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To be in business today, The most important job is to be head marketer of a brand called “you." If your not clear on what the brand is, it will not be clear to your customers. You will know, because they aren’t buying.
Are you selling lots of “product”? Are your shows, exhibits, and business humming? If not, then you need to spend some time clearly defining who “you the brand” are. I have listed some quick steps to help get you started on creating your own “personal brand”.
Step 1: Create your unique value proposition:
What makes you different than your peers? Your strengths, your passions, and your goals? If you left your job today, what would your colleagues miss? Know who you are, as well as who you are not. And play to your strengths.
Step 2: Find out how others see you:
Ask trusted colleagues, co-workers, and friends for four or five adjectives (action words) they would use to describe you. What are you good at? What are your strengths? Write them down.
Step 3: Identify your goals/ priorities for the Year:
List 5 big priorities for yourself. To insure success make them
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timebound?
This helps you craft a message to reach them.
Step 4: Identify your target audience:
Just like Starbucks knows that their target audience is coffee drinkers, you need to define to whom you want to send your message.
This will not only help you clarify your message, it will help you deliver it to the right places.
Step 5: Pay attention to the details
Everything you do ultimately contributes to your personal brand.
Once your brand has been defined, make sure that the little things -- the way you dress, your body language, how you behave with co-workers, the emails you write – are all consistent with your brand message.
Step 7: Update your Bio / resume
Go through your Bio and resume to determine it is consistent with your brand.
Ensure they accurately defines who you are, and is in line with both your short-term and long-term goals. Self penned bio's stand out a mile a way invest in having a professional craft these for you!
Step 8: Own your own website
Remember how your Mom used to tell you “you never get a chance to make a 2nd 1st impression?”
Your website is a direct reflection of YOU, a home-made site stands out a mile away, and reflects a level of quality readers will associate with your brand. Find web sites you really love and look at who built them, those are the people you want to set up your site, let the professionals do the work to make YOU look your best. This is also the hub of your social media network, here you own content, look and feel, AND your fan list. It should highlight your professional accomplishments, your skills and knowledge, what you stand for, and your overall value.
Step 8: Become a social networker
Set up accounts at social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Connect with those in your target audience, don’t friend EVERY person that comes to you. Remember you want to focus on QUALITY not quantity. It doesn’t matter if you have 3,500 fans if only 10 of them buy from you. Create a relevant network of colleagues, fans, & businesses to subscribe to your pages. Contribute and interact to relevant updates on a daily basis. Make sure your updates are consistent to your branding message.
Step 10: Have a Newsletter
Constant Contact and My Newsletter builder are great Newsletter platforms to help you promote yourself to your target audience.
Commit to posting a newsletter no more than 1-2 times a month to announce shows or projects you are working on. Do not add people to your mailing list unless THEY have signed up, and do not mass text, or email groups of people (unless your using your newsletter platform. These platforms offer subscribers a UN-subscribe link; so they can opt out, don’t be bummed if you lose a subscriber, you want a base of product buying show supporting fans. If your a spammer you will lose your fan base!
Would you like to share any personal brand success stories? add your comments below
If your ready to get started, Then lets talk!
Photo Credit:
http://www.ad-i.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/creative.jpg
Reference:
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.salarybuilder.com
www.constantcontact.com
www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/
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