May 7, 2008 | blog
Do you, or does someone else? There is some growing interest in the Personal Branding space on scenarios of people with the same name. I was fortunate enough to have a great conversation on the topic with Kristen King of BizChicksRule which she turned into What if Your Name Is Jenna Jameson? Personal Branding and Owning Your Space.
Now I was trying to figure out how to write a post with a reference to a porn star, but Kristen was able to do so in a really professional way. For anyone looking for tips on dealing with people sharing Google juice with another person, you need to check out her post.
Bigger Picture
This also brings up the broader question of Personal Branding itself. As you work to establish your brand, even a unique name, are you using the tools that available to you? There are many ways to promote your brand, but you need to act early and hit everything available. If you’re starting out building your brand, you need to be aggressive in going after the online properties that will not only represent you, but protect you from interlopers. Either intentional or not, you don’t want someone with the same name from encroaching on your brand.
Don’t Get Lost
As for the photo above, it shows two problems.
- There is very little on either can to make it obvious at a glance as to which is which. You really have to pay attention to get what you were looking for.
- There is nothing interesting to draw in a potential customer or lead. Blah! If this was your brand, you’d get lost in the crowd. Believe me, it’s getting crowded out there.
When building your brand, you not only need to own your space, but you need to capture that which makes you special and valuable. Otherwise, who cares if you’re sliced beets or sliced potatoes?
Feb 27, 2008 | blog
Here’s a question that many people don’t often think about as they begin developing their personal brand.
What is your personal brand?
I wonder how many people have actually sat down and defined what their strengths and skills are before diving in. Realizing that you’re as marketable as your favorite soda, not to mention more valuable to employers or clients, is a very powerful revelation. Making the best use of this concept for your career and family shouldn’t be taken too lightly.
Personal brand has been described as “Reputation 2.0”, and it is to a certain extent. However, it’s also much more than just what people remember about you. As you start online social networking, blogging, using social media tools and techniques to build an awareness, you are also building an easily indexed and searchable history.
At the same time, don’t put too much work into a personal branding plan. When it starts seeming like a flashy PR campaign by some high-end New York firm, you know you’ve missed the point. Just like you should put some thought and define goals for your career and life, your personal brand should have just enough structure and focus to help identify a direction and/or methods to work on.
Just like your life and career, things will come along that will change the course of your branding strategy. Keep it loose and follow the opportunities that arise, think about them a bit to make sure you’re not making a rash decision… but make the decision and move on.
I am curious though, have you defined your personal brand? What is the message (mission statement?) that you are working to present?
Technorati Tags: Personal Branding, Personal Improvement
Feb 17, 2008 | blog
Yep, two years ago today I posted my first post here on RickMahn.com. Friends and coworkers thought it was a tad self-centered at the time, and I did feel a little uncomfortable launching a blog with my name. However, starting my third year with this site, I think the content I generate (when I’m productive 😉 ), fits more than just my own needs. The experience working on my own personal brand and career allows me to share what I learn, and meet many, many more interesting and knowledgeable people.
So, my first post was on February 17th, 2006 where I said hello:
Welcome to the culmination of my blogging efforts for the past year. RickMahn.com is the place where I will talk about daily events in the technology space and blogosphere. About work, a little about life, and sprinkled with a few rants on occasion.
The reason for starting a new blog is both simple and complex. I’ve been using a number of blogging tools (Blogger, WordPress.com, MSN Spaces) with differing results. I’ve come to the conclusion that Blogger.com currently was the most flexible, WordPress.com the most powerful, and MSN Spaces – well… oh my, look at the time.
So after a lot of research, learning new technologies, blogging, thinking, and figuring costs and such, I’ve set up shop here at www.rickmahn.com. I’ll be here mostly every day posting on things that I find interesting, interacting in the blogosphere, commenting on others’ posts and so on.
So, come on back from time to time and check out what I’m doing – drop a line and let me know what’s good and what’s bad. See ya round the ‘net!
So, that’s a quick look back to the beginning of my personal blog, though I did start blogging a little over a year earlier in December of 2004 with a MSN Spaces blog. Learned a lot since then! 😛
I’d like to take a minute and thank everyone who continues to stop by. I plan on keeping relevant content on social media, personal branding, some technology stuff, and a few selfish posts on what makes me happy. Cheers folks and onward into year three!
Nov 1, 2007 | blog
Hi, I’m Rick.
If you’re new to my blog, I hope I bring value to your visit here. One of the things that I want to do for you is to help with personal branding questions you may have. While I’m an Information Technology consultant by trade, I’ve been exploring personal branding in a determined fashion for the last two years.
Heck we’ve all been perfecting our brand for years, we used to call it "reputation". The interesting thing is that Reputation 2.0 got a facelift and a new name – hence, Personal Branding. But wait – there’s more!
The twist with Personal Branding, as you may have figured out by now, is that you are no longer limited to just the people you know, work with, or talk to in person. Through the Internet, and specifically social media, you can reach a larger audience. But this also is all old news.
What I propose you think about today, or whenever your ready, is to make personal branding a lifestyle. Don’t just think about how you can promote your brand, get your butt out there and do it. Start a blog and make it your own. Get on Facebook and share. Create a Twitter account converse. Start a podcast and invite your competition for an interview. For sure you should have a LinkedIn profile. Don’t hesitate to share these online destinations with your peers, friends, bosses, and most importantly, your critics & competition. Get these links on your business cards, heck create a new one that doesn’t even mention your industry or company. Promote you, not your employer!
Whatever you do, get started and think about how you bring value to your clients, customers, business, career, and employers. Become the best at what you do and don’t be afraid to help others do the same! That right there is the real secret of Personal Branding – it’s not simply showing what you can do, but showing others how they can do it too. Knowledge only works when you share it, and that is one key component of everything, including Personal Branding.
I’ve got a few things I’m working on over the next few weeks, some that I’ll share with you here on my blog, and some others that I’ll write about in my Social Media Experimentation column in Personal Branding Magazine.
Got a question? Disagree with something I’ve said? Please drop me a line; my contact info is always in my sidebar to the right. Or, simply leave a comment below!
Technorati Tags: Personal Brand, Rick Mahn
Sep 28, 2007 | blog
A couple of questions for you.
- Has your career reached a plateau, but you believe you have more to offer?
- Have you gotten into a repetitive cycle in your career that you think it’s impossible to break out of?
- Are you just starting out in the workforce and are uncertain how to present yourself?
- Would you like to start down a path to help change all that?
Up until now you may only have thought about your reputation. Taking pride in the work you’ve done, and the ideals you follow. These are important things and core components to help you build your personal brand.
What is Personal Brand?
So you’ve heard about this "personal branding" thing while reading news and the blogs you follow. Obviously, it’s an important component to gen X or Y crowd, but how does it affect you? As much as you want it to! You are a brand, not unlike your favorite soft drink, automobile manufacturer, or candy bar. You have the same potential to create interest and buzz around yourself and what you can do.
Reputation 2.0
I like to call personal branding "reputation 2.0". We all know what our reputation is. Why not bring some social media aspects to the table and formulate a strategy? Personal branding is about reaching out to the community or industry that you are a part of. Interacting with it, and making sure that people know where and how to reach you. This simply leverages your current abilities and makes you more visible to others in your field.
Not an Ego Trip
Personal branding is not about building a "look at me" page. Rather, it is about creating a brand that is recognized for what you are. To leverage your strengths, whether that is technical, people-oriented, or whatever. Building your brand is meant to bring you further into your industry as an authority or expert in an area. It’s meant to help you reach the next level, and grow in your life, not just your career.
2nd Job
One thing to understand, as well, is the amount of work involved in creating your brand is the time commitment. You need to become your own marketer, writer, idea person, and coach. It requires that you reach out to your community and add value. Help people, talk about things that are important or relevant in your industry, come up with innovative ideas. Become a person that people look forward to interacting with. Be the go-to person that makes things happen.
Rewards
There are numerous rewards for this, from additional opportunities in your career, to a new discovery of yourself. Building your personal brand also allows you to dig into your psyche and rediscover lost ideas and dreams that you may have set aside years ago. Your brand is about more than your career, it’s about becoming the best you that you can be.
There is a growing number resources online to help you find ways to build your brand. Many of them are tried and true methods that you can get started on without spending much (if anything). Also, I invite you to contact me directly if you have questions, I’d love to help answer whatever I can on the topic. My email is found in the sidebar under "Contact Me", or leave a comment below!
Photo credit: danes96
Technorati tags: Personal Branding, Rick Mahn, Personal Branding Magazine
