"There has never been an easier time to get found online and attract opportunities to you like a magnet," says Janine Lloyd, Managing Director of Livewired PR, a member of the ForeBrands Integrated Marketing Communications Group.
"Companies understand the value of creating and marketing their corporate brand effectively, so why can't we use that same approach for ourselves?" says Janine Lloyd, Managing Director of Livewired PR, a member of the ForeBrands Integrated Marketing Communications Group.
According to personal branding expert Scott Lahde, "Really successful executives, the ones who are consistently written about, quoted as experts, and asked to partner with top executives and companies, do one thing and do it well. They promote themselves and their expert opinions."
Lloyd adds, "If you are sceptical consider these statistics:
- Among Web 2.0 technologies that companies use for business purposes, social networking ranks second in importance behind Web services, according to a 2008 global survey by The McKinsey Quarterly. Social networks ranked higher than wikis, podcasts, video sharing and RSS. (Blogs and social media are now 1 and 2 in recent surveys.)
- Fewer than 45 percent of B2B marketers have begun to use tactics like blogs, Webinars, podcasts and social networking, according to a 2009 study by Forrester.
- Emarketer predicts that by 2012, U.S. B2B social network ad spending is expected to reach $210 million.
- Social Media Examiner's recent industry report stated, the number-one benefit of social media marketing is gaining the all-important eyeball. A significant 85% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships."
Lloyd offers these three strategies to consider:
Be the best at what you do Another personal branding guru, Dan Schwabel believes, "To succeed, you must be the best at what you do, for a specific audience." Being the best at what you do means knowing and understanding your field of expertise and what your audiences are seeking from you as an industry leader. Ultimately you will want to be a key influencer in your chosen field of expertise. This also means you need to get out there - join industry or relevant forums, showcase your expertise, get recognised for what it is you do!
Keep it interesting Being visible in the online space is not about shameless self-promotion, it is about being interesting. Why should people listen to you, or follow you, or interact with you if you aren't interesting! Is the information you are imparting good? Is it relevant? Are you linking to other interesting information? Does what you are saying tie in with events and happenings that are relevant?
Put the relationship first Being visible online is also about building relationships. The secret to really great networking in the bricks and mortar world is developing relationships based on adding value to the people you meet. The same applies to the online world. It is all too easy to just blog or have a profile, however to build your personal network you will need to go further by extending conversations, engaging and building a connection with those you interact with. This means you will need to be real and kind. We're all connected in this world, so if you don't treat everyone with respect, it will come back to bite you. Make each and every interaction count towards building your personal brand.
