debating and arguing about you. In social media, the more people who are talking about your brand, the more that they will attract other people who are likely to be interested in following you as well.

How exactly do you do this? Create polls, host contests, get your audience’s opinion, and always remember to reply to comments and mentions of your brand. Basically, you need to pay attention to your audience and communicate with them through social media. Don’t let any response to your brand be ignored. Even a mere thank you or show of appreciation can help the conversation get started about your brand.

3.   Remember to include a “call to action”

Sometimes, your audience needs a little nudge to start commenting and participating in your social media discussions, so don’t be afraid to ask them to like, re-tweet or comment on your posts if they enjoyed it.  Of course, remember not to do this on every little post of yours, since that can become annoying. But occasionally, it really helps to tell people to comment or like what you’ve written to get things going.

4.   “A picture equals a thousand words”

There’s a reason why this saying exists, and it’s because the majority of people are more drawn to visual images as compared to written words. Think of Facebook and how people who post interesting, intriguing or even shocking pictures get the most number of comments and likes. Of course, as a personal brand, it’s important to stay away from posting anything offensive. But the point is, pictures typically evoke a sharper reaction from people as opposed to written words.

Since you are the product in social media, posting interesting pictures that represent you and your brand can help you stand out and be noticed. Remember to make sure that they’re relevant to your niche – don’t simply post things that are intriguing but have nothing to do with you, since this wouldn’t help your personal brand.

It’s all about engagement

When it comes to social media and personal branding, it’s not just about you. There has to be something about what you do that makes people connect and relate with you.

The key here is engagement. As a personal brand, you are the product – so you have to offer your audience something that makes them want to “buy” you or listen to you.

Think of the well-known personal brands out there. What makes them stand out? What makes them so special? These people know how to sell. They know how to convince others of their expertise. Their personal brand has become a product that people want.

So make sure you know your audience, get the conversation going about your brand, contribute with value in a meaningful way, include a call to action, and utilize visual images to engage your audience. By always remembering that you’re the product, you can learn how to sell yourself so that people will stand up and listen.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Does Your Brand Suffer From These 5 Email Mistakes?

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Email is an extension of your brand.  It counts as a conversation.  Sometimes people even refer to it as “having a conversation” with someone.

As the manager of our personal brand, we must be diligent in insuring that this tool shows our best side and gives that great first and lasting impression.

Are you guilty of….

Long and unclear messages – with the volume of emails that people are receiving these days, we have one chance to get their attention. When they open their mail and see that it’s long, there’s a big chance that they’ll scan it a little before deciding to save it for later reading. This is fine but there’s also a great chance that they’ll never get back to it. What you can do is make it clear and concise. Use bullet points to highlight your ideas to make your message easier to understand. Make it short and direct to the point.

I’m personally guilty of this. It comes from many years writing formal letters. Email is such different animal. I recently read a recommendation that we need keep emails to three sentences – anything more than that then we need to pick up the phone. There’s a challenge!

Sending without checking for errors – it is important that we check and double check our message before sending it out. Readers are taking their time to know us; we don’t want bad grammar and misused words to get in the way because this will reflect back on our brand. Tt makes us unreliable. Take that extra time to reread the message before sending it out because once you hit send, there’s no way to get it back for corrections.

Inaccurate and unclear subject lines –this is important because this line is responsible for attracting our readers to open our message. If we give them generic and a poorly worded subject line, there’s a big chance that they won’t open the email. The subject line should be a sentence that describes your message, like a teaser and what to expect when they open their email. Writing specific subjects will also save your message from being marked as spam.

Shortcuts and abbreviations – never use shortcuts or abbreviated words for business messages. Not everyone can understand abbreviated words or shortcuts, like those that are used for text messaging. Use of such a style is also too informal and can be misinterpreted as unprofessional or unreliable. Make sure that you spell all words out correctly and eliminate grammatical errors. Any email message that has no shortcuts or abbreviated words is more appealing to readers because it displays professionalism and makes our brand trustworthy.

Not being careful with your content – it is important that we review our message and think about the content that we are going to include. If we are going to include links in our message, let’s make sure that we link our customers to the right site. If we are going to attach an image or video, let’s make sure that it will greatly benefit the receiver.  And, leave the animated images off of any email.

These five common email mistakes can be avoided if we take the time to review our messages properly before sending them out. Ask someone how you can simplify your message so that readers will have an easier time understanding it. Then make use of bullet points to make your ideas clear. Read and reread your message.  Use your Twitter skills to make the message even more concise!

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Media Trends and Your Personal Brand

February 2, 2012 By 4 Comments

Media is changing and it is changing fast. Just when you get the hang of using one tool to use for your marketing strategy and to get you closer to your customers, a new one is introduced. Consumers like media and when something new is introduced they get into it.  As a business owner, you are sometimes pressured to try the latest as well, to catch up with consumer trends. If you want to get consumers, you have to be where they are.

Here are some media trends that will hit big this 2012. Take a look at how these media types are going to help your business:

SMS – people like being mobile, we prey on convenience. In the last decade, mobile phones changed the way people communicate and because most consumers have mobile phones, text messaging as a marketing strategy is going to be big this year. By texting, you reach out to your consumers faster. When they hear the beep, they read your message. As per email, it might take a while before they can read your message, especially when they don’t open their emails on a regular basis.

Mobile compatibility – if you have a website, you want to make sure that it is mobile compatible. A lot of people are jumping into using smartphones. They want to be able to access their social media accounts even when they are on the go. They want to be able to read their emails and browse websites without having to pull up their computers. When your website is mobile compatible, this means that you are not giving your customers a hard time accessing your website. Again, convenience. You also increase your chances of making a sale.

Facebook – Facebook is not going anywhere, as a matter of fact it’s still growing. It’s still a great place to connect with your audience and a chance to convert them into customers. Make sure to strategize on how you can make the site work for your business needs.

Pinterest – this is a new site that has great potential for businesses. The concept is to “Pin” images that interests you. Your followers can see what you are pinning and they can like, comment, and “Repin” your image. You can even organize your interests into “Boards”. The “Board” is where you can pin images depending on each board topic. It’s a place where you can post images of your products or services and let your customers see what you are offering.

Gamification – consumers like to participate in games and if you gamify your business, you have more customers getting involved. The concept of gamifying is earning something, like points and prizes. FourSquare is a good example. Companies are integrating FourSquare into their business by rewarding those who checked-in with points and badges. When you reach a certain number of points or a certain badge, you get discounts on products or services.

Using video – videos can help your business in a lot of ways. You can use them to educate and train, and as a means to communicate with your customers. Learn how to make use of videos as web content. Instead of articles, why not make short videos to give out tips? They don’thave to be long; you can do something instructional in less than 3 minutes. Consumers like watching how things are done. This is also their way of seeing you and getting to know you more.

You don’t have to be on everything but you can try to mix these options up and see which combinations give you the most benefits.

What combos are you using?

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

You Are What You Text

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Everything we say or do represents our brand. We make an impression on others when we communicate with them, whatever way we do that. When you post your contact details on your webpage or people find them on your social media site, they will try to reach you personally. Some customers would prefer to text message you to ask about basic things. Your reply is going to be crucial because it may be the only chance you have with that person. You want to make a strong first impression even when it’s through text messaging.

When you decide to place your mobile number out there for your customers, you have to be ready to communicate with them effectively. Keep in mind that all those who reach you are potential customers. A mobile phone is different from a computer – it’s harder to write messages on smaller devices, especially without the keyboard. Make sure to use it wisely.

Here are some tips on how you can make an impression through text messaging:

Turn off your auto correct – all phones come with auto correct; it’s a feature that is supposed to help a user text faster because of the predefined words saved on the phone. However, auto correct jokes are becoming a form of entertainment today because of how wrongly the words are placed in the text. Since you are doing business, it’s better to turn your auto correct off so you don’t risk saying the wrong things to your recipient. But be sure to still spell your words correctly, no shortcuts because this can be really annoying to someone who is isn’t especially experienced in using “text language”.

Keep it short and simple – typing is hard, and since your auto correct is turned off, keep your message short and simple. It will save you and your recipient time and energy. Give them what they need, or you can ask them if you can call to further explain your answer. Make sure to review your message before you hit send. You don’t want your customer to be misled in any way.

Check the recipient – after checking your message and you’re ready to send it, check the recipient. Sometimes we’re busy thinking about other things that we send messages to wrong recipients. It’s an easy away to keep a good impression with everyone you’re connected with especially when you have numbers of your customer saved on your phone. You don’t want them getting the wrong message. If you are the one who receives a wrong message, respond to that message to inform him/her that they sent a message to the wrong person.

Be courteous – at all times. Take note of your tone when you are composing a text message, make sure that your recipient doesn’t get a chance to misinterpret it. When you know that they don’t have your number, do introduce yourself before proceeding with your message. Also, when you’re in a face-to-face conversation with someone, text messaging is as rude as taking a voice call. Choose a proper time to respond.

Time of response – Watch the time you respond to a text message. Waking someone up or texting late comes with a lasting impression on who you are as a person.

Don’t depend on text messages – text messaging is informal. And, don’t deliver bad news using text. Or, anything that could be misinterpreted – the smartphone can still be used as a phone.

Be patient – when you send text messages, don’t expect your recipient to receive your message right away. Just like you, your recipient might be busy with their daily tasks. There are a lot of factors that can prevent them from responding to you quickly. It’s either they haven’t received the message because of their carrier, or they are out of coverage, or it’s your network that’s not pushing the message to your phone. If it’s an urgent matter, try other means.

Texting and forms of it will be here for a while.  Master it so that your brand expression matches your brand.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Do You Make These 5 Social Media Mistakes?

January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Personal Brands are taking their brands online as a marketing strategy. It’s easy to set up and is designed to be user friendly. The space is really enticing but there are hazards when taking your brand on social media sites.  If you have social media sites, check out this five common social media mistakes that businesses are committing when taking their business online.

Flooding/Spamming – it’s great that you are sending out helpful messages but don’t overdo it. Customers hate it when you flood their emails about promos, or flood your Twitter or Facebook account about everything and anything.  We don’t need another quotable quote.

Often, the mistake is not purposeful spamming, rather it’s that we get so busy and then remember our social networks and flood them with a series of posts that occur all in the same day, or worse yet, within the same hour!    Avoid posting them all in a day and then being idle for days at a time. Create a calendar to schedule your posts if you have to. This will make your social media site active at all times and your connections will see you as consistent and engaging.

Posting inappropriate content – this is common sense. You wouldn’t want your customers, clients, supervisors or colleagues to see things that can destroy your brand reputation. However, there are things that may arise like a colleague posting a video about the crazy things they do at work or post comments on Twitter that other connections might not get (like inside jokes with other employees). Keep a forever vigilant “brand listening station” set up so that you’ll be aware of any posts that show up with your name associated with it.

No social media presence – it’s great that you now have social media accounts and you did well in gaining followers – now what? A common mistake is to  get into the social media platform just because others are doing it. Posting on Twitter or Facebook every once in a while is alright depending on the purpose and strategy that you have in utilizing the social network,  but being idle and posting once a month is not. Before getting a social media account, plan how you’re going to use it and what you would like to gain from additional brand awareness.

Deleting comments – social media sites are a good place to get feedback and ideas on how you can improve your brand. If someone voices a sincere dislike or concern about something you are doing or you are associated with, as long as it doesn’t infringe upon privacy,  do not delete their comments.

Mismanagement of site – remember that your social media site is a platform for your brand. Whatever is posted or talked about there reflects your brand. If you are going to let someone handle your Twitter or Facebook account, make sure that you train them well. Teach them how to use the sites and let them read about good customer service practices (even if you’re not online to gain customers – customer service principals deliver vital communication and listening skills that will be an asset).  Educate them that it’s not just about posting anything to make your site active. They must know how to address connections when interacting with them.

Your online first impression is even more lasting than your offline first impression.  What do you do to ensure that you manage it well?

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

How to End Brand Confusion

January 12, 2012 By 4 Comments

Building your brand is not easy. If your business or profession has a lot of competition, it is up to you to communicate effectively what is  unique to your brand that will make it stand out from the rest. Recently speaking at a conference for realtors, I asked a realtor what made her different from the others in the room.  Her answer, “We can all pretty much do the same thing.”

Customers will slip away just because they think you are the same as the others around or in your profession.   In order to find that unique identity, your niche, you have to know who your target market is. Knowing who your customers are will give you an idea of what works best for them. It will help you fine tune your message so you can even visualize that you are speaking directly to one specific person.  This will allow you to concentrate on one thing – that one thing that will give your brand an edge.

Define your brand

For your business to stand out, you have to create and define your brand. If you already have one and you think it’s time for some change, add something new to your menu or to your services. You want your customers to experience something new to them. So even if you’re just another business around town, you’ll be the first choice when they think about something that your business offers.

Here are a few things that you can do to avoid brand confusion:

Make your customers feel welcome – when a customer comes into your establishment, make them feel that they are welcome. This applies also to when they visit your online establishment or online social media pages.  This is your chance to make a lasting impression about your brand. When a customer feels that they are welcome from the time they enter your establishment up until they step out, they will definitely think of you again. Find ways you can uniquely make your customers feel welcome, something that is appropriate in your business. Take a risk and try new things!

Excellent customer service – no less. Without customers, our businesses are nothing. Always provide excellent customer service because this aspect is what makes the sale. If your customer feels that you are doing everything that is expected from you and more, they will feel that they are taken care of. Even if you charge a bit higher than the rest, you’ll be surprised at how much customers are willing to pay to experience excellent customer service. Take more initiative and ask them what they need before they approach and ask you.

Consistency – once you find your niche, you want to do it consistently. (For definition:  Niche is what you do so well and is uniquely you; Target Market is who you do it to or for).  Now that you’ve made a good impression, stay engaged with your connections. With every interaction, you are either building up your relationship or tearing it down.

Extras – because the little things add up. There are a lot of ways to give your customers an excellent experience. You can ask for and use their names when you’re serving them, adding a personal touch to the experience. You can also create a customer database and gather your customers’ contact details. With a database, you can send emails or cards to your customers for birthdays or holidays. You can send them information about new promos or the latest on your menu. Doing the little extras to make your customers feel that you appreciate them will not only set you apart from the others, but will give you a chance to gain loyal customers.

Now thrive!

Ending brand confusion is important if we want our business  or profession to survive and succeed. If we give our customers something great to differentiate our business from the rest and consistently provide that, we are positioning our brand at the top of their list. That’s why it’s important to keep innovating, to keep working on how our customers can add value and attach meaning to our personal brand and our business products and services.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Persistent and Consistent Action

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Let’s not forget “auld acquaintances” as we start 2012.   Let’s vow to stay connected and more deeply engaged. After all, it’s with the people that are already connected and sold on who we are that we will find better conversations and better referrals.

The challenge is how to do this on a consistent basis. Relationships are built on interaction and developing trust, and part of having that is being involved in some type of action that’s persistent so you are not forgotten (nor they)!

Rekindle old connections – Facebook is a great place to find old friends. Sometimes, our tendency is to just add them, but we never find the time to get in touch with them, even via the chat feature. Get in touch with someone you haven’t spoken to in years. Ask them how they are and what they’re doing these days. It’s about making connections because there is always someone out there who is willing to help your business. Why not an old friend?

Cull your database – Even though I don’t use the database customer relationship management tool, Goldmine, I appreciate the name because in one word it speaks the truth – there’s a Goldmine in your database if you will spend time in there.

Did you know that 67% of the people in your database neither live in the same place they used to, work at the same place, have the same phone number or email address, or are “dead” (yes, they are deceased)?  It’s time to cull through your database and see who you really know.  What may seem like “I just spoke to him yesterday,” may in actuality show that you haven’t spoken to him in two years.  Over time, when a relationship ceases to be mutually beneficial to both people involved, somebody leaves.  It’s just a fact of life – for businesses, marriages and friendships.

Sadly, this is where most people become lost in the task rather thea in the doing. When you encounter that you don’t have the correct or updated information on someone, then we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to update and find that information that we lose the passion behind the prompting to connect or reach out to them.

Identify what you need to find out and update, and then plan 15 minutes every day to gather that information.  Even if it’s a quick phone call, email or contact another person who might know the updated information (or perhaps it’s just you checking the emails where people sent you updates and plugging it into your database), find and take the time to do it.  It will make a remarkable difference to your year!

Send a personal note – a part of great interaction, relationships development or customer service is making your contacts and customers feel that they are special, and what better way to do this but by sending them handwritten thank you notes. It is personalized and it’s random. And, sadly, it rarely happens so you will stand out uniquely over anyone else they interact with.

These are simple tips but they will make a difference in the way you do business. It will add a unique taste to how you approach your connections and customers and this adds more value to you, your company, your products and services.

Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,
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