Launching your brand, 3-2-1… ignition

Shuttle Launch by BlueMoose New to personal branding? No you’re not!

You’re well aware of your reputation, and probably work hard to make sure it’s what you want it to be: a reflection of you and the work you do. Of course by now you’re aware that in this wonderful social media-web 2.0 world, that you are your own brand.

I was talking with a co-worker at lunch yesterday about things to do to get recognized within the company. It’s plain to me, but somehow wasn’t as obvious to my friend. All the work you put into getting noticed within any one organization, to "climb the ladder" as it’s put, can also be focused on building your brand outside the organization and can ultimately be put to better use as a foundation for your brand.

So, you ask, what can you do to start promoting my brand and how is it different than building your reputation? Glad you asked!

Like most things in the online world, it’s both very similar and rather different than what we do offline. Start thinking of yourself as a brand like your favorite cola or automotive company and you’re off to a good start. At the same time, you need to be as diligent and aware of the record you leave behind as you did about your reputation. By working to promote your brand online, you’re going to be leaving behind a permanent record that is easily searchable by anyone.

That can be a double-edged sword of course. If you’re not consistent and follow through, it’ll be remembered, likely written about at some point. It all comes back to word of mouth – the best & hardest type of advertising one can hope for. In the case of personal brand in the 21st century (heh, don’t you just love saying that – so futuristic), it’s a fully indexed and archived word of mouth – and that is the biggest difference. Our memories are now much longer because of the technologies we use.

My biggest tip is to check out resources on the ‘net to start learning more about personal branding and how to go about building a successful one. Starting with Personal Branding Magazine (and it’s fine contributors), and moving on to Googling "personal brand". That’ll get you to the best initial places to start reading up on the topic.

It’s really up to you to make it work. Start filling out some social networks, decide if social tools like Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, Brightkite, are for you, start blogging or podcasting. Whatever direction you decide works for you, the key part is to participate and give back as much as you can to the communities that help you build your brand.

(Disclosure: I write the "Social Media Exploration" column for Personal Branding Magazine)

Photo credit: BlueMoose

Blog Day 2008

Blog Day 2008

So here are my offerings for Blog Day 2008 – a little belatedly I’ll admit.  Somehow it always sneaks up on me. This year though, I’m glad to say I have at least five blogs that I highly recommend. Great knowledgeable bloggers writing about interesting and useful topics.

  1. Small Biz Survival – This great blog is focused on small business and small town businesspeople. Written by blogging friend Becky McCray and her team of small-biz professionals. A must read for any small business in a small town – or a large one!
  2. WinExtra – Written by longtime blogging pal Steven Hodson, WinExtra covers the technology beat from a great Canadian curmudgeon. Honestly, Steven’s perspective on Web 2.0 and social media makes for fun reading that definitely isn’t the usual cookie-cutter posts you’ll find around the blogosphere.
  3. The Personal Branding Blog – Fellow columnist for Personal Branding Magazine, Rob Cuesta is a respected authority on personal branding. With new ideas and tips, Rob can help you start and grow the brand that is you.
  4. Word Sell, Inc. – I met blogger Brad Shorr at SOBCon08 in Chicago this past May. Brad brings his real-world B2B experience and passion for communicating and connecting to his blog.
  5. Fresh Focus – Blogger Kris Rowlands blogs about productivity, exploring tools and techniques, especially Getting Things Done. Kris shares tips & ideas for enhancing productivity along with with custom designed GTD templates.

I hope you check out these fine folks, and share your own list of 5 bloggers today with your readers and friends with the world..

Thank you to Nir Ofir, "initiator" of Blog Day 2008!

🙂

Right Now

I Feel So Small Right Now - by Pat Rioux What are you doing right now? Are you moving forward, stagnating or slipping backward? Why wait to launch your biz, your idea, your brand? Why wait to spend time with your family or call your parents back?

There’s no better time than the present to do something.

Right now you could be:

  1. Building something new
  2. Spending time with your kids
  3. Finishing a project
  4. Outside
  5. Helping a friend in need
  6. Building a website
  7. Mowing the grass
  8. Working on a community project
  9. Reaching out to someone
  10. Stimulating the economy
  11. Supporting your local charities
  12. Practicing your golf swing
  13. Taking responsibility
  14. Yielding to pedestrians
  15. Taking your family on vacation
  16. Applying for that position or job you want
  17. Visiting a elderly relative
  18. Taking the stairs
  19. Finishing several projects
  20. Saving money
  21. Getting away from the computer for awhile
  22. Fishing
  23. Building your personal brand
  24. Returning that phone call
  25. Taking steps to become the person you want to be

What I really want to convey is the reality that there is no better time to do something for yourself, your family, your community, your country, or the world than right now.

Inspired by Van Halen’s Right Now

Photo credit: Pat Rioux

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