Personal branding campaigns consist of different elements that develop the various ways the world experiences you and your expertise, from speaking engagements to video blogs, trade show panels to media interviews. Documents written on your behalf, however, quite often reach the largest audience and have a corresponding impact. Due to the internet, they also remain available over time.
In addition, written content produced on your behalf provides you with the opportunity to say exactly what you want to say without interpretation or filtering by someone who may not view your topic in the same context as you do. Used well, written content is one of the best ways to establish and maintain your credibility as an Industry Expert.
When developing a range of content as part of a personal branding campaign--from articles and white papers to case studies, blog postings and tweets--it's important to keep in mind that your writing must appeal to several audiences.
First and foremost are your customers, current as well as potential. Reading your take on current industry happenings will assure your current customers that they have made the right choice while you reach out to as yet untapped customers who might also benefit from your products or services.
A second audience segment is that of industry analysts. Your goal here is to show analysts that you are both knowledgeable and articulate. Industry reports often include several quotes, and being quoted by an analyst in a report immediately brands you as an Industry Expert, not a bad label to sport.
A third audience is the media, because being interviewed for an industry trend article will also boost both your profile and your credibility to current and potential customers alike. Remember that as technologies continue to develop at breakneck speed, the press is under great pressure to stay knowledgeable. In my experience, editors are always grateful to learn of someone who can help keep them up with new advances.
In short, written content is a formidable personal branding tool that also enables you to control your message.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Personal Branding Campaigns-Goals
An effective personal branding campaign benefits executives in several ways.
Most obviously, an effective campaign will increase your profile within your industry (or industries). That means a higher profile with prospective customers who will come to see you as an executive with effective solutions. Reaching out to potential customers via a blog that addresses industry trends, for example, and their concerns in particular, is often the beginning of a long-term relationship.
More than just dispensing technical wisdom and establishing your credibility as an industry figure, trend articles and a blog can give your audience a snapshot of the person you are, and convey a sense of the experience of doing business with you. Showing a bit of your personality will instill added confidence that you're someone with whom they would like to do business.
The importance of a high profile within the industry also explains why so many medium to large-sized businesses support personal branding campaigns on behalf of their key executives--they know that such efforts also raise the company's profile in the marketplace and reinforce confidence in the company's own image.
An effective personal branding campaign is also a way to position you, within your area of expertise, as an industry source to the media. And a turn of phrase that cleverly sums up a particular situation will ensure that the press will brand you an industry expert and keep knocking on your door to get your comments on current industry happenings. Here's a great example of a Big Picture quote by an industry insider that found such resonance with the press:
"Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction." (Financier Warren Buffet)
Granted, Buffet is one of the most successful men in the world, but there are many successful businessmen who don't get quoted either because they haven't reached out to the press or because they have nothing of significance to say. Buffet, however, was able to define the conversation around the causes of the recent recession that rocked the world's economy.
Another reason that personal branding campaigns are part of the New Normal is, as John Kotter has observed, "We live in a world where 'business as usual' IS change." It's no longer enough to demonstrate past accomplishments. The companies you need to reach all want to know how you will lead the change.
Most obviously, an effective campaign will increase your profile within your industry (or industries). That means a higher profile with prospective customers who will come to see you as an executive with effective solutions. Reaching out to potential customers via a blog that addresses industry trends, for example, and their concerns in particular, is often the beginning of a long-term relationship.
More than just dispensing technical wisdom and establishing your credibility as an industry figure, trend articles and a blog can give your audience a snapshot of the person you are, and convey a sense of the experience of doing business with you. Showing a bit of your personality will instill added confidence that you're someone with whom they would like to do business.
The importance of a high profile within the industry also explains why so many medium to large-sized businesses support personal branding campaigns on behalf of their key executives--they know that such efforts also raise the company's profile in the marketplace and reinforce confidence in the company's own image.
An effective personal branding campaign is also a way to position you, within your area of expertise, as an industry source to the media. And a turn of phrase that cleverly sums up a particular situation will ensure that the press will brand you an industry expert and keep knocking on your door to get your comments on current industry happenings. Here's a great example of a Big Picture quote by an industry insider that found such resonance with the press:
"Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction." (Financier Warren Buffet)
Granted, Buffet is one of the most successful men in the world, but there are many successful businessmen who don't get quoted either because they haven't reached out to the press or because they have nothing of significance to say. Buffet, however, was able to define the conversation around the causes of the recent recession that rocked the world's economy.
Another reason that personal branding campaigns are part of the New Normal is, as John Kotter has observed, "We live in a world where 'business as usual' IS change." It's no longer enough to demonstrate past accomplishments. The companies you need to reach all want to know how you will lead the change.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Personal Branding for the Technology Executive-Part 1
There are few industries that haven’t yet been touched by technology’s spreading digital tendrils. Services and processes keep expanding, not only in media and entertainment, but also in healthcare, retail, utilities, food, transportation, and so on.
Whatever industry you’re in, chances are that technology continues to change it profoundly. Optimization, after all, knows no boundaries.
The pace of change keeps accelerating, as well, and that fact poses a particular challenge for technology executives who want to retain visibility within their industry – how do you establish (and maintain) your personal brand as an industry Thought Leader?
Building a successful personal brand involves a number of elements, including defining your personal brand, developing your message, targeting your audience, and more.
And at some point you will need to create and distribute content – a fair amount of it to increase your online visibility. In brief, that content will need to support both your brand and your messaging while also speaking directly to industry concerns.
The nature of the content will likely encompass a range of industry trend magazine articles and case studies, to begin with, along with supporting blog posts and even tweets. When all is said and done, the road to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is paved with content, content, content.
Next Up: Strategy, Goals and the Audience
Whatever industry you’re in, chances are that technology continues to change it profoundly. Optimization, after all, knows no boundaries.
The pace of change keeps accelerating, as well, and that fact poses a particular challenge for technology executives who want to retain visibility within their industry – how do you establish (and maintain) your personal brand as an industry Thought Leader?
Building a successful personal brand involves a number of elements, including defining your personal brand, developing your message, targeting your audience, and more.
And at some point you will need to create and distribute content – a fair amount of it to increase your online visibility. In brief, that content will need to support both your brand and your messaging while also speaking directly to industry concerns.
The nature of the content will likely encompass a range of industry trend magazine articles and case studies, to begin with, along with supporting blog posts and even tweets. When all is said and done, the road to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is paved with content, content, content.
Next Up: Strategy, Goals and the Audience
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Ballad of DBM
I have several indelible memories from appearing in the Mask & Bauble production of OPERATION: SIDEWINDER at Georgetown University's Stage One theater, written by Sam Shepherd with music by the Holy Modal Rounders, but only one involves a midnight run to the E.R. and a subsequent police interview.
OPERATION: SIDEWINDER was originally staged at Lincoln Center in 1970, and fellow GU student Jack Hofsiss wasted no time in garnering the rights to direct the first D.C. area production at G.U. It was an interesting piece about, among other things, the expansion of the West and the destruction of indigenous cultures who stood in the way.
(For the record, I should say that to my knowledge Shepherd’s play has no connection to the real-life Operation Sidewinder, which was later conducted in Iraq as a part of Operation Desert Scorpion in the summer of 2006, despite a parallel storyline about the expansion of the West and several other similarly psychedelic elements of the era.)
As always, our faculty advisor Donn B. Murphy, known affectionately to all his students as "DBM," encouraged us to do more, to take risks, to push the envelope, or whatever the phrase was back in the early ‘70s, to stage this experimental piece in new and unexpected ways. As undergraduates trying to make sense of our lives before we became eligible for the draft at the height of the Vietnam War, we responded wholeheartedly to his infectious enthusiasm.
So one interesting element we introduced to the production staged in the tiny theater-in-the-round named Stage One, where we were never more than 2 or 3 feet from the audience, was live snakes. Toward the end of the second act fellow cast member Paul Hume and I entered brandishing live 4-foot rat snakes for a scene depicting Shepherd’s take on a mystical Native American religious ritual.
Each evening, it was the same – the audience members chuckled when they first saw snakes coiled in our hands, thinking they were made of rubber. “Oh, look, it’s a snake! Ooh…” Once the snakes started to move, however, the mood changed in a heartbeat with a sharp intake of breath by the entire room.
One night, as Paul and I softly stepped close to the audience, undulating reptiles in our hands, a fellow sitting in front of me jerked back suddenly. My snake reared back itself, sliding off my hand. A moment before it fell free to the floor, I instinctively grabbed the snake by the end of its tail. It began whipping around like a spinning lasso as I reached for the head with my other hand.
Before I could seize it, though, the snake embedded its teeth in the webbing between my right thumb and forefinger. I jerked my hand away in reflex, but it managed to bite me twice more before I finally got a grip just behind its head.
Fortunately, Paul had moved quickly to take his snake offstage at the first hiss of trouble and place it back in its cage before returning to see how he might help. I remember that his eyes were very big as I reached out to hand him my snake—“Could you do me a favor?”—but he silently took it and disappeared quickly offstage before returning to continue the scene.
I later learned that all animal bites must by law be reported to the police. Around midnight in the hospital I was still waiting for my tetanus shot among that evenings’ casualties when a tired-looking policeman shuffled up to me, clipboard in hand.
“You the guy with the dog bite?”
The next morning I was still sleeping off the previous night’s adrenalin when the phone rang. It was a cub reporter new to his job at The Washington Post, though he tried hard to sound like it was the fourth snakebite story he’d written that week.
When the piece broke later that day, the headline was, Snake Bites GU Actor, Show Goes On and the first sentence read, “A 4-foot-long yellow rat snake starring in a Georgetown University performance of the play OPERATION: SIDEWINDER became annoyed with one of his fellow actors Saturday night and bit him three times…”
That afternoon I went to Stage One, where several other cast members were concerned that the newspaper write-up would result in the show being closed early. Jack, however, knew better. “Wait ‘til we hear from DBM,” he said.
When Donn appeared, he walked right up to me, a look of real concern on his face. “Bill, are you all right?” When I waved my bandaged hand with a sheepish smile, he said, “Thank you for holding on to that snake. If you’d dropped it in the audience, well, that wouldn’t have been good, would it?”
I shook my head in agreement. Then he flashed me that DBM smile.
“But what exciting theater that was!”
I couldn’t have felt prouder if I’d planned the whole thing.
OPERATION: SIDEWINDER was originally staged at Lincoln Center in 1970, and fellow GU student Jack Hofsiss wasted no time in garnering the rights to direct the first D.C. area production at G.U. It was an interesting piece about, among other things, the expansion of the West and the destruction of indigenous cultures who stood in the way.
(For the record, I should say that to my knowledge Shepherd’s play has no connection to the real-life Operation Sidewinder, which was later conducted in Iraq as a part of Operation Desert Scorpion in the summer of 2006, despite a parallel storyline about the expansion of the West and several other similarly psychedelic elements of the era.)
As always, our faculty advisor Donn B. Murphy, known affectionately to all his students as "DBM," encouraged us to do more, to take risks, to push the envelope, or whatever the phrase was back in the early ‘70s, to stage this experimental piece in new and unexpected ways. As undergraduates trying to make sense of our lives before we became eligible for the draft at the height of the Vietnam War, we responded wholeheartedly to his infectious enthusiasm.
So one interesting element we introduced to the production staged in the tiny theater-in-the-round named Stage One, where we were never more than 2 or 3 feet from the audience, was live snakes. Toward the end of the second act fellow cast member Paul Hume and I entered brandishing live 4-foot rat snakes for a scene depicting Shepherd’s take on a mystical Native American religious ritual.
Each evening, it was the same – the audience members chuckled when they first saw snakes coiled in our hands, thinking they were made of rubber. “Oh, look, it’s a snake! Ooh…” Once the snakes started to move, however, the mood changed in a heartbeat with a sharp intake of breath by the entire room.
One night, as Paul and I softly stepped close to the audience, undulating reptiles in our hands, a fellow sitting in front of me jerked back suddenly. My snake reared back itself, sliding off my hand. A moment before it fell free to the floor, I instinctively grabbed the snake by the end of its tail. It began whipping around like a spinning lasso as I reached for the head with my other hand.
Before I could seize it, though, the snake embedded its teeth in the webbing between my right thumb and forefinger. I jerked my hand away in reflex, but it managed to bite me twice more before I finally got a grip just behind its head.
Fortunately, Paul had moved quickly to take his snake offstage at the first hiss of trouble and place it back in its cage before returning to see how he might help. I remember that his eyes were very big as I reached out to hand him my snake—“Could you do me a favor?”—but he silently took it and disappeared quickly offstage before returning to continue the scene.
I later learned that all animal bites must by law be reported to the police. Around midnight in the hospital I was still waiting for my tetanus shot among that evenings’ casualties when a tired-looking policeman shuffled up to me, clipboard in hand.
“You the guy with the dog bite?”
The next morning I was still sleeping off the previous night’s adrenalin when the phone rang. It was a cub reporter new to his job at The Washington Post, though he tried hard to sound like it was the fourth snakebite story he’d written that week.
When the piece broke later that day, the headline was, Snake Bites GU Actor, Show Goes On and the first sentence read, “A 4-foot-long yellow rat snake starring in a Georgetown University performance of the play OPERATION: SIDEWINDER became annoyed with one of his fellow actors Saturday night and bit him three times…”
That afternoon I went to Stage One, where several other cast members were concerned that the newspaper write-up would result in the show being closed early. Jack, however, knew better. “Wait ‘til we hear from DBM,” he said.
When Donn appeared, he walked right up to me, a look of real concern on his face. “Bill, are you all right?” When I waved my bandaged hand with a sheepish smile, he said, “Thank you for holding on to that snake. If you’d dropped it in the audience, well, that wouldn’t have been good, would it?”
I shook my head in agreement. Then he flashed me that DBM smile.
“But what exciting theater that was!”
I couldn’t have felt prouder if I’d planned the whole thing.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
What's Your Company's Story?
As ever, a major challenge for businesses is how best to distinguish their product or service in today’s crowded marketplace. Typically, the first step is to slash prices as much as possible, the second to improve customer service. But after that, how to ensure that your product or service stands out from the crowd?
Thankfully, more companies are realizing that a memorable experience for the consumer depends on making a connection on a human level. “It’s just business” is quickly becoming an obsolete term. Of course, some companies have known that all along.
Let me tell you a story…
I’m a real Mac fan, and when I bought a new video game for my young son a short while ago and installed it on my computer, the fact that my Mac froze whenever he began to play it was a bit disconcerting.
Thinking it was a question of needing more memory, I resolved to get it, only to be told at my Mac store that my machine, bought more than 2 years ago, was too old. They no longer stocked the necessary parts for such an ancient device. “Would you like to look at a new one?”
Fortunately, my wife had heard that there was a new store in my area that specializes in Mac-authorized sales, service and support. It didn’t take long to track down Los Feliz Hi-Tech at www.losfelizhitech.com.
I quickly learned why the small, attractive store in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, established in November 2008, had earned an Apple Outstanding Customer Service and Support Award as well as legions of dedicated customers throughout the area.
Store owner Diego Van der Thomas greeted me right away, as he does all new customers entering his store. Diego is a classy, charming and gracious guy who hails from Buenos Aires, though he has spent many years in Los Angeles providing Mac consulting and services.
Diego is passionate about both Macs and the many local artists, photographers, writers, musicians and filmmakers with whom he has worked over the years. He immediately makes it clear that what is important to him is determining your need, then devising a solution that meets that need to your satisfaction.
In my case it turned out that the memory upgrade was only part of what was needed. Without lapsing into techno-speak, suffice it to say that Diego gave me a clear, concise explanation of the issues. He assured me that everything would work out well, then stayed in close touch with me during the next few days until the required parts arrived and were installed. He even personally transferred some files from my computer onto a disc so that I was able to continue working on another machine while my Mac was in the shop.
As always, we got to know each other by trading stories, and I learned a bit about both Diego's personal history and the satisfaction he takes in working with artists of every stripe.
Since my Mac was still under an extended warranty that covered the needed repairs, Diego was under no obligation to extend such courtesies. Yet, when I went in to pick up my computer, he had one of his technicians demonstrate how well it now works before sending me off with a smile.
Bottom line: a new life for my Mac and a memorably pleasant experience achieving it. Where do you think I’ll be buying my next Apple product?
Thankfully, more companies are realizing that a memorable experience for the consumer depends on making a connection on a human level. “It’s just business” is quickly becoming an obsolete term. Of course, some companies have known that all along.
Let me tell you a story…
I’m a real Mac fan, and when I bought a new video game for my young son a short while ago and installed it on my computer, the fact that my Mac froze whenever he began to play it was a bit disconcerting.
Thinking it was a question of needing more memory, I resolved to get it, only to be told at my Mac store that my machine, bought more than 2 years ago, was too old. They no longer stocked the necessary parts for such an ancient device. “Would you like to look at a new one?”
Fortunately, my wife had heard that there was a new store in my area that specializes in Mac-authorized sales, service and support. It didn’t take long to track down Los Feliz Hi-Tech at www.losfelizhitech.com.
I quickly learned why the small, attractive store in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, established in November 2008, had earned an Apple Outstanding Customer Service and Support Award as well as legions of dedicated customers throughout the area.
Store owner Diego Van der Thomas greeted me right away, as he does all new customers entering his store. Diego is a classy, charming and gracious guy who hails from Buenos Aires, though he has spent many years in Los Angeles providing Mac consulting and services.
Diego is passionate about both Macs and the many local artists, photographers, writers, musicians and filmmakers with whom he has worked over the years. He immediately makes it clear that what is important to him is determining your need, then devising a solution that meets that need to your satisfaction.
In my case it turned out that the memory upgrade was only part of what was needed. Without lapsing into techno-speak, suffice it to say that Diego gave me a clear, concise explanation of the issues. He assured me that everything would work out well, then stayed in close touch with me during the next few days until the required parts arrived and were installed. He even personally transferred some files from my computer onto a disc so that I was able to continue working on another machine while my Mac was in the shop.
As always, we got to know each other by trading stories, and I learned a bit about both Diego's personal history and the satisfaction he takes in working with artists of every stripe.
Since my Mac was still under an extended warranty that covered the needed repairs, Diego was under no obligation to extend such courtesies. Yet, when I went in to pick up my computer, he had one of his technicians demonstrate how well it now works before sending me off with a smile.
Bottom line: a new life for my Mac and a memorably pleasant experience achieving it. Where do you think I’ll be buying my next Apple product?
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