Personal Branding Online

Written by Jeremy Miller

Using content to generate business

Personal branding is a pretty big buzz word these days. Google the phrase and you get over 16 million hits. Now take your search a step further and Google yourself. What comes up? Not much? Now you see why everyone is into personal branding.

Your customers are curious. They want to know about the people they work with every day. Too often they don't find much. Maybe a quote here or there, a MySpace page or maybe the stats from a marathon you ran ten years ago. Either way, they aren't finding the information they want. This is a real missed opportunity. Feed their curiosity.

I can already hear your protests as you read this. "It's too much work." "I don't have time." "I am not Internet savvy." Bah! Those are just excuses. It's not that hard. My 85 year old grandmother is a rockstar on the Internet. If she can upload a YouTube video, then you can too.

So again, feed their curiosity. What is so neat about the Web is you have so many options: blogging, social networking, publishing articles, podcasting, and vidcasting. The list can keep going and going. It really comes down to your creativity and drive.

Start with what you already know. Every professional has expertise. Whether it's the products you sell, or the people you coach. You know something of value for other people. More importantly, you know something of value for your customers. This expertise is the corner stone to your personal brand. By creating content and sharing your expertise online you will develop a personal brand. It's that simple. The more content you produce the more people will see you. This is how you increase your brand awareness. The more valuable your content, the more credible you will be. This is how you improve your influence.

Producing valuable content can be a daunting task, but start with these three basic steps:

Step 1: Create online profiles

Who are you anyways? What is your area of expertise? Why should I be paying attention to you? What I am really asking of you is to define your unique selling proposition. It's time to package yourself, and describe your area of expertise.

You don't have to struggle and reinvent the wheel to create your online profile. Simply start with the social networking sites. I particularly like LinkedIn, because it is business focused. It allows you to profile your expertise with simple wizards. From a personal branding perspective make sure your messaging is tight. Every time you create an online profile it should be consistent, and it should clearly articulate your unique selling proposition. This is not about publishing an online resume, but presenting yourself as a subject matter expert.

Step 2: Answer Questions

Once you have a well defined profile and brand position, it's time to produce content. You have a lot of options here. You can blog. You can podcast. You can write articles. You can answer questions.

I recommend starting with answering questions. This is an easy way to produce content, and will allow you to test your ideas quickly. Check out LinkedIn's Answers section. This is where people are posting questions and answers, very much like a sophisticated newsgroup. It's a great way to share your knowledge, and get immediate feedback.

Once you have mastered Q&A, move on to more sophisticated forms of content. I use articles as one of my primary content vehicles. I distribute my articles through email newsletters, as well as submit them for publication to a number of online and print magazines. Typically an article takes me eight hours to brainstorm, write and proof. It is a time commitment, but I have learned to enjoy the process.

If writing is not your thing, look to video (vidcasting) or audio (podcasting). With all of the tools out there it's very easy to create interactive content. Check out the business podcasts on iTunes. You will see some extraordinary content, and I'm sure you will get ideas of what you can do too. Also look at YouTube. You can create your own channel, and produce videos in your home. Lots of people are doing it, and it doesn't require a lot of technology to produce highly engaging and interesting videos. Use your creativity, and explore the technology that best fits your unique abilities.

Step 3: Give people a reason to call

You have created a profile, and you are producing content on a monthly basis. Now what? Building a personal brand is great, but you need to get paid for your efforts.

You may not get hard cash for your content, but at the very least it should generate leads. When people stumble upon your content and it speaks to them, they will want more. Show them where to go. Include a bi-line in your articles, include a link with your videos, or tell people how they can reach you in your podcasts. Every link back to you is an opportunity for leads to find you.

Business owners and executives often link back to their companies. This is an important technique to evangelize their businesses and their positions. For employees or individuals, they may not want to give their leads away. If that's the case create a personal website. Buy your name as a website domain, and create a landing page that reinforces your unique selling proposition. Your site can offer a collection of your content, as well as give opportunities to request information and make purchases online.

Nothing comes easily

Personal branding is not something that just happens. It takes time and effort. Think of it like dieting and exercise. You have to make it an ingrained habit and part of your lifestyle. If you are not willing to make this level of commitment, well then it's not even worth attempting.

Branding is a process of regular commitment and engagement. When you see a corporate website that hasn't been updated in ten years what is your impression of the company? Not good. Don't make the same mistake with your brand. If you build it – build it well. If you do, they will come.

Jeremy Miller -
	Jeremy Miller is a Partner with LEAPJob, a sales recruiting firm in Toronto, Canada. LEAPJob recruits sales professionals and sales leaders for many of Canada's most recognized companies. Their clients range from the Top 50 Employers to smaller organizations building their first sales force. For more information visit http://www.LEAPJob.com . You can reach Jeremy at 905.281.3090 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Read More >>
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