strategies for building your online presence and reputation (2)

Strategies for Building Your Online Presence &

Personal Brand

Exec-U-Net Roundtable MeetingCharlotte, NC

Wednesday , July 15th

Host:Merton St. C. MarshFocalPoint Business Coaching of NC

Presenter:Mauro “MAC” Calcanowww.getmyprofile.com/mcalcano

Selling The Brand You

• When did you first start selling You?– Was it in the womb?

• The kick to let Mom know you were there– In the crib?

• The smile when you got what you wanted and the Banshee scream when you didn’t

– As you manipulated your parents to get what you wanted before you could walk or speak?

Marketing & Selling

• In almost every interaction, be it personal or business related, we are marketing or selling, or we are recipients of someone else’s marketing or sales activities.

• In transition, we ratchet up our marketing & selling of ourselves, but when we are employed our success depends as much upon our selling of ourselves as upon our competence.

Personal Branding

• ” We are CEOs of our own companies: The Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

-- Tom Peters in the Brand Called You article (1997)

• In creating your brand you must develop a specific and consistent message about your knowledge, skills, and attributes which leads to an indelible and favorable impression that you are uniquely qualified.

• What Makes You Different From Your Colleagues/Competition?– What are you most proud of?– Write it in 15 words or less

The You Brand will fall into four categories: 1.) Focuses on the outer world. What does the You brand mean and how will others judge me.   2.) Focuses on the inner world of ideas and impressions of the You brand. Focuses on the present and on concrete experiences gained   3.) Impressions based primarily on logic and on objective analysis of cause and effect.  Identifies with and likes a planned and organized approach to the brand and to life.  4.) Brand impressions primarily on spontaneous approach to life and prefer to keep brand options open. Focuses on the future, with positive views towards all possibilities

5.) To create understanding, to create excitement and acceptance of the to encourage personal ownership.

A Personal Branding statement in its simplest form is the elevator pitch that introductory summation of what an individual represents . The “elevator” part reflects the fact that the pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (thirty seconds or 100-150 words).

Creating the You Brand - the impression that you want to leave behind is much like the coffee travel mug you're carrying --, you're Starbucks (you do not mind paying $4.00 for a cup of coffee or Dunkin Donut, you know could value for money. In building your brand you get to select what you want to say about yourself, It is the symbol crafted to represent your skills, knowledge and experience that makes you stand out in that narrow boundary of all other candidates competing for a position.

Discover your brand - The single biggest mistake people make is that they fail to invest time in a personal brand statement; of not only what you do well but also what you want to do and how well (success) you have done so in the past.

Your self-impression = How people perceive you

Communicate - The benefit –

Who you areWhat you represent

“Understand the Why”Your passion

What you do well

Make it believable“Yes, I will be successful “

Be specific –what are you looking for

Gain emotional commitment for results

“ I will support and do ”

The Process of building the You Brand commitment requires constant enforcement and it is a deliberate way to manage your search and career.

Personal Branding Toolkit

1.) The You Brand Statement

2.) Leave behind – business card that support that brand statement.

3.) Portfolio - use a CD, web or print portfolio, it’s a great way to showcase the work you’ve done in the past, which can convince someone of your ability to accomplish the same results for the future

4.) Websites: Start a blog or develop a static homepage. Blogs rank higher in search engines but you have to have something ‘pithy’ to say everyday.

5.) LinkedIn: Use it to create your own personal advertising, to search for jobs or meet new people.

6.) Facebook: Be sure to include picture of just you, your work experience while turning off the privacy options to make yourself searchable

7.) Twitter: Include a link to LinkedIn profile. Follow the job boards posted

8.) Video resume: short video of you talking about why you are the best

The Fundamental of On-line Presence

1. Provide multiple connections2. Shared History3. Instant Updates4. Past Present & Future5. Ability to provide and receive references6. Personal Branding Webpage

Professional & Social Networks

• Professional – LinkedIn– FENG– SHRM

• Social– Facebook– MySpace– Twitter

LinkedIn

• Profile – Skills – Experience– Currently working on– Interests Hobbies Reading– SlideShare

• Build Connection– Send Invites to everyone you meet– Obama – not accept invites– Congress/ Senate are

LinkedIn Poll

Number of Connections From - To Percentage of Participants0 50 48% 51 100 20101 200 15201 500 12500 plus 5

Social Networks

• Fun• Young in Spirit• Instant updates• Intimate – careful with solicitations• Crossover Sites• Practice Online branding• Increase contacts

On line Success

• Takes time & focus to build the You brand• Road to contacts and leads• Stand out with Photo / Video / Audio resume• Build connections to 200 plus• It is about sharing Past, Present & Future • Continue after you have landed

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Have One, Memorable Branding Message.

Your personal website, profiles, cover letter, resume and conversations should have a consistent, engaging message about who you are, what you love to do, and the results you create. Your message needs to be engaging and memorable, so that others can repeat and share it.

Reinforces the fact that relying on job boards as the main tactic in a job search will produce the lowest yield. Rather, the highest probability for success is built on using multiple tools including: a targeted direct marketing campaign; extensive use of social media sites for networking; and your own personal website to help manage your online identity and communicate your personal brand.