Strategy / Tactics

Go all the way

  

One final thought on personal branding is to know what you can execute and what you cannot.  The best advice is useless if you cannot execute it.  For example, how familiar are you with the following personal branding must-do list?  Get your domain.  Register yourself on Facebook.  Register yourself on LinkedIn.  Build a blog.  And the list goes on and on.

The idea behind a list like this is you want to be found.  Employers nowadays will search online for information about a prospective job candidate.  So, the idea is that you should be everywhere, so they can find information about you.  What this idea fail to communicate is that it is better not be found than to be found in a poor light. 

If you’re not committed to updating your LinkedIn profile and building your LinkedIn network, you may be better off not be on LinkedIn at all.  It’s frustrating to find someone who’s on LinkedIn, but clearly hasn’t updated the profile ever since they signed up.  The tell tale signs are lack of a network and a job listing that’s virtually blank.  This shows a lack of effort.  If you’re not found at all and there is no visual evidence against you, people may actually give you the benefit of the doubt. 

Same goes for Facebook.  I have discussed previously the fault of small businesses falling in love with Facebook, put the URL everywhere, only to have visitors go to a Facebook page that has had no activities for months.  Same goes for blogs.  Same goes for domains.  It’s far better to not to launch into these tactics at all, than to start and then shows visibly “I know I should do this, but I haven’t bothered with finishing it.”  That’s the wrong message to send. 

Starting is a good.  Finishing is significantly better.

Photo credit: Kate

Who’s sending the email?

As I think about what’s important in personal branding this week, I can’t help but resort to my classic branding lessons.

The most important part about a brand is a brand name.  To this end, you may have heard different tactics such as owning your domain name.  However, I find that sometimes even more obvious choices have not been made:  Email.

No, I’m not going into the idea of picking a professional email address.  Of course you’re not going to pick sirsexalot@gmail.com as your email address unless you’re in the sex industry.  This is something your college advisor has already warned you about.  However, as we mature, we actually run into another email problem that few ever discusses.

I hate getting emails from “John and Jane Smith”.

Now, I don’t mind this so much if I have a personal relationship with both John and Jane Smith.  However, in a recent communication, Jane reached out to me inquiring about a job opportunity via LinkedIn.  (Great use of LinkedIn.)  However, in subsequent communications, I started getting emails from “John and Jane Smith”.  At first, I thought it was junk mail, because I didn’t know this couple.  Then, I realized that it was Jane, sending an email from a joint email account.

In my opinion, unless you’re in business together and truly have a need to communicate as a single entity, get separate email addresses.  Communicate as your own person and develop your own brand identity.  While joint email addresses may be okay for personal use, any professional use should come from a single person. Email addresses are free these days.  There is no reason not to secure a professional email address.

Photo credit: Keith Ramsey

Using Business Cards Differently for Individuals

Kate is getting married!  Correction, Catherine is getting married.

The future wife of the popular and loved Prince William is more commonly known as Kate.  However, her station as the future Princess demanded a more formal name.  However, efforts in rebranding her into Catherine can hardly be called successful.  Of course, like any branding efforts, time can change everything.

However, this interesting branding effort has inspired me in thinking more about personal branding.  Personal branding has a wide range of implications, from public acceptance, to professional development, to business development.  Personal branding can also greatly tie to the success of a small business where the owner is the brand.

I recently talked about using business cards differently for non-profits.  However, as I think about personal branding, the same idea can be applied to individuals as well. 

Here is how I propose turning your business card into one of your most powerful marketing tool:

Front:  Basic name and contact information.  If you have a preferred name, put in parentheses.  Catherine (Kate) Middleton, for example.   Think carefully if you want your nickname on your business cards.  If you want to be professional, it may be best to leave your nick name out of the business setting and off of business cards. As an added bonus for the front, add a head shot if you have it.  This is particularly helpful for those who are bad at names…

Back: This is where valuable real estate is sometimes wasted.  Use this space to show off your work!  If you’re a baker, show pictures of your goodies.  If you’re a florist, show pictures of your art.  If you’re a digital media strategist, show every social media platform you participate in.  If you’re a realtor, show the most expensive house you’ve sold.  If you’re a writer, display an original rhythm.  If you’re a musician, show a picture of the biggest crowd you’ve played to.  Success in almost every profession can be shown visually.  Use this space to show this.  At the very least, it makes for great conversation at networking events!

What other business card tricks have you employed?  How have they worked?

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