Guest Blog Your Personal Brand

December 22, 2011 By 4 Comments

Having a business is about creating products and services, generating sales, striving to get customers at all times, and making your customers happy with what you are offering. Having a business means the need for a good marketing strategy to spread awareness and generate sales. The online market is a great place where you can build your brand and reach out to millions of consumers worldwide.

Businesses are creating websites with blogs as a place to talk about their products and services. As a marketing strategy, they expose brands on social media sites to get connected with customers and get feedback from them. With a well planned blog, you can generate search engine traffic, products and services exposure, and a way to connect with others that are interested in your business.

A good blog has to have great content in order to attract an audience. Keep them entertained while giving practical advice and something that will help them. Create content with great value, content that talks about your business and passions. Write about the things that you learned and share them with your audience.

As part of maintaining a blog for your audience, you want to give them variety. You can do this by guest blogging your personal brand or asking others to guest blog for you. You can ask other blogs, those who share your interests and can help your business, with a large following, to write for you or feature your article on their site. Build a network with other blogs to help you generate traffic to your site. Post quality content as a way to reach out to consumers and build brand awareness. Guest blogging is about building relationships with possible benefits of generating traffic, getting quality backlinks, and gaining brand exposure.

Guest blogging is a marketing strategy and here are some reasons why you should guest blog your personal brand:

Great search marketing – guest blogging will give you lots of high quality links and high quality content. This will increase your brand value and will generate quality traffic to your blog. If you can hold your visitors’ interest, there is the possibility of converting them to subscribers. Guest blogging is also the easiest way to build quality backlinks to your blog.

Gain exposure – if you create quality content and blogs and others find your work interesting, they might publish it on their website and this will gain you exposure. If your article gains a lot of recognition, then you are already building your brand. Use your articles to make an impression and a chance to gain more subscribers to your blog.

Gain credibility – once you have gained exposure and prove that your content is credible, you increase your chances of getting shared with others. If bigger blogs find your work helpful, and see that they can trust and count on you, they will surely help you promote your blog.
Building relationships – guest blogging or getting guest bloggers for your site builds relationship. It also increases your network and your audience.

As part of a marketing strategy, you want to guest blog on sites that have high traffic and large followings. This increases your chances of directing others to your blog and getting your brand known. As a tip, target media sites and associations, find blogs who you like and would like to know. If you want to ask a blogger to guest at your site, start building a relationship with the blog by commenting on their articles or sharing links to your site to let them know that you share their interest or that they might find something of the same nature in your blog. Connect with other blogs by promoting them on social media sites. Get them to guest blog for you by asking them politely.

Guest blogging is a beneficial marketing strategy. Even though you are doing it for free, you are building something more important that will come of value to your business in the long run. Like anything else in the business industry, it takes time and proper planning to execute such strategies. If you target the right blogs, you have a higher chance of spreading the word about your brand. Invest your time in writing high quality content to help build credibility. Keep your blog up-to-date and build a mailing list. Get on your Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep in touch with your subscribers. Give them what they want, something that will be useful to them, keep them interested and you will gain their loyalty and expand your audience.

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: , ,

Twitter Face Time

December 15, 2011 By 2 Comments

Social media has quickly become one of the most popular platforms for brands to reach out to their consumers. More and more brands are scrambling to ensure that they have a social media presence, so they can get ahead of their competitors and get their share of the market.

The thing about social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is the fact that it’s so easy for brands to create their accounts there and start getting likes and followers. But the question is, do consumers really want to engage with brands via social media?

According to a recent global study done by TNS Digital Life, 57% of people in mature markets are just not interested in connecting with brands through social media. Americans (60%) and Britons (61%) are particularly disinterested in having brands occupy their social space – so should brands continue using these platforms to connect with consumers?

The answer is yes, of course, but the challenge for brands is to offer social networking users value and engagement, not just simply adding to the vast noise that can be found online. When you simply add to the digital waste that can be found on the Internet, it’s not really going to help your campaign in promoting your brand and increasing your sales.

Social media is slowly becoming a congested market, where brands are jockeying for position to ensure that the content they offer is seen by consumers. But the problem is, many brands are treating social media like traditional media even though the platform is completely different. They think of social media as a place to broadcast content and promote their products, but these aren’t what users are looking for when they follow your brand.

You need to ask yourself why people are using social media. And that’s why you need to go beyond broadcasting and marketing to connecting and engaging. You want to communicate with your consumers, understand what they want, and view your offerings from their perspective. You have to learn to identify what tickles their emotions, what starts the conversation going, and what makes them respond with conviction and passion.

One of the very simple ways you can do this is to make sure that your brand doesn’t hide behind a logo – nowadays, consumers want to know with whom they’re interacting with. They don’t want to talk to a faceless, nameless entity on Twitter or Facebook. They want to see the face behind who’s talking, they want to like and get to know you, not just interact with a business. This may be a bit impossible to do with large, multinational brands, but SMBs can definitely utilize this effectively to help consumers identify with their brand better.

This is because people enjoy forming personal connections in these social networks. This is the main reason they sign up – to connect with friends, families, colleagues, meet new people and get to know them, etc. Having a friendly, smiling face in your Twitter profile is definitely going to be a lot more personal than a logo.

Brands need to be authentic in social media. They need to offer value first before even attempting to sell something. Though many people may be disenchanted with connecting with brands through social media, it is interesting to note that TNS Digital Life also reported that 47% of people comment about brands online. Consumers are open to talking about brands in social networking sites and they enjoy sharing their opinions. The key thing to note here is that people want to be heard – they’re tired of the monologue of traditional media. Social media allows them to engage brands in meaningful, two-way conversations.

So stop hiding behind your logo, and stop adding to the endless barrage of noise on the Internet that doesn’t really resonate with consumers and simply adds to the digital waste online. Be personal and interactive – listen and collaborate with your audience. Encourage the building of a community around your brand where people can share their opinions and be heard.

Award your most loyal followers and brand advocates with rewards and special offers. These are the people who can really influence others through their personal interactions with them.

Make sure that your social media pages offer your audience something that’s mutually beneficial to you both, not just simply what’s best for your brand. You need to celebrate what people are doing, and collaborate with them about content to be shared in your pages. Truly, the more personal you are with your interactions via social media, the better for 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 Personal Brands Rebrand?

December 8, 2011 By 6 Comments

With so many people in the world, it’s become quite important for you to stand out among the rest and show people what you’re all about. This is what’s called personal branding, and it’s a way for people to distinguish themselves from others, even those who have the same set of talents and skills. Why should a business get your services? Why should a company hire you? What makes you so special? Think of yourself as a product that you’re marketing to an audience – why should they buy you?

Though you may have defined your personal brand earlier on, having decided on the niche or industry you want to pursue and built an image around it, it shouldn’t mean that you should feel confined to that particular image. On the contrary, most people have realized that there first attempts at personal branding aren’t very successful, and so they have continually adapted and evolved until they finally find the image that really suits them. Products actually do this a lot as well – changing or evolving for the better (or sometimes worse) in order to cater to their chosen clientele better.

Is this what rebranding is all about?

So you may have started with a personal brand that you soon realized doesn’t exactly fit the image you want to portray now. You’ve already exerted a lot of effort in this branding campaign, only to find out that it just doesn’t click. So does this mean you need to rebrand yourself?

Actually, when you think about, your personal brand is still all about you. Maybe you want to change your focus, redefine your message, or you want to target a niche that’s more specific, but in the end, it’s still your story, your ideals, your values. That doesn’t change – and so as a personal brand, you don’t really have to rebrand per se, but you grow, evolve and blossom as you find a better focus on what you really want to stand for.

Let’s face it – brands, whether they’re personal or business ones, constantly need to adapt to the changing times to survive. Brands who remain stagnant, those who are unwilling or unable to budge from their current focus even as the rest of the world evolves, are the ones who gradually die out and lose their customers, because they are unable to adapt.

People continually reinvent themselves as they take on new challenges, get new jobs, or find better pastures in other fields. There are times when the changes are small, while some also have to make major changes in their lives so they can fully embrace what’s about to come.

But as your brand changes and evolves, how do you ensure that the transition is smooth and hassle-free? How do you keep your current audience while opening yourself up to new ones in your evolved personal brand?

Take small steps

You don’t have to do a complete 360-degree turn from your current personal brand. Actually, as you adapt to your newfound focus, it’s a lot better to take small steps and gradually change aspects of your brand one by one until you finally get to where you want to be.

First, make sure to define where exactly you want to focus your energies. Do your research, take classes, talk to people, make sure you understand the industry, and look for mentors within it. Ask yourself what you need to know, and what you can do to learn it. Then go from there.

Let your audience know what you’re doing

Though you may want to surprise your audience with the change in your personal brand, that may not be the best way of retaining their attention. Some of them may not take it well, especially if you’re really moving away from your current focus. The best way to ensure that you don’t alienate your audience is to let them know what you’re doing. Let them know that there’s going to be a change, but that it’s going to be for the better, and you hope that they stick around for it. They’ll surely be curious enough to wait around for the change in your personal brand.

It’s not about abandoning your old brand, but making sure it adapts to what you picture it to be

Truly, it’s not like shedding off your skin for a new one; it’s simply about making sure that your personal brand is what you really want it to be. Honestly, it’s not really about rebranding, but evolving and transitioning to an image that better represents you and what you do. The previous experiences you have can actually enhance what you can offer in the future, so make sure to use that to your advantage.

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: , ,

The People You Invest In

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The technological advancements of today have really changed the way people interact with each other all over the world. Gone are the days when you had to wait for weeks and months for the mail to arrive just to receive a friend’s letter – now, you only have to click “send” for your email to be sent across the globe.

Internet chatting and SMS texting have replaced lengthy phone calls over the landline. Instead of printing out invitations for an event you have planned, you can now invite people using Facebook or Twitter. It’s become so easy nowadays to reach out to people, even those you haven’t even met in person. Connections are being made every day through the use of social media.

Brands and businesses are also taking advantage of the technology by reaching out to their audience and consumers through different platforms. From SMS to email marketing to social media, businesses are doing their best to engage and connect with their customers.

As someone in charge of your personal brand, you probably know the importance of networking with people.  It’s not just about connecting with your customers, but also about building relationships with people who may be able to help your brand grow and succeed.

Even if you have the skills and talent to become great in your industry, without the right connections, you will find it difficult to be truly successful. Well, you could reach out to people and let them know that you’re an expert at a certain field, but without anyone to back up your claims, do you think anyone would believe you?

People will only get to know you and what your personal brand is all about through marketing and word of mouth. And between the two, word of mouth usually wins out by a huge margin, because this is usually spread through people who know and trust each other.

This is why if you really want your personal brand to succeed, you need to invest in people. Yes, investing in your education and improving your skills are very important, but it’s just as important to invest in building strong relationships with people.

You see, your personal brand is only as valuable as how people perceive it to be. So even if you’re the most talented person out there in the niche you chose, if you’re the only one who knows this, then your personal brand is just going to die out.

So what are the best practices of “investing” in people?

Spend a couple of hours a day interacting with people and forging stronger relationships

You may be active on a couple of social networking sites with more than a hundred “friends” in each account, but can you really say that you have excellent relationships with most of these people, or did you just “friend” them for the sake of adding to the number of friends you have? Honestly, quality is a lot better than quality – even if you have 500 friends in Facebook, but only 5 to 10 of them are whom you really consider as true friends, then it’s not really going to benefit your personal brand.

So why not spend a couple of hours each day getting to know these people? Become genuinely interested in learning more about them and building a real relationship with them. LinkedIn, for example, is an excellent social and business network for connecting with people in the same or similar industry, and the relationships you build there can prove to be invaluable for your personal brand.

Make it a habit to network with people face to face

Though you may be a lot more comfortable interacting with people behind your computer screen, nothing can replace the deeper connections that are formed when connecting with someone face to face. So the next time you connect with someone genuinely online, invite them out for coffee. Who knows what opportunities can come up with meeting this person face to face.

Look for mentors who are successful in the field you’re in

Finding a mentor in the industry you want to get into would be invaluable to your personal brand. This person can offer you insights that you would never have known without firsthand experience.

You can actually pay for these mentors, but why not try networking first and building a relationship with someone you truly admire in your field? That person may be happy and willing to help you out – there’s no harm in asking, right?

The technology of today may have made communication a lot easier and more convenient, but it shouldn’t replace the genuine relationships you build with people. So make it a habit to invest in people – the more people you are able to truly connect with, the better for your personal 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 Tagged With: , ,

When You Are The Brand

November 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

The marketplace is constantly changing. Though direct selling has been around for a very long time, direct sellers have to continually adapt to the changes and challenges of the current market in order to give high quality service to their customers and continue getting those sales.

As a direct seller, you have the unique challenge of representing both your company brand as well as your own. Even though you are selling your company’s products, you are the one who knows your customer, and you are the one that your customers trust. What makes you different from other direct sellers who sell the same products is the value you add to your customer interaction. And this is basically what is known as your personal brand.

Though customers nowadays place a lot of value in quality products that are low-priced and are convenient to order, they also place a lot of importance in the person they interact with in order to obtain those products. They are not convinced by advertising gimmicks or promotions anymore – they only buy from brands and people they know and trust.

That’s why as a direct seller, you can’t just represent your company brand. You need to be in charge of your personal brand as well, in order for people to know, like and trust you, in order for them to specifically buy from you and not from others. You are the one who needs to build a connection with your consumers, so you can enjoy a mutually satisfying relationship.

So how do you do this? Here are some tips to help you with your personal branding.

1.    Make it a priority to help your customers

When it comes to direct selling, your customers should be your priority. So when you always prioritize helping your customers, even just by answering any questions they have and being honest and truthful with them, it really helps your personal brand. The more you add value to your interaction with them, the better it is for you.

You may encounter your share of dissatisfied customers, but it’s best not to see this as a problem. Instead, look at it as an opportunity for you to make things right for them. The worst thing you can do is ignore their concerns, since this will only ruin both your personal brand and your company’s. Address these problems as soon as possible, so that your consumers will see that you’re really looking out for them.

2.    Put up your own website or blog

Though you can refer your customers to the company website or blog, it would be much better if you offer them your own take on the products you’re selling by putting up your own website or blog. This is your chance to promote your personal brand, to highlight why potential prospects should partner with you and not with others. It’s a way to connect with others by giving your own personal touch to your company’s products, since your website or blog is all about the brand that is you.

You may think that you don’t have anything to say, but once you get started, you may be surprised at the information that you can impart out there. Make sure to regularly post, and increase your visibility by commenting on related blogs and sharing your blog with your social network. You’ll be surprised that a little effort in blogging could go a long way in helping you build consumer trust and getting your sales up.

3.    Always be ready to adapt to the changing times

Part of being a successful direct seller is the ability to adapt to change. You need to be open and ready to make changes in order for your personal brand to grow. You need to be open to new opportunities that come up so that you can give your customers better value.

As a direct seller, you can’t simply remain stagnant. You have to be quick at learning, and adapt to the new technologies of today so that you can reach more people. You should also pay attention to the market so that you know what your consumers need and want, and so you can adjust your offer accordingly.

You have to always perform at your best, because this is the hallmark of the direct selling business. Put emphasis on maintaining relationships with your customers, because you want to enjoy a mutually satisfying long-term relationship, not a short one. Always be ready to adapt to the changing times, and know how to utilize the new technologies effectively so that you can keep up with your consumers and become a more established personal brand.

As a direct seller, you are your own brand. Though you represent the company brand, it’s still up to you to utilize your skills and talents to get those customers and get those sales. So make your customers and your brand your priority, so that you can give the highest value and service to your consumers.

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 Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Your Social Brand

November 17, 2011 By 2 Comments

Many small business owners and personal brands use social media as part of their marketing campaign. Since this is currently where most people are participating in discussions and interacting with their peers and the companies they like, you would be remiss if you don’t use social media in your marketing mix, right?

But if you really think about it, social media isn’t really about marketing. It may be relevant to a brand’s marketing campaign, but it’s so much more than that. If you focus too much on marketing your personal brand through social media, then you’re going to be missing out on the greater value of these sites – how they’re platforms for engaging, connecting, and collaborating with people.

This is why some companies can never understand social media because they’re not sure how to measure its success. They think in terms of ROI, and this is very difficult to measure when using social networking sites.

Personal brands, however, can actually utilize these sites a lot better. As a direct seller or a solopreneur, you can definitely use social media to your advantage. Don’t just see it as a way to promote your brand and get more sales. The real value of social media comes through listening and engaging with your audience, obtaining new ideas about how things can be done differently or improved upon, and about giving your customers and clients better service.

Traditionally, marketing is all about content. You push content out to people and hope that they receive and absorb it, and you end up getting a sale. But people are a lot smarter nowadays, and a lot more cynical. They don’t blindly buy a product or obtain a service just because of an advertisement they saw on TV or heard over the radio. They’re doing their research. They’re reading reviews and connecting with brands before they even purchase anything. Through social media, they’re engaging in two-way conversations with brands. They now have a voice because of social media, since traditional media didn’t give them a voice.

As a direct seller and solopreneur, you have to realize that social media channels are vastly different from traditional media. The rules and policies are different. Marketing in social media is best done sparingly and should be permission-based. If not, you’ll only end up alienating your audience because you keep trying to push content to them that they’re not receptive to.

So how exactly should you use social media? How can it help your business? Here are a couple of ways you should consider that don’t involve marketing.

1. Market research

Being a business owner, it’s important that you do some market research in order to really learn about your customers and what they’re looking for. Social media can really help you do this, since people enjoy answering questions and participating in discussions. With this strategy, you get to know your consumers first before pushing out any content to them, so you know exactly what they would be happy to receive and what they would reject.

2. Customer service

What makes one brand stand out among other similar brands? Excellent customer service, that’s what. It’s why Starbucks continues to be the favored coffee shop of everyone and why people love Zappos. Through social media, you can actually give your customers better customer service by interacting with them and addressing any of their concerns.

3. Managing your online reputation

Social media can help you manage your online reputation. Different social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can all play a role in helping people learn more about you and get to know you better. The more people you engage with, the more discussions that you’re a part of, the more that word will spread about your brand.

These three things are just a few of the functions that social media can play, but there are so many more. What you should remember is that a true social brand that doesn’t use social media merely for marketing but more for engaging and connecting with your audience will actually give you better results in the long run.

So don’t treat social media like the traditional media out there. When you really understand the platform, you’ll realize that most people using these social networking sites are not really looking to buy anything via these channels – they’re more interested in interacting with others, sharing what they know, and participating in discussions. Don’t concentrate on pushing marketing content out there for people to absorb. Listen to your audience and respond accordingly.

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: , ,

Maximize Facebook New Changes for Your Personal Brand

November 10, 2011 By 2 Comments

Facebook has recently made a lot of changes to its platform, with some speculating that most of them are countermoves to the features that Google+ is offering. Though Google+ continues to grow in popularity, Facebook remains the top social networking site with regards to number of users. The recent Facebook changes have been designed to improve the users’ experience as well as the overall site, so that individuals and companies alike can interact with each other better.

As a personal brand, you may be worried that these changes can negatively affect your branding campaign, but you can actually use them to your advantage to better interact with your audience and help you promote your brand. But what exactly are these changes that Facebook rolled out? And how can you maximize them for your personal brand? Here’s what you should know.

Subscription Button

Now, people can subscribe to your page without even being friends with you – all you have to do is enable the subscribe button in your settings, and this allows people who aren’t your friends to follow your posts.

Users also have better filtering capabilities with regards to what appears in their newsfeeds. You can now filter feeds from both friends and non-friends whose posts you’ve subscribed to – for example, you can choose to subscribe to a person’s posts, but not to any updates with regards to games they’ve played in Facebook. This gives you the ability to lessen the ‘noise’ in your newsfeed, enabling you to see only the posts that you want to see.

This new feature has actually received a lot of positive feedback from users. As a personal brand, this actually eliminates the need for you to create a different page in addition to your main profile, since people can now follow you without having to be friends with you. Still, it’s important to take note that Facebook Pages has some additional features that you don’t get with a regular personal profile.

How exactly can you use this feature in your personal branding campaign? Well, it can really help you separate your personal friendships with your business and professional contacts. You can choose to make updates related to your brand public so that even people who aren’t your friends will be able to see them, while keeping the more personal posts private and for your friends’ eyes only. It also eliminates the hassle of having to approve random people’s friend requests – now they can simply subscribe to your updates if they’re interested in what you have to say.

Real-Time Ticker

One of the most prominent changes in the Facebook layout is the appearance of a real-time ticker that shows updates and actions taken by your friends, people you’ve subscribed to, as well as brands you’ve liked. The ticker is located on the right side of your wall, so you can easily see what everyone’s doing. You can even interact through the ticker itself – by hovering over the new action, you’re given the ability to like, comment, or react to the post.

So how can you use this for your personal brand? It’s a great way to interact with your clients, customers and audience, since you can easily see what they’re currently talking about. When it comes to personal branding, it’s all about engaging your audience and making sure that you participate in conversations with them, and the real-time ticker makes this easy.

Facebook Timeline

Though there hasn’t been an update on when this will be implemented, people are already talking about the overhaul that Facebook plans to do on everyone’s profiles. Instead of what you currently see in your profile page, which shows all your posts and updates from the most recent ones to the older ones as you scroll down, the new Facebook Timeline shows the most important details in your life, with an easily searchable timeline on the side, so that people can easily see what you were up to during those past times. Another distinctive change is the huge cover photo that spans across your whole page, which really adds to the aesthetics of your profile.

Though some people loved the new Timeline, others have commented that it’s become harder to see the recent activities of their friends. But how can you use the new Timeline to your advantage?

First, make sure that your cover photo really emphasizes what your personal brand is all about. It’s the first thing that people are going to see when they visit your profile, so make sure that yours really stands out. Second, it’s a good idea to use some strategy when highlighting specific events about your life. This helps people really get to know you as well as promotes your personal brand.

You don’t have to be scared whenever Facebook or another social networking site rolls out some new changes. Simply make sure to understand the changes and maximize their potential for your personal branding campaign.

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: Expressing Your Brand, Personal Branding for Careers, Personal Branding For Entrepreneurs Tagged With: , ,

Your Brand in Brief

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In the highly saturated world of today, it’s become essential to keep your social interactions and updates online short and brief. People want to instantly know whether your post is going to interest them or add value to their lives, and if it doesn’t catch their attention when they skim through it, they’re usually not going to take the time to go back and read it.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that a long and excellent blog post isn’t going to get the attention it deserves; but typically, you really have to get the reader’s attention in the first few sentences, because if not, they’re most likely to skip reading the whole post altogether. And when it comes to posts and updates on social media sites, successful brands know that it’s far better to be sweet and concise rather than long and boring.

Maybe it’s because people nowadays are so used to getting information instantly and communicating with shorthand in SMS, chats and even Twitter. Everyone wants relevant information now – people don’t want to wade through a whole paragraph before getting into the meat of the post.

Even business interactions should be kept at the minimum. Long, tedious discussions on business and sales will just end up boring a lot of people, so it’s vital that you keep the business conversations short and sweet. Make sure you present all the needed information quickly and concisely, and then let them decide. If you go on and on, they’re more likely to change their minds even after they’ve made a decision already.

So how do you apply this in your brand’s social and business interactions? How do you keep it brief and concise?

1. Get your point across quickly

With the shortening attention span of people nowadays, it’s really important that you get your point across quickly. If it’s a blog post or article, start with the topic and what point you want to make before discussing it further. People want to know what you’re talking about before they continue reading.

If it’s a social media post or update, again, keep it sweet, brief and concise. Because their newsfeed is so saturated, most people just scroll through the posts and updates, typically skipping through the lengthy ones. A short, concise post is going to catch their attention more and encourage them to interact.

2. Separate different updates and announcements

Though you may think it’s better to put all your announcements in one post, you’ll definitely get a lot more views and comments if you spread them out over a period of time. Also, shorter updates make it easier for people to repost, re-tweet and share your announcement with their friends and followers.

3. Link to the longer post

You can always add a link to the longer post in your social media update while offering a nice teaser so that people will click on the link. It’s really not a good idea to post a long entry since it’s just going to get cut off, and it’s not going to look aesthetically pleasing as well. An intriguing teaser will definitely be much better so that people will visit the link and read the whole entry.

4. Simplicity is better

Though you may love to use complicated words to impress your readers, simple is truly the best way to go. After all, your audience isn’t going to share content that they barely understand. And going simple usually makes it easier to write short, concise entries.

5. Ask for an action

There’s something about posts that instruct the people to take an action that really compels them to do so. A short, intriguing question is better going to engage your readers and can even encourage them to interact and comment.

6. Keep your videos short

Even though YouTube may have eliminated video length, it shouldn’t mean that you should make a long video just because you can. With today’s viewers’ attention span, a sweet, concise video of your product or service with all the valuable information is certainly going to get more views than a long video that rambles on and on. Simply focus on what’s important, and you’ll certainly do well.

So make sure your message doesn’t get lost in all the noisy chatter and long rambles out there. Keep your posts short and concise, stick to the point, keep it simple, and always offer relevant and good information. Make it easy for your readers to digest, and they’ll be more likely to share it and pass it on.

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: , ,

Socially Matched Brands

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Though some people continue to view personal branding as an inflated way of promoting yourself, more and more people are realizing the importance of establishing your personal brand that’s separate from that of your company’s.

A good personal brand is all about reputation, and even companies are realizing that customers don’t want to interact with faceless representatives. People nowadays make decisions to purchase the product or obtain the service of a company because of their association with the product or service itself, and also their relationship with the individual who works for the company. Today, the companies who have distinct personalities within it are the ones succeeding, because the individuals resonate and build a relationship with the customers.

Though many people have thrived creating their personal brands while successfully contributing to the company they work for, others speculate that if you’re working so hard in growing your own brand, then you may not be doing enough for your company. This has led to tensions sparking between the company and the individual, especially when their views and values start diverging. There are also people who outgrow their roles in their companies because of the strong personal brand they’ve created.

This is why it’s important that company and personal brands have similar values and viewpoints. Even before working together – a company should consider the person’s whole package before considering them for a position in their company. You want people who align themselves with your vision, so that you can work together toward a common goal.

When you have people who actively promote the vision of your company and have values that are in line with yours, then it can help bring recognition to your company. Your company’s brand doesn’t have to suffer from the strong personal brand of your employees. On the contrary, this could actually serve as an asset, especially when you encourage your employees to build their personal brand while instilling belief in the company’s vision and values. The company improves, the employees get recognized for their efforts, and the customers get personalized and unique service from the employees. It’s a win-win situation.

What companies should realize is the fact that strong personal brands can actually teach company brands something. This is especially true right now as more and more people get into social media, where it’s all about building relationships, engaging your audience, and managing your content. You engage people more with an individual they can identify with, rather than just a random company representative that answers their question or addresses their concerns.

It is definitely possible for employees to build their personal brands without upstaging their company’s. A healthy balance must be achieved in promoting yourself without appearing aggressive or boastful. You also want to make sure that you don’t contradict your company’s vision and values, especially when you’re putting yourself out there as a representative of the company. Committing this critical mistake is likely to get you kicked out.

If you want to use your personal brand to move up in the ranks of your company, always make sure that your values are aligned with the company’s. And personal branding doesn’t have to mean constantly tooting your own horn; on the contrary, you can become a better brand when you praise your company as well as your colleagues.

You should also remember that certain activities should be done at your own time. When you use the company resources, make sure that you’re only using them for the company’s benefit and not for your own promotional activities. Don’t use your personal brand merely to get attention – focus on sharing what you know, and helping the company you work for achieve greater heights.

For employees, it’s all about the balance between building their brand and keeping their jobs. If you want to use your own blog, for example, to help promote your company’s business, make sure that the company will see that it’s worthwhile, that it’s actually helping people become more aware of the company and even increasing ROI.

Don’t be annoying. Perhaps that’s the most likely thing that can get you fired. If the company starts thinking that you’re not a good representative of their brand anymore, then they’re going to push you out the door.

Nowadays, employees don’t have to be invisible. They now have the means and opportunity to pursue their personal brand while ensuring that they continue to do their work well and give benefit to their company’s. Just remember to always align yourself with your company’s vision and values, so you don’t end up offending your company and possibly even getting kicked out.

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: Expressing Your Brand Tagged With: ,

When You’re No Longer That Girl

October 20, 2011 By 1 Comment

Change is inevitable, especially as we grow older and learn new things about the world and ourselves. In the past, you may have been that girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, and shared everything about herself, or you were that fiery, passionate girl who fought for your views and beliefs, and basically did whatever she wanted; but you’ve changed, and you like yourself better now. You’ve grown up, you’ve become more responsible, and you’re a lot more careful now with what you share or reveal to others, especially online.

You’re no longer that girl from before, and yet, it seems your reputation continues to precede you. Your old, emotional posts and crazy pictures continue to be found and talked about by people you know. And even though you’ve created a shiny, new Facebook or Twitter account, your old friends still enjoy posting references to the girl you were, even to the point of posting old pictures of you, which is really embarrassing.

So how do you handle this kind of problem? What can you do to ensure that your old reputation doesn’t affect the “you” you’re trying to establish now? Here are some tips you should try.

1.     Awareness is key

When it comes to your online reputation, awareness is the key. Before you can even begin changing things, you need to know what you’re up against. So it’s important that you Google your name and see what comes up. You’ll probably be surprised at the results – the old Livejournal or MySpace account you haven’t updated in years still has references to your name, which is why people can still see it. Once you know what you’re up against, then you can take the steps to do something about it.

2.    Delete or make those accounts/pages private ASAP

If you don’t want these old accounts of yours continuously affecting your current image or brand, then you should really start deleting or making those accounts and pages private as soon as you can. The more time they’re left up there, the more chances of someone seeing them and knowing more about the girl you were. And with the highly competitive world of today, one silly old post or picture of your could mean the difference between someone hiring you or rejecting you.

3.    Review your social media account settings

When was the last time you reviewed your social media account settings? Are your default settings set to public? Are you conscious of the ability of your friends to post on your wall, tag you in pictures and videos, and who has access to the information you put up about yourself?

You really need to review all of the social media accounts you’re currently using so you can be certain that the only things most people can see and find about you is what you’ve allowed them to. And if your friends enjoy tagging you in embarrassing photos and videos, you should remove their ability to tag you or set it so that they have to get your permission first before it shows that you’re tagged.

Lastly, if your friends like posting on your wall about things you don’t want the world to know, you can simply change your settings so that only you can post on your wall.

4.    Focus on creating content that will rank high at the search engines

If there are a couple of embarrassing links or sites that mention you or pertain to you, and you don’t have the ability to remove this content, the best thing to do is to publish content about you that you can control and that will portray you in a better light. You can start by creating your own personal website or blog, update it regularly, and then make sure to do some SEO so that the site ranks highly in the search engines when people Google your name. You can also consider creating a LinkedIn profile so you can highlight your professional career – and Google seems to like LinkedIn profiles since they usually rank well in the search engines.

The key is to overwhelm the bad with the good so that the bad and embarrassing links get buried in the back pages of Google. Most of the time, people would only take the time to look at the first two pages of search engine results, so make sure you conquer those two pages.

Yes, change is inevitable, and sometimes we dislike it when our old life mixes in with our new, causing embarrassment and even shame. But don’t let yourself get depressed over it and start taking actions to change people’s viewpoint, since honestly, you’re really no longer that girl.

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 Tagged With: , ,
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