PersonalBranding

James McCrae | nobrandlikehome.com | 01.26.2012

A guy with a mustacheVanilla Ice

WARNING:This presentation includes the following*:

*Proceed with caution

ShamelessTwitter plugs (follow me @jamesmccrae) No nudity

PERSONAL BRANDING

= Reliability

= Adventure and exploration

= The pursuit of excellence

= Friendly technology

“Brand” = Emotional attributes of a company

Product (99¢)

Brand ($2.50)

The value of brand?

Here

There

This That

Branding requires focus. You can’t be

everywhere at once.

Fun

Serious

Traditional InnovativeThe Killers

Beyonce

Of Montreal

The Beatles

Outkast

Wilco

Animal Collective

RadioheadElliot Smith

The Strokes

U2

Companies have brands. Musicians and artists have brands. Celebrities have brands.

You have a brand too.

Personal branding =• Deciding who you are and what you stand for

• Focusing on your strengths and being OK with your weaknesses

• Asking yourself “What is the ONE THING I want people to remember about me?”

PERSONAL BRANDING

PERSONAL BRANDING

1) Online

The easiest place to build your personal brand in online.

Why?

• It’s immediate

• It’s cheap

• It’s open (go ahead and experiment)

• It’s new (You can start fresh - no peer pressure or expectations)

1) Online

Colin Wright (exilelifestyle.com) runs a website about business, minimalism and world travel. Every four months he lets his readers vote on which new country he moves to. He only owns 50 things.

Jake Sasseville (cityofsass.com) uses his website to promote his various TV projects. As of 2011 he is using the internet as an experiment in book publishing.

1) Online

Who used YouTube to become world famous?

?

1) Online

Musical genius Justin Bieber

2) Social Media

PRO TIP: It’s easier to meet people online. There’s no barrier between people. Use online introductions to build real-life relationships.

• Develop a style.

• Follow the right people.

• Use it for fun, informal networking.

• Don’t just talk. Don’t just listen. Participate.

• Sometimes, it’s OK to be stupid. (After all, it’s only social media)

2) Social Media

PRO TIP: It’s easier to meet people online. There’s no barrier between people. Use online introductions to build real-life relationships.

• Develop a style.

• Follow the right people.

• Use it for fun, informal networking.

• Don’t just talk. Don’t just listen. Participate.

• Sometimes, it’s OK to be stupid. (After all, it’s only social media)

3) Resume

There’s no excuse for having a boring resume

Matthew Epstein launched this website to get

Google’s attention.

4) Style

Nick Wooster

Theophilus LondonScott Seekins

These guys have used style to get noticed and stay

remembered

5) Relationships

Kim Kardashian became famous by association

Kanye West started associating with Kid Cudi to

gain an underground pedigree

You are who you hang out with.

PERSONAL BRANDING

7 BILLION PEOPLE(WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?)

of new jobs are filled by networking with people within your social circle.

70%(if you’re not connected you’re neglected)

According to ‘AOL jobs’...

PERSONAL BRANDING

1) Define who you areCHOOSE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT STRENGTHS

Mary’s strengths:

• People person

• Organized

• Good researcher

• Good writing skills

“Mary”

1) Define who you areRANK YOUR STRENGTHS(And build off this foundation)

Good researcher

Good writing skills

Organized

People person

2) Start a website

Having a URL is becoming as important as having an address

2) Start a websiteHow to get started:

• Launch anything. Even a blog or brief bio.

• Share the real you. (Resumes don’t tell the whole story)

• Find your hook (this might have nothing to do with your job)

• Develop online relationships.

• Start small. Grow.

• Don’t be “publish-shy”

Platform options:

Let’s talk about authenticity...

Remember this guy?THE GOOD

• First hip-hop single to reach #1

• Dated Madonna

• American Music Award for “best new artist”

• Over 40 million records sold

What do you remember most?

FAKETHE BAD

• Lied about his past

• Stole the beat for “Ice Ice Baby”

• Entire persona was a fabrication

• Music industry puppet

BeConsistent

BeAuthentic

But don’t get stuck

You’ve found your personal brand. Now what? Don’t just stand there. Pivot.

Yourskill set

SideprojectExperiment

Learningmore Curiosity

“Pivoting” is planting one foot in your core skill set while exploring new directions.

Yourskill set

Suddenly your skill set looks like this...

Yourskill set

= Wherever works for you and your goals

= To control your reputation and be noticed.

= With authenticity and without fear.

= How you show the world who you are compared to everyone else.

LET’S RECAP...

Don’t forget to smile!

The best brands are happy, friendly, and fun.

Thank You!Find me on Twitter

@jamesmccrae