branded! personal online branding made simple

BRANDED!

How to build an online presence that reflects the

real you.

DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Simple Truth: If You’re Not Online, You Don’t Exist

Copyright Katrina Klier All rights reserved www.KatrinaKlier.com

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook 0

20

40

60

80

100

98

42 33

% Recruiters Using

Source: Commpro.biz http://www.commpro.biz/hiring-hub/stunning-social-recruiting-stats-why-you-must-use-linkedin-twitter-and-facebook-in-your-job-search/

The average recruiter has:

616 LinkedIn Connections

245 Facebook Friends

37 Twitter Connections

http://www.katrinaklier.com/

http://www.commpro.biz/hiring-hub/stunning-social-recruiting-stats-why-you-must-use-linkedin-twitter-and-facebook-in-your-job-search/




Where Do You Fit In?>1 Billion Users Worldwide600M Mobile UsersAverage Friend has 359 Friends

>517 Million Accounts50% of Users Active on MobileMobile is 40% of All Tweets

3.1 Billion Email Accounts Worldwide181+ Million Blogs

Sources: Facebook, TechCrunch, Pingdom, Washington Post, Nielsen, Accenture

2.3 Billion Page Views in March 2012 alonePinterest mobile app downloaded >250K times



You already have a personal brand online whether you

created it on purpose or not.

So how do you make it work for you?

4 Steps to Online BrandingDIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Let’s Take Each Step:DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Step 1: PLAN

• When someone searches your name, what do you want them to find?

• You can be known for career topics, hobbies, community efforts or a combination.

• Choose the Top 3 things you want to be known for. These are the topics you’ll use to optimize your online brand.



Example: PLAN

1. I have an amazing track record of building new, highly profitable businesses and new business models. This ability is useful for my current and prospective employers.

2. I am an expert and executive in digital marketing and want to continue my career here. I am at the forefront of this topic and love learning more all the time.

3. I like to help people with marketing and career needs. I enjoy being a mentor. Giving back is important to me.


Using myself as an example. I primarily use my online brand for my career so my Top 3 List includes:


Your PLAN

1. I am amazing at…

2. I am an expert in…

3. I like to or It is important to me that...


When people search for me online I want them to know that:


Now on to step 2DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Step 2: RESEARCH• To move forward, you have to know where you are today. Type your name in Google

then Bing then Yahoo. What comes up? Make note of this, you’ll need it later.

• If you have a common name, stand out by using a middle initial, appropriate nickname or tagline in everything you do.

• Now research the hubs of expertise and content in your Top 3 list. Remember that you may need to focus on a topic vs an organization – as an example, my #1 is to be findable by current and prospective employers so I searched online recruiting and hiring as a topic vs specific companies I may want to work for. Using key words from your Top 3 list, find the language and sites most often associated with your chosen topics.

• Note any well known people associated with your Top 3 list. You’ll want to follow them online later.

• From this research, choose 3 to 5 target sites for your engagement. These should be where a lot of the traffic related to your list is so you are findable by the people you want to know and who want to know you. Limit yourself to 3 to 5 sites to start.



Example: RESEARCH

1. I have a fairly unique name, so most search results on my name get people to the information about me that I want them to see. I do use the tagline Digital.Channel.Global as well.

2. People well known in the digital space include: Arianna Huffington, Pete Cashmore and others that are topic-specific. I follow them online and some follow me now as well.

3. Searching hiring and recruiting trends, LinkedIn is the most prevalent professional networking site for what I do (#1 on my list)

4. Twitter is the best and most frequently engaged tool to build credibility as a digital expert. (#2 on my list)

5. Blogs are the best way to showcase original content and can be a content source for other sharing sites like Slideshare, Quora, LinkedIn communities, etc. This adds to my credibility and can help others (#2 and #3 on my list)

6. So my top 3 target sites are: LinkedIn, Twitter and a personal blog / website.


Using myself as an example…


Your RESEARCH1. When searching my name I find… (if you find scraper sites for

contact info, note them and we’ll fix them next)

2. To stand out, I’ll use… (my name, add an initial, use a nickname, add a tagline…)

3. People who are well known in my target topics include…

4. The most common keywords associated with my Top 3 List are…

5. The highest traffic sites (they show up at the top of the search returns on your key words) for my Top 3 list are…

6. My target sites for my online brand include… (list 3 to 5)



And now step 3DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Step 3: ENGAGE• Using the search results for your name from your research, go through each link

on the first 2 pages of results. Remove yourself from databases that don’t support your Top 3 list for your personal brand. Close old our out of date profiles.

• Go to your 3 to 5 target sites and create a profile for yourself. Make sure to use the keywords you found in your research in your profile; the name you chose (use the same one on all online profiles); include a tagline if appropriate. Fill out the profiles completely (yes that includes a quality photo) and check the privacy settings.

• Have professional photos done. Headshots that show a bit of personality (don’t be flat but don’t be outrageous either unless that is your brand) with some color work best. Have a few photos so you can choose what you like. Use the same photo on all your online profiles so people visually connect them.

• Create cross-links to your profiles. Profiles on various sites should contain links to other profiles or your personal website or blog. This rounds out your online brand and showcases all of your Top 3 list.



Example: ENGAGE

1. At first, my search results had every contact scraper site you can think of so I removed myself from most and continue to monitor the search results over time.

2. LinkedIn is my main online profile so I filled out the profile completely with enough info to make people want to talk to me further (i.e. not all the detail on my resume, just the themes). I also set up a Twitter profile for my name (I have an old profile under a nickname which I redirect now) and created a personal blog on Word Press that later evolved into a personal website.

3. I had professional photos done to use in my social media. Use the same photo on all your profiles so people visually connect them.

4. I cross-linked my profiles. You can find my Twitter handle and a link to my personal website from my LinkedIn profile. My personal website has links to both my LinkedIn profile and my Twitter profile. My Twitter profile includes a link to my personal website. You get the idea. I also use my personal website link in other profiles.




Your ENGAGE1. Sites I need to opt-out of or remove my info are… (monitor the

results over time, it takes a while for the search engines to index the changes)

2. Sites I will create profiles on include…

3. The key words I’ll use in my profile are…

4. I have professionally done and appropriate photos to use… (make sure you buy the use rights for the photos as well)

5. My profiles all include the name I’ve chosen as well as any tag line.

6. I’ve set up cross-links that look like…



And finally…DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Step 4: FOCUS• Follow the influential people you found in your research. Connect with them online and

when possible in person.

• Contribute regularly to your 3 to 5 targeted sites. Curate content from the sites to promote to others; Add new content; Comment on others content, etc. Engagement breeds action breeds results.

• Leverage your cross-links and promote yourself online. Did you just add a comment on a blog? Well tweet that so others can find it. Write a new blog post? Add a post with a link on your Facebook or LinkedIn page. Tweet about your post. Need help with something? Ask your online network for recommendations, people love to help.

• Continue to monitor the results when searching for your name. Over time, you’ll see the new profiles and content you curate or create rise to the top of the search results and create the brand you want.

• Consider some free online branding measurement sources like Klout which can show you how you compare to others. Remember these services are relative and not absolute – there is no widely accepted standard measurement score of what a successful online brand means. As long as your brand is achieving what you want, you are successful. Success is about impact, not some number spit out by an algorithm.



Example: FOCUS

1. I follow many people online – some I know as friends, colleagues, people I’ve spoken with at events, others who are influential in the space and some I think are simply interesting in general. I also follow brands online given that I do digital marketing for a living.

2. I regularly contribute to my target sites and have personal goals for my engagement. As an example… I tweet several times a day with a mix of new content, promotion content and curated content. I add posts and comments to LinkedIn communities; recommend others on LinkedIn and add questions / posts to my profile. I write blog posts for my website when I find interesting topics or am inspired and then promote the posts through my other social profiles.

3. I actively monitor how my search results look as well as engagement in my other social profiles.

4. I do check some online scoring sites such as Klout to see how I compare to others and decide if I want to try new things and see how my brand shifts.

5. I reassess my online brand results and plan every 6 months.




Your FOCUS1. The people I want to follow online are… and I will follow them on these sites…

2. The sites I will contribute content to are… My goal for adding content is…

3. The sites I will curate content from are… My goal for curating content is…

4. I will promote my content by doing…

5. I will track my search results weekly at first and monthly longer term by typing my name in the major search engines and assessing the results. I’ve added reminders to my calendar so I don’t forget to do this.

6. I will use other online brand tracking sources including… (optional)

7. I will reassess my online brand plan every 6 months and I’ve added reminders to my calendar so I don’t forget. I simply need to go through these 4 steps again and see if I like what I see and make plans for things I want to do.



Congratulations!!DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

Focus

Engage

Research

Plan



Things to Remember…

• Be nice. Be respectful. Be helpful. That is the fastest way to build a positive online brand.

• The online world is a community so remember the rule of digital karma – you get what you give.

• The digital world is always evolving so continue to try new things, stop things that aren’t doing what you want them to and ask others what they do online so you keep learning.

• Have fun!



Thank You!

DIGITAL.CHANNEL.GLOBAL

For more information, questions or comments:

Visit me on the web: www.KatrinaKlier.com Connect with me on Twitter: @KatrinaKlier Find me on LinkedIn: Katrina Klier Email me at [email protected]


https://twitter.com/KatrinaKlier



http://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinaklier

mailto:[email protected]

Katrina Klier What I do Best... Create brand differentiation by mixing digital and traditional media in new ways. Extend customer reach with an audience-first mindset. Create new sales motions with ecommerce and all things mobile. Grow revenue through sustained, efficient, innovative marketing and sales strategies.

With over 20 years of global business experience, I still love to learn and help others.

How can I help you?



branded! personal online branding made simple

Career

rights reserved www

copyright katrina klier

people visually connect

online brand

personal website

search results

prospective employers

target sites