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Self promotion and building yourpersonal brandMonica BhidePresented by Kristine Zerkowski and Jenn LebowitzMarch 21st, 2017
Agenda What really is self promotion? What is personal branding? How do you create your personal brand? What are tools for self promotion & personal branding? How do you get started?“Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.” - Emily Chand
Definition of self promotion “The practice of purposefully trying to present oneself as highlycompetent to other people.” – iresearchnet.com Forbes calls it a leadership skill At HU, we think of it as sharing something in which you haveexpertise, in order to help other people.All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOsof our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our mostimportant job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.- Tom Peters in Fast Company
Conception is that self promotion is bad It is a time suck Not sure what value it brings Not sure where to start I don’t want to sound self indulgent There is no immediate and apparent ROI unless you are famous andhave a followingToo many people overvalue what they are not, and undervalue whatthey are. – Malcolm Forbes
Why is self promotion needed? If you don’t talk about what you do, word won’t spread “92% of consumers around the world say they trust word-of-mouthabove all other forms of advertising” - Sree Sreenivas Part of self-promotion is word-of-mouth! It’s your opportunity/job to shape the way people see you!
Viral examples Oreo example: “You can still dunkin the dark” TimeOpportunitySense of humorContext #HasJustineLandedYet
So, what is a personal brand, and whydoes it matter?Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own abusiness — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanentGoogle records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googledyour name. Going to a job interview? Ditto. – Tim Ferris
What is personal branding? According to Forbes, personal branding is:“A digital footprint in the sands of time and space, crowd-sourced by friends,colleagues, and bosses.” We all have a personal brand, even if you are not an author Most people haven’t cultivated this brand consciously, but that brand still exists
Answering the question, WHY YOU? Because you know the subject matter Because you want to have an impact on people Because you want to share Because you care
What are you selling? Most people think they need a personal brand if/when/because theyare selling something – I sell shoesI sell food productsI sell airplanesI sell booksI sell communityWe would all be wrong!
People really “buy into” emotion, so NOW – what are you selling ? Think again
What are these brands selling? Disney doesn’t just sell theme park adventures or “things” – they sellmemories Martha Stewart doesn’t just sell magazines or “things” – she sellsperfection (or the appearance of a picture perfect life) Charmin doesn’t just sell toilet paper – they sell softness Mercedes Benz doesn’t just sell cars – they sell luxury Nike doesn’t just sell shoes – they sell performance
And you? Who are you? One of the most important ways to determine your personal brandfor you and your work is to think this way: My readers/people come to be because: I evokeI provideI discussI inspireI This leads you to the core!
What is your word?
A personal brand begins with a visionYour Vision is your NORTH STAR Focus Clarity of intent Keeps you away from trendy trends and lets you SET the trend
What is a vision? A vision is AspirationalInspirationalA bit unrealisticIt has a destination, a purpose, and valuesA bit trueBut, mostly, it has your heart in itA vision is your statement of WHO You want to be or WHERE YOU want totake your work
Examples of defining your vision My blog enables me to have more time with my family while providing a consistent level ofincome. It enables me to enjoy life abundantly and share that joy with others. (In five years): I am a sought-after recognized expert in gluten-free living and have six well-definedassets to support my platform My blog enables me to provide up-to-date and accurate information for those living with achronic illness. I focus on X, Y and Z My blog enables me to show others that living with a chronic illness is possible. I do this byproviding tips and rituals for day to day life
One-line visions for personal brandsThe key is simplicity – if you can’t explain your vision in one sentence,it’s too complicated Steve Jobs: A computer on every desk Bill Gates: A computer on every desk in every home runningMicrosoft software. Henry Ford: Produce an affordable automobile. Nelson Mandela: One team, one country.
What isn’t a vision? To be the best of anything To be the provider of choice for everything pertaining to everything The kitchen sink approachOne thing at a time
Vision and personal branding Defining your vision is not going to happen in one sitting Write it down, leave it, revise it, tweak it, revisit it “You don’t get rich with a 5 vision” Steps: If you had your way, what would you be doing with your writing/work? (cost,tech, traffic, not being factors) Who would you be serving? How? What?
Self promotion strategy So now we have THE word, a vision, and an idea of our online identity– now what? We need an self promotion-strategy Stay true to your visionFind the audienceGet them the information andKeep them coming back So how do we do this?
Keys to a great self promotion strategy1. Stay true to your word and your vision Be consistent in what you write, share, comment on Not all content you post has to be your content – but make itconsistent with your word and vision2. Find the spots where you audience hangs out and make it aregular check-in spot3. Keep your eyes peeled to what they need and what they areasking for – this is how you create value-added content4. Create an editorial calendar – for your posts, your socialmedia content etc.
Self promotion habits to developTry it SINCERELY before you hate itFind, focus, engage with your target audienceTry not to be elusiveAlways remember it is NOT about you – it’s really about how you’re servingother people Think outside the box – Google hangouts, Pinterest focused on newbooks etc. Learn to absorb Learn to “read the audience”People will always remember how you make them feel
5 tips for self promotion1.2.3.4.5.Write your vision and finalize your brandWhen you post or tweet or do anything be sure it ties back to your visionForbes: “If you have multiple passions or areas of interest, a narrative becomes even morecrucial so there can be unified theme”Connect to other brands to elevate your own personal brand CompanyCollegeColleaguesAlumni newsletterFB groupsOther digital assetsBlogger network – You have to research these carefully. Do they have the same value as youWhat are they promotingWhy are you joining them - money/more visibilityRead contracts carefullyPLEASE ask for referrals
2 critical takeaways to remember Provide value – just having a blog is not enough. You have to have amessage and stay true to that when you create content Curate – your own content and what you share. For instance: Onlyone of five posts on social media should be about your own work.
Profiting from your brand BooksSponsored postsProductsAdvertisementsProfessional writing or editingPatient advisory boardsMonica’s example EndorsementsSpeaking engagementsGuest bloggingMerchandise
Getting other people to promote your work Guest blogging Social media sharing LinkedIn recommendations, reviews on Amazon (book/product) Getting endorsements and referrals
One step at a time
Take it To-Go! Don’t try to do it all! Pick 1-2 that you love the most/biggest ROI! Do:1.Establish your word, vision, and brand! Use the tools from this presentation Talk to friends/colleagues about it!2.Once you have your brand, you can create a: Strategy! Where do you want to be? (See #4) Editorial calendar (optional!)3.Check your digital footprint Are you putting out info that shapes it? Do your tweets/posts/articles align with your word/vision/brand?4.Update/Optimize your LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Instagram, anything else in which you’re interested!5.Ask for recommendations on LinkedIn or reviews of your book/product if you have one, or testimonials for yoursite Read: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook – Gary Vaynerchuk OR listen to his podcast (Ask Gary Vee)
What are these brands selling? Disneydoesn't just sell theme park adventures or "things" - they sell memories Martha Stewart doesn't just sell magazines or "things" -she sells perfection (or the appearance of a picture perfect life) Charmindoesn't just sell toilet paper -they sell softness Mercedes Benz doesn't just sell cars - they sell luxury
