This weekend is NFL Draft weekend. Most of you probably knew that, even if you are not a sports fan.

This is worth mentioning because, for the other major sports leagues like Major League Baseball and the NBA, few people besides the most die-hard fans even pay attention.

Yet the NFL Draft generates headlines and dominates the media, even as basketball season and hockey season wind down and the playoffs begin.

So the question is, how has the NFL created such a compelling brand? And what lessons can you draw from their success and apply to your own brand?

Below are four lessons to consider.

1) Scarcity and exclusivity creates demand. Each major league baseball team plays 162 games. Professional hockey and basketball teams each play more than 80 games. The result is that, for most fans, supply simply exceeds demand. Fans don’t rise and fall with each game and each development, and when the season ends, many fans are perfectly happy to go the entire offseason without thinking about their team very much. The lesson for your brand: If you can create a perception of exclusivity and scarcity, your perceived value will increase.

2) To maximize exposure, give your audience a variety of channels to engage with your brand. The NFL makes it incredibly easy for their fans to participate. Beyond simply watching the games, fans can watch highlights on TV during the offseason, participate in online chat forums, attend “Draft Parties” and other events, purchase jerseys and memorabilia, and more. The lesson for your brand: The more channels you can use to “touch” your customers and your market, the more likely they are to stay engaged with your brand.

3) Get out in front of bad news or bad press. The NFL is certainly not devoid of controversy. In fact, it seems like every year features a number of scandals which threaten the integrity of the game. From coaches placing “bounties” on the heads of opposing players to the dangers posed by head injuries, there are always more than enough negative press to cause problems. Yet, the NFL seems to come out unscathed time and time again. How do they do it? By consistently getting ahead of the news cycle and by seeking to proactively address concerns. The most obvious example in recent years has been the league’s efforts to promote player safety as attention to brain injuries has increased. The lesson for your brand: Don’t attempt to “out-run” bad news or bad press. Address it proactively and put it behind you!

4) Give your customers what they want, how they want it. The NFL makes it very easy to watch their games and other events. You can watch them in person at the stadium. You can watch them on TV at home. You can stream them on your iPhone. You can watch them at a sports bar. If you don’t have three hours to kill, you can watch the highlights after the game. You can even have access to the same camera angles that coaches and players do if you’d like to “break down the film” after a game. The point is, no matter what your personal preferences may be, the NFL has a solution for YOU. The lesson for your brand: Give your customers what they want. Make it easy to do business with you!

It’s safe to say that few businesses will ever build a brand as powerful as the NFL’s. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn valuable lessons from their success. Feel free to contact me today for more on this subject!

Have you ever stopped to think about the amazing applications of laser technology? From brain surgery to military functions to industrial grade mining, laser technology has a broad and important impact in many sectors of life.

But at the end of the day, it’s just light. What makes a laser special is the same thing that makes a personal brand special—focus. By focusing its energy (instead of dispersing like “regular” light), a laser is able to burn through the heaviest metals. Similarly, when it comes to personal branding, the more focused your brand is, the more powerful it becomes.

Focused on what, exactly? Focused on your core skills and traits that make you different from everyone else in the market. Your brand should position you as the “go-to” expert in your field, whether that’s financial planning, selling real estate, dentistry, etc.

You may have heard the statement that “you need to be an inch wide, and a mile deep.” This is the same concept—it’s better to be precisely focused on a small niche than it is to be a “jack of all trades”, competent in many areas but not an expert in any of them.

One of the most important things we do with our clients is help them sharpen and focus their brand, turning them into a CelebrityExpert® in their field. Today, we’re going to discuss a few tactics that you can use to sharpen your own focus:

1) Start blogging. An industry focused blog is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise. When a potential client lands on your website, he or she will be immediately exposed to your knowledge of your subject area. If you’re not sure where to start, one idea is to write blog entries that address common questions or concerns that your audience may have. For instance, a realtor could write a blog entry entitled “Ready to Sell? Five Steps to Take Before You Call Your Agent”.

2) Look for media opportunities. Appearing on TV, on the radio, or in print media has a dramatic impact on your brand. Simply showing up on these platforms to discuss your industry creates “expert status” that you can leverage across the rest of your marketing presence. Look to network and build relationships with individuals in the media industry and you may be surprised at the opportunities that present themselves.

3) Write a book. Finally, the process of publishing a book is one of the most effective tools for building expert credibility in your area of focus. If you can literally “write the book” on your industry, your position in the marketplace is secure. If you need help getting started, this is an area where we can help.

Consistent focus on your core competencies and your points of differentiation is the key to creating a powerful brand. These three tactics will help – but if you’d like to learn more please feel free to get in touch!

Many small business owners are suspicious of “branding”. They’ve read books and heard lectures explaining that branding is something for multi-million dollar corporations with huge budgets, but that small businesses should focus on trackable direct marketing. The problem with branding, some experts claim, is that it’s not trackable and doesn’t always produce results.

And while these are legitimate concerns, the truth is that branding enables a business or an individual to differentiate themselves from the competitors in their market. Without that differentiation, earning potential is very limited.

So what’s the answer? A combination—powerful branding leveraged through direct marketing campaigns. Below are three ways you can go about this:

1) A branded, conversion oriented website. In today’s world, a strong website is non-negotiable. And to stand out amongst the competition, it is critical that the website present a strong personal brand. Specifically, your website should establish you as an expert within your market. You can’t be one of many financial planners (or accountants, or dentists, or lawyers, etc) in your market—you need to brand yourself as the best! A strong website can do this effectively— and technology makes tracking your conversion rate, ROI, and other important statistics easy.

2) Brand-focused direct mailing. Of course, your website can only attract business when prospects visit—so how do you reach those that are not actively searching for your services? Direct mail can be an effective solution. Once again, the key is to give your audience a reason to choose your business over your competition. Personal branding allows you to answer this question effectively: customers should choose your business because you are the recognized expert within your industry and because you provide unparalleled value. Depending on your industry and your market, direct mail can be a very profitable way to communicate this message and expand your business.

3) Brand-building speeches and public events. Have you ever considered the potential of public speaking from a marketing standpoint? Not only can you create a “buzz” around your business and further establish your own credibility, but, assuming you are speaking to your target market, you can issue a compelling call to action to your audience. As you present the latest developments in your field of expertise, do your best to “hook” your audience. Offer to send them more information via email, and ask them to sign up before they leave the venue. If you plan this properly, you’ll end up with an email list of prime prospects for your business—and, considering it costs you nothing but your time to speak, your ROI will be astronomical.

Effective marketing does not merely transmit facts and figures to your market—effective branding gives them a reason to choose your practice, and it compels them to do so immediately. The “reason” you provide to your market essentially boils down to your personal brand. Taking a powerful brand and communicating it via direct marketing is a winning combination. Contact me today if you’d like to learn more!

Social media marketing has exploded. Over the last several years, literally millions of people have begun branding themselves on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. As a result, it can be difficult to stand out. So how can you avoid being lost in the crowd? Here are some ways to differentiate yourself and your business from the competition:

• Focus your social media presence on relationships. Twitter and Facebook are full of individuals and companies that are trying to establish their brand and sell their products by ramming them down their audience’s throat. It’s free marketing, the theory goes, so why not aggressively self-promote and sell? The problem with that line of thought is that most people don’t log on to Facebook or Twitter looking to be sold something. People use Facebook and Twitter to build relationships, both personal and professional. The key to establishing your brand on these sites is to build relationships. Interact with your followers. Post fresh content so that they can see what you’re up to. If you’re not connecting with your followers and your friends, you’re going to be lost in the crowd.

• Be yourself. Most smart social media users are very, very careful about what they post. After all, a thoughtless post or tweet could have disastrous results. While this is certainly true, the unfortunate result is that many Twitter and Facebook profiles are completely devoid of originality, personality and substance. If you’re going to stand out, you need to be interesting and thought provoking. Post jokes, or commentary on pop culture, or predictions for upcoming basketball games. Post photos of your latest event. Be creative. Find a way to express yourself and your personality—and before you know it, you’ll realize that followers and friends are looking forward to your next tweet or status update. But keep in mind that everything, and I mean everything, that you post must be consistent with the brand you are trying to build.

• Break down the news. Twitter and Facebook are great sources of breaking news.
Look for opportunities to share news and information that impacts your industry and your customers. As a CPA, for instance, if a new law is passed that will have repercussions for your clients, break it down. If there is false information circulating, expose it. If you take this approach, you’ll stand out from millions of social media users who aren’t providing their audience with any real value.

Social media represents a great platform for connecting with customers and potential customers. But just like anything else in life, it doesn’t come easy. Standing out from your competition on social media is more difficult than ever… but these strategies will help. Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or a similar platform, remember to focus on relationships—and to be yourself. At the end of the day, “people buy people”, and social media is a great way to get to know people that may ultimately become your customers.

At the end of the day, personal branding is all about defining yourself to your market. It’s about deciding how you want your audience to perceive you, and then creating that perception. Today, we’re going to go through an exercise which will allow you to determine how you are currently perceived, and then determine what changes you’d like to make, if any.

Right now, take a few moments to prepare a test. Create a short questionnaire and share it with trusted clients, friends, and colleagues. Ask them to answer the following:

• When you hear or see my name, what feeling comes to mind first?
• What are three of my most valuable skills?
• What is one trait that makes me different from everyone else?
• In three words, how would you describe my personality?
• What am I most passionate about?

Once you’ve analyzed the results, you’ll have an accurate picture of how your audience perceives you. Remember, the larger your sample size is, the more accurate of a picture you’ll have.

Are you satisfied with your brand? If so, great! If not, that’s okay too! The great thing about personal branding is that it’s an ongoing process. It’s never too late to change direction or turn over a new leaf.

So what to do if you’re not happy with the state of your brand?

The first question to ask yourself is “what do I want to be known for?” When potential clients are exposed to your brand for the first time, what do you want them to see? Maybe you want to be known as friendly, trustworthy, and dependable. Maybe you want to be known as an elite professional, successful and sophisticated. Maybe you want to be known as no-nonsense, down to earth, and realistic. There’s no right or wrong answer—as long as it’s authentic. Trying to brand yourself as something you’re not just won’t work, so stay true to yourself!

Your personality plays an essential role in defining your brand as well—do you have a great sense of humor? Are you persistent in the face of challenges? Or maybe you’re proud of your laser-like focus. By now you probably see a theme emerging. You should be able to identify the primary attributes that you want to be known for. That’s the core of your brand.

But keep in mind that your brand can encompass much more than just your professional life. Are you a family man? Actively involved in your community? A huge sports fan? These elements of your personal life play an important part in defining your brand and adding a touch of humanity. Often, the traits that stick in the mind of a client or a customer aren’t even work-related—it may be your love of fishing, golf, or the local sports team that they remember first and foremost.

Jot down some of the traits that you most want to be known for—from your personality traits to your professional reputation to your non-work interests. This list represents the core of the personal brand that you can work towards creating. If you’d like some help along the way, please get in touch!

Arguably the most important principle to keep in mind when you’re developing your personal brand is focus. It’s easy to lose focus and end up watering down your brand—and that’s a mistake you can’t allow yourself to make.

An effective brand is focused on a few traits or qualities. When you think Rolex, you think “expensive, high quality timepiece.” If Rolex sold twenty dollar watches, their brand would be destroyed. Imagine the impact on the Harley-Davidson brand if they began selling cars, bicycles and mopeds. Or imagine if McDonalds began selling thirty dollar steaks. Pretty soon, the golden arches wouldn’t stand for anything. The key to a strong brand is focus… and that goes for your personal brand as well.

Each interaction that you have is an opportunity to broadcast your personal brand—and that means you have many, many opportunities on a daily basis to stray from the core of your brand. If you’re trying to brand yourself as cheerful and upbeat, you can’t allow yourself to be harsh or negative within earshot of a patient—even on your worst day. And if the aim is to be seen as successful, sophisticated and exclusive, your lobby should be decorated accordingly! Cheap lamps that you found at a garage sale simply won’t cut it in your situation. Stay focused on your message and don’t contradict the brand you are trying to build!

For many, the toughest part of establishing a personal brand is the realization that they can’t be everything to everyone. Just as McDonalds would destroy its brand by offering expensive steak and seafood, you’ll destroy your brand if you try to please everyone. You can’t be both the elite expert and the affordable service provider. In addition, it’s important to identify your specialties and focus on building your brand around them. You may feel like you are limiting yourself by choosing a small number of specialties—but if you don’t, what will you be known for? It may seem appealing to be known as a jack-of-all-trades, but when a prospective client is looking for help, they aren’t going to think of the professional who is “good at everything.” Instead they will look for the expert in their specific area of need. It’s great that you’re multitalented and knowledgeable in a variety of different areas—but if you want to establish yourself as an expert in anything, you need to limit your expertise to a few areas.

As we kick off the New Year, make a commitment to yourself that you will work to focus your branding efforts in 2013. Doing this consistently will begin to establish you as a leading expert in your particular area of expertise. If you’d like to learn more on this subject, or if you’d like some help along the way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me today!

The NFL season is back in full swing, and as always there is plenty of excitement to keep the sports media cycle churning rapidly. But lost in all of the X’s and O’s earlier this season was a very interesting development. Deseret News reports:

Be careful when you take a knee and rest your forehead on your fist. You may end up paying the man who popularized what his fans call “Tebowing.”

“I’m not sure how Tebowing can be used in either the right or the wrong way. It does seem that if the Jets don’t get him into the game a little more, it’s not going to matter. If someone is a winning athlete, it doesn’t seem to matter if he’s Tebowing™ or dealing drugs. Americans don’t seem to care.”

Regardless of your thoughts on Tim Tebow, the New York Jets, or football in general… the lesson here is that protecting your brand and your intellectual property results is essential. Tebow understands that his brand is worth untold millions of dollars, and is taking the necessary steps to maintain control. Business owners would be well advised to pay attention!

Building a powerful personal brand is well worth the effort it takes. A strong personal brand gives a business owner the opportunity to lock out competition in their market, attract new business, and command higher rates.

But like just about everything else worthwhile in life, it doesn’t happen overnight. Building a powerful brand requires consistency and purposeful action over a period of months and even years. And I can tell you firsthand that if you don’t take the time to create an effective plan of action, you won’t achieve the results that you’re hoping for.

It all starts with a plan—but not just any plan. Your plan must be specific, and measurable. Set deadlines. Create accountability for members of your team that are working on this initiative. Hold yourself accountable. Below are several key questions that your personal branding plan must answer:

Who is your target market? Who are your ideal customers? Are you marketing to your town, nationally, or internationally? Men, women, or both? High income, low income, middle income? You get the point. Take the time to create a detailed “profile” of your target market—this will ensure that your branding efforts don’t miss the mark.

How will you connect with your target market? There are a wide variety of channels available to reach your customers—but they won’t all be effective. Marketing via Facebook may work very well if your customers are younger consumers. On the other hand, if your market is high-income business owners, Facebook is a poor fit. Research your target market and come up with a number of channels by which you can effectively communicate.

How will you differentiate yourself from the competition? One of the most important questions that your brand must answer is “why should a customer choose me over the competition?” In order to answer this question, you must first identify your most valuable points of differentiation. For some of you, this may be your years of experience and the valuable perspective you have acquired. For others it’s a particular skill or trait that you possess. What sets you apart from everyone else in your market?

How will you demonstrate your expertise? Establishing your expert status is crucial to building a powerful brand—how will you accomplish this? Writing a book is a great solution. So are publishing blogs and articles, pursuing speaking opportunities, and appearing on TV or in the newspaper. None of these things “just happen”, however, so create a detailed action plan to ensure that they get done.

How will you ensure that your plan is executed? Many business owners have a great vision and create a strong plan… only to watch it fall by the wayside. Most of the time, this happens because of a lack of specific deadline and accountability. If you’re going to start a blog, schedule a specific time each week to work on your content. If your staff will be managing your social media presence, assign a specific person with the task and specifically define your expectations. Then, hold yourself and your team accountable.

Personal branding can be a whole lot of fun, and it can make you a whole lot of money! But it all starts with a plan… without planning, your chances of success are virtually nil. Get in touch with me today if you’d like to learn more!

The human eye is attracted to motion. All it takes is a brief hint of movement in the corner of our eye to change our focus onto the object that is moving.

The same is true when it comes to personal branding. As humans, we are attracted to movement and to growth. If we perceive an individual or a business to be stagnant, we are going to stop paying attention. In fact, we are more likely to pay attention to a business that is going down in flames than we are to a stagnant company.

So what does this mean to you? In order to build a powerful and compelling personal brand, it’s vital that you demonstrate movement. This will keep your audience interested and engaged. Below are several examples as to how you can do this:

1) Use social media to chronicle your adventures. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are great ways to let your audience know what you’re up to. So take advantage—the next time you’re jet-setting to an exotic location, take a picture and let your fans / followers see what you’re up to. It doesn’t have to be travel, either. If you’re attending a trade show, or a seminar, or a networking event… let your audience know. It may seem like no big deal, but simply letting your audience see what you’re up to on a regular basis is important.

2) Make sure your audience is aware of recent accomplishments. Have you recently published a book, or achieved best-seller status? Been honored with an award for your work? Been featured in a newspaper or publication? Appeared on the local news? Don’t keep it a secret—share your success! Social media is a great way to accomplish this, and so is crafting a press release!

3) Don’t be afraid to take a risk and re-invent yourself. While it’s important that you maintain conscious of the way your brand is perceived by the audience, you don’t always have to “have it all together.” You can take chances, such as expanding into a new niche or opening a new store, and let your audience watch in real time. Sure, you won’t succeed at everything you do—but that’s okay! As long as you stay true to yourself and to your principles, you’ll be strengthening your brand and keeping your audience engaged at the same time.

4) Continuously pursue growth—and let your audience see you doing so. Nobody ever has it all figured out. Don’t make a secret of the fact that you are always seeking to grow. Have you recently read a great book that changed your mindset regarding a certain topic? Share it! Are you attending an industry seminar or listening to a great speaker? Let your audience know—and tell them what you learned once it’s over!

Many business owners are so worried about presenting a “perfect” brand that they end up feeling inauthentic—or, at best, extremely boring. Life and business is all about growth, and your branding efforts should tell this story as well!

We have talked extensively about personal branding in this space, covering strategies that range from writing articles, to publishing books, to appearing on television. We’ve talked about the importance of creating a brand-centered website, writing a great biography, and connecting with your market via social media.

And each of these strategies is important. But there’s something that has to come first—something that may seem like “no big deal” but is in fact a critical element of your brand building strategy. I’m talking about your photograph. Sure, you can easily take a half-decent picture of yourself with your iPhone and use it everywhere it’s needed. But the difference between an amateur photo and a professionally staged picture is significant. Don’t look at your picture as a minor detail or an opportunity to cut costs. Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when it comes to your photo:

1) Keep shooting until you get a great smile. Your picture should make you look warm, approachable, and friendly. An intimidating or unpleasant facial expression may keep potential clients from getting in touch with you. Keep working on your smile until it appears natural and appealing!

2) Dress the part. Don’t wear a suit and tie “by default.” For some, that is certainly the right look—but if your brand is to be more casual or relaxed, dress in a way that reflects this. This could mean anything from a jacket all the way to a Hawaiian shirt. Don’t let pre-conceived ideas of what you “should” wear for your photo keep you from expressing your brand.

3) Make sure you’re rested. This is more important than you may realize. It’s important that you get good rest before your photo shoot—this makes your eyes look brighter, your skin look better, and it avoids those dark circles under your eyes. It’s also important that you are well hydrated during your photo shoot.

4) If your photos need some “touching up”, do it! Don’t try to cut corners here—if your photos need some touch-ups to make you look your best, get it done. A good headshot will last you many years and could be seen literally millions of times… so it’s important that you do whatever it takes to get it right.

5) Use the same (or very similar) photos across your branding platforms. Your social media presence alone gives you plenty of opportunity to use different pictures—but resist the temptation. Remember that consistency is an essential element of building a powerful brand. Your picture plays a very important role in communicating your brand, so if your audience sees a different picture of you every place they look, they’re going to receive mixed signals regarding your brand.

It may seem like a trivial detail, but using a great picture of yourself is essential to your branding efforts. You know the old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” It’s certainly true in the world of personal branding, so do whatever it takes to end up with a fantastic photo!

As you know, personal branding is not something that you do once, and then you’re done. In fact, you’re never done working on your brand—for better or for worse. You see, as soon as you stop consciously building it, you run the risk of watering it down. For that reason, it is important to develop systems and habits to ensure that your brand continues to stay on track, even if you are too busy to do anything more than just get through the day.
Below are five habits which will help you continue to build your personal brand:

1) Write regularly. It’s important that you consistently publish blogs and articles online. This gives you content to share on social media as well—and eventually, you can consider re-purposing this content into a book or e-book. But it won’t happen unless you’re consistently writing. Choose one day per week, and devote an hour to working on blogs and articles.

2) Stay active on social media. It does you no good to create a presence on social media channels if you don’t use them. Whether it is interacting with your audience, breaking down industry news, or posting links to blog entries and articles, ensure that you are active regularly. Make a habit of posting on social media at least 2-3 times every week, if not more.

3) Get out and network. Relationships are an extremely important element of your branding and marketing strategy. Meeting fellow professionals and business owners is a great way to convey your brand, tell your story, and communicate what makes you different from others in your market. But networking is one of those things that is easily pushed to the bottom of your to-do list whenever you’re busy—so make a habit of getting out at least once a month, every month!

4) Use your logo in communications. Branding is all about consistency and repetition—which means that the more you can expose your audience to your logo, the more established it will be in their mind. So take advantage of every opportunity. If you don’t have an envelope with your logo on it, get some printed. Make sure your logo is prominently featured on your letterhead, your invoices, your website, your social media channels, and elsewhere. Include your logo in your email signature.

5) Answer the phone properly. This one goes for your staff as well—make sure that whenever you answer the phone, you state the name of your firm. (i.e. “Celebrity Branding Agency, this is JW!”). And make sure that whoever answers the phone is cheerful, attentive, and pleasant. It may not seem important, but the experience your customers and your prospects have on the phone with your business play an important role in constructing their perception of you and your business!

Remember, branding is all about consistency. Periodic bursts of activity are nowhere near as effective as consistently reflecting your brand, week in and week out. And the only way to do this consistently is by creating habits. Feel free to get in touch with me if you’d like more information on this subject!

It’s election season, and most of you have already begun seeing political commercials on TV. If you haven’t, rest assured that you will be soon—especially if, like me, you live in a swing state like Florida. If you’re like many people, there’s a good chance that the barrage of political ads will irritate you and lead you to reach for the “mute” button on your remote. But think twice before you do so—because believe it or not, you can learn an awful lot about branding by paying attention to political campaigns. Here are four lessons that particularly stand out to me.

Staying on message is key to success. The worst thing that can happen for a political campaign is to fall “off message.” Each campaign has a specific narrative that they want to advance. Mitt Romney, for instance, wants to focus on the weak economy and his qualifications as a business expert. The more time he can spend hammering this message home, the happier his campaign will be. The same is true for you and your brand—the more time you spend reinforcing the key elements of your brand, the better you’ll do.

“Controlling the narrative” is critical. Because focus is so important, maintaining control of the narrative surrounding a political campaign (or your business) is crucial. Of late, the Obama campaign has been able to create distractions for Romney—such as clamoring for the release of his tax returns. These distractions force Romney to spend time addressing them, rather than focusing on his core message. Now, few business environments are as ruthlessly competitive as a presidential campaign, but the point remains: if you control the narrative surrounding your business, you’ll be better off.

It’s not “all business” all the time. Despite intense focus on the “issues of the day”, political campaigns have learned the importance of showing off the personality of their candidates. Romney proudly talks about his family every chance he gets, as does President Obama. Obama is known as a sports fan, and rarely refrains from sharing his opinion, even if it carries some level of risk. (Such as criticizing the New York Jets offseason moves, which he did recently.) The lesson? Whether you’re a politician or a businessperson, if you want your audience to truly connect with you, you can’t be one-dimensional. Make your family, your hobbies, and your passions a visible part of your brand.

Define yourself – or let the competition define you. Have you ever wondered why politicians start spending millions of dollars when the election is still months away? The answer is simple: they know that if they don’t “define” their image and their brand in the minds of the public, their opponent will define it for them. The same is true for your business. It’s important to proactively take control of your brand rather than let the chips fall where they may.

So the next time a political ad pops up on TV, resist the urge to change the channel and instead consider whether there is a lesson that you can apply to your business. You may be surprised at how much you can learn!

There are many factors that go into a purchasing decision. When consumers are choosing from among several businesses or individuals, they often consider price, delivery time, perceived quality, reputation, and so on. And while these elements are all important, years of experience have taught me that in many cases, the most important factor in a purchasing decision is the level of trust, confidence, and comfort the consumer has in the individual he/she will be doing business with.

In other words, people buy people. While factors like price certainly play a role, most consumers are willing to pay a premium in order to work with an individual that they know and trust. This concept is particularly true of higher-end, specialty services—like financial advising, legal consulting, or medical work. (For more generic services, like trash collection for example, factors such as price are typically more relevant.)

People buy people. But what does that mean, specifically? It means that if prospects trust you, feel like they know you, and view you as an expert, you’re going to have a great chance of winning their business.

And not only will you be able to win their business, but you will likely be able to command a higher rate than the competition. Again, this is because people prefer to work with other people that they know and trust—and they’re willing to pay a premium to do so.

How can you accomplish these goals?

You can inspire trust by being honest. Don’t make claims that you can’t live up to. Don’t use deceptive marketing. You can also inspire trust simply by doing your job well and consistently meeting the expectations of your current customers. As you build trust with clients, ask for testimonials—and feature them prominently in your marketing. It’s much easier for new prospects to trust you if they can read (or even better, watch on video) glowing testimonials about you from your current and past clients.

You can help prospects get to know you by expressing yourself across a number of channels. Publishing a blog is a great way to give your prospects insight into the way you think and the way you approach your business. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow you to share your expertise while at the same time showcasing your hobbies, interests, and your personality. It’s also important that you invest in professional photography and showcase a great picture of yourself. Give your audience the opportunity to see your face. Video is even better, so utilize it whenever you can!

You can position yourself as an expert by building credibility. Consider writing a book. (Contact me if you’d like to find out just how easy this process can be!) Give speeches whenever you can. Look for opportunities to be featured in media outlets—local TV affiliates, newspapers, and magazines, for example. This may seem unrealistic, but we’ve helped countless business owners just like you build credibility in exactly this fashion.

People buy people. If you’re looking to grow your business by finding new customers, don’t slash your prices in an attempt to undercut the competition. Instead, invest into creating a powerful personal brand that inspires trust and communicates credibility. Contact me if you’d like to learn more!

If you’re a sports fan, you probably remember the tremendous impact former New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin made on his team last season, before suffering a season ending injury. His exciting, fast-paced, and unselfish style of play made him an instant favorite among Knicks fans and basketball fans in general.

But Lin is more than just a talented athlete—he’s got business savvy as well, particularly as it relates to personal branding. Below is an excerpt from a recent article published on Forbes.com, which illustrates the potential and the value of a powerful personal brand:

Jeremy Lin has just made the news again, as he leaves New York for Houston. Personally, as a New Yorker, I am terribly saddened, because he is not only a compelling player, who set a great tone for the Knicks…but he is also a savvy professional, who has pulled some interesting moves off the court, as well as on it.

And it’s a good thing he did, because as he moves from New York to Houston, Linsanity moves with him.

So what does this mean to you? Very few of us have the national visibility of a star basketball player. But the lesson remains, the same, albeit on a smaller scale: a personal brand that sets you apart from your competitors is worth a tremendous amount of money. In the cases of athletes like LeBron James, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and now, he hopes, Jeremy Lin, a personal brand can translate into millions of dollars in endorsement deals. Meanwhile, internationally recognized brands like Apple, Nike, and Coca Cola spend huge sums of money creating and reinforcing their brand in order to maintain their strong positioning in the marketplace.

You can do exactly the same thing in your market. But often we hold back because we don’t think our name, or what we do is valuable enough to give it importance. Naturally, the real truth is that it is what you make it. By creating a personal brand that differentiates you and your business from your competition, you effectively create your own category in your field. There may be others in your field or work just as there are other basketball players but non as well know or liked in New York as Jeremy Lin was while he was there. When you are THE recognized expert in your line of work, you have the ability to command premium rates and get the attention you deserve but it is up to you to capitalize on it just as Lin did.

Jeremy Lin and a plethora of other star athletes have clearly recognized the value of a powerful personal brand. Have you?

Personal branding is great business. A powerful personal brand offers a variety of benefits to a business owner—including the ability to lock out competitors, charge premium rates, and still bring in all the business he or she can handle. But beyond the financial incentives, there is another reason that I love personal branding: because it can be a whole lot of fun.
Think about some of the business owners that have built up powerful personal brands—people like Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, and even Donald Trump.

Richard Branson is the CEO of the Virgin brand, which includes an airline, a record label, and a whole lot more. But that isn’t why most of us have heard of him. No, he’s famous for his outrageous stunts and antics. From skydiving to circumnavigating the globe, Branson has generated headlines and publicity for his business just by being himself… and having fun.

Mark Cuban is a billionaire, but few know how he made his money. Instead, the public knows him as a fun-loving sports fan. He bought the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and has been involved in a number of additional sports-related ventures. He regularly appears on a variety TV shows. Once again, he’s built an incredibly powerful personal brand… just by being himself and having fun.

Donald Trump earned millions through savvy investments—but it is his unique personality and love of the spotlight that has turned him into a household name. From appearing on reality TV shows to designing outrageous skyscrapers and casinos, Trump has parlayed his strong personality into a powerful personal brand.

Now, you may never appear on reality TV show. (Heck, many of us wouldn’t even want to.) But your personality and your ability to have fun is still essential to building an appealing personal brand. Your audience needs a reason to remember you—and letting them glimpse your lifestyle and your personality is a great way to do that.

For instance, if you are an avid outdoorsman, share your adventures with your audience. Tweet about recent hunting trips. Use services like Instagram and Facebook to share pictures of your latest adventures. Write about your experiences on your blog. You will enjoy doing this, of course—but the key is that your audience will pay attention. Even if many of your customers or potential customers aren’t big fans of the outdoors, they will appreciate that they have been able to get to know the “real” you. And you will have given them something to remember you by—instead of being just another faceless business owner.

If your personal branding efforts are boring, you are doing it wrong. An effective personal brand showcases your personality, as well as your professional strengths. For a brand to resonate with an audience, it must be authentic—and there are few better ways to create an authentic brand than to let your audience see you having fun. Personal branding is good business, but it’s more than just business. Make it fun!

It’s hard to watch the news or surf the web these days without seeing headlines about Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, or some other celebrity. Surely you have noticed this—perhaps you’re even annoyed by this. But here is an interesting question for you… what if your business could dominate the headlines in the same way?

Now, it’s not terribly likely that any of us could pull headlines away from Justin Bieber. But then again, that’s not the objective for most of us. Business owners only need to become a celebrity within their market. For some of you, that may mean your town or your city. Others may have a larger market. But the point is simple: celebrities like Justin Bieber have figured out how to consistently reach their market—through a number of different channels. And if you can figure out how to utilize some of their “tricks”, you’ll dramatically increase the exposure your business receives. Here are some lessons that we can learn from these celebrities:

Reach your audience where they are. Many of today’s celebrities have a huge presence on social media—particularly on Twitter. Why? Because that’s where their fans are. By reaching out to them in their “native” environment, it’s easy to establish a consistent connection. You may determine that many of your customers and prospects spend time on Facebook, or Twitter, or LinkedIn. If that is the case, you should create a presence there are well. Others may find that a better route to connecting with clients and potential clients is by attending trade conventions, networking events, or local clubs. There is no right or wrong answer—as long as you are reaching your audience!

Adopt a cause. Kim Kardashian supports the Skin Cancer Foundation, American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Dream Foundation, among others. Now, first and foremost, this is a good thing to do. It’s also a great way to generate additional exposure both for herself and for the cause. Consider this approach—look for a local cause or charity that you truly believe in, and find a way to participate. Not only is this a great thing to do, but it gives you the opportunity to make headlines through your charitable work.

Tailor your brand to your audience. Justin Bieber has gone through a major evolution over the past several months, as he matures into a more “adult” look and sound. Do you think that this was accidental? Of course not. Bieber and his team understand that his audience is changing and that, if he is to maintain his appeal, his brand will have to evolve. Fortunately, most businesses don’t need to “change their look” every couple of years—but they do need to pay every bit as much attention to their audience as Bieber does. If your brand, your products, your services, or your message no longer resonate with your audience… it’s time for a change. Pay close attention to your market and your customers—and make sure that your brand is relevant to them.

Hollywood celebrities have mastered the art of generating publicity and exposure for themselves. How can your business follow their lead? Feel free to get in touch with me if you’d like to learn more!

One of the most important functions of a personal brand is to differentiate yourself from the competition. In other words, the goal is to put yourself in a different category than the competitors in your market. If you are successful, you will have no trouble bringing in new business—and you will be able to charge premium rates. It’s the simple concept of supply and demand. If you are one of fifty generic service providers in your market, you’re going to have to fight hard for new business—and you’ll have to charge the same as everyone else. On the other hand, if you can establish yourself as unique, you don’t have to worry about the competition—because they don’t offer what you offer.

This is where a powerful personal brand comes in to play. The first step, of course, is identifying the traits or attributes that make you different to begin with. For some of you, it’s your years of experience in your field that have now translated into superior knowledge and understanding. For others, it may be a revolutionary new product or service that provides benefits that none of your competitors can match. And for others it could be personality—in many industries, such as the legal, dental, or medical industry, an attractive personality alone can be enough to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Once you have identified your points of differentiation, the next step is to ensure that you are communicating them. Below are three ways to do that.

1) Incorporate your points of differentiation into your business name, identity, or tagline. The more prominent you can make your points of differentiation, the better. It can be something as simple as “Orlando’s most experienced tax specialist”—the point is simply to expose your audience to this message over and over again.

2) Write about what makes you different. Whether it is writing and publishing a book, or publishing articles in leading newspapers, or simply blogging—writing frequently about your points of differentiation is important. Of course, it can’t be blatantly self serving… a blog titled “This is why I am better than the competition” will not have the desired effect. Focus instead on sharing stories and advice that reflect your experience and your unique abilities. Let your readers connect the dots for themselves.

3) Don’t let the competition change your message. One of the challenging parts about differentiating yourself from the competition is that it can be uncomfortable. When you see most of your competitors communicating the same message, it can be tempting to do the same. Stick to your guns—understand what makes you different and do not be afraid to shout it from the mountain tops. Standing out from the crowd can be intimidating—but it’s also the key to building a world-class business.

A personal brand that effectively differentiates you from the competition is invaluable. It’s your ticket to building the business of your dreams. How will your personal brand set you apart from your competition?

Social media is an extremely valuable channel for personal branding efforts. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow business owners to reach an audience that is virtually unlimited—and for a fraction of the cost of many other marketing channels.

But despite the massive popularity of sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram, the truth is that many business owners have yet to figure out an effective method of conveying their personal brand through social media.

Today, we’re going to look at six specific techniques that will enable you to leverage Facebook for your personal branding efforts.

1) Regularly share links to news and opinion within your industry. Sharing links to to interesting articles and opinions in your industry shows that you are connected and up to date. For instance, as a tax accountant, you could share links to news articles discussing recent changes in the tax code—and breaking down the impact those changes will have on your clients.

2) Comment on popular topics within your industry. Pay attention to the conversations that your friends and your fans are involved in on Facebook. Involve yourself in “cutting edge” discussions, especially those that impact the future of your industry. Simply participating in such discussion will boost your credibility.

3) Ask for input from your audience. Facebook can be a great source of ideas and inspiration. If you are stumped by a particular challenge, ask for input! Number one, you’ll likely get some great ideas. But even more importantly, interacting with your audience is the best way to build stronger relationships—and at the end of the day, social media is all about building relationships!

4) Offer sales and special deals for your Facebook audience. Consider posting special deals for your fans in order to both keep them engaged and to drive traffic to your site. Include a special promo code in your post, and your fans will be even more excited because of the exclusivity of the opportunity.

5) Links to your blog posts. Do you regularly publish blogs and articles on your website or elsewhere on the internet? If so, you should be sharing them on Facebook. A good post can often go “viral” as your fans read it and pass it along to their friends.

6) Get personal. Don’t be afraid to share some personal thoughts and opinions—as long as you don’t cross the line and offend anyone. Whether it’s sharing an inspiring quote or letting your fans know what you’re doing for lunch, your audience will be able to form a stronger “bond” with you when they feel that they are getting to know the real you.

Facebook is an incredible platform for personal branding—and the six ideas we covered today will get you started in the right direction. If you would like to learn more, please get in touch with me today!

Social media.

Network TV.

The Wall Street Journal.

What do each of these have in common? Each one of them is an effective channel by which a business owner can reach his or her audience.

So which is best?

The answer to that question depends on a number of variables—including the nature of your marketing message and your target market. Today, I’m going to evaluate several common branding and marketing channels in an effort to help you focus on the channels that will produce the best results.

Book publishing. Publishing a book on your area of expertise is one of most powerful ways to boost your credibility. Once you’ve become a published author, you have created the perception of yourself as an “expert” in the minds of your audience. This approach is very effective for business owners who are pursuing high-end clientele—because these customers are typically looking for “the best” and are willing to pay a premium for it!

Social media. Social media allows for real-time interaction with your audience. It’s a great way to connect with younger audiences, particularly, but don’t discount the power of platforms like Facebook for reaching middle-aged consumers as well. Utilize your social media presence to provide valuable information and advice that builds your credibility and continues to establish yourself as an expert.

TV appearances. When you see someone on TV, you assume that they must be an expert… right? It’s just the way that we are wired. The bright lights of TV have the power to turn you into a celebrity within your market—so if your goal is to position yourself above the competition in your market, it’s a valuable channel to utilize!

Articles in newspapers & magazines. Publishing in leading publications like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal provides a credibility boost, just like writing a book or appearing on TV. In addition, appearing in a major newspaper or magazine establishes you as a thought leader in your industry. It also communicates that you are current and up-to-date with the latest developments in your industry.

Billboards. If your target market is consolidated into a relatively small geographic area, a well-branded billboard can be a great way to generate exposure. Billboards can be very effective for local businesses such as a dental practice, doctor’s office, or law firm. If you pursue this advertising channel, make sure that the brand you communicate is consistent with your website, your social media presence, and any other channels you utilize. For many potential customers, your billboard will be the first time they are exposed to you—and if their next point of contact doesn’t meet the expectation that your billboard set, they will be disappointed.

In today’s digital world, there are more channels than ever for connecting with your audience. However, pursuing a branding channel simply because it is available is a bad idea. Take the time to evaluate the channels that are available to you, in order to determine which will be the best fit for your message and your audience. I’d be glad to help you with this process!

There are many pivotal moments in the life of a business, and of course in the life of a business owner. It would be an oversimplification to say that any single moment was the “turning point” in a career. That said, there are a small number of initiatives and decisions that seem to regularly serve as important turning points for business owners—and one of the most notable is the decision to publish a book. In fact, I can’t even count the number of businesses that I’ve seen turn around over the years, thanks to the owner deciding to publish a book. Publishing a book has an incredible impact on the brand of an individual and his or her business, and below are four of the primary benefits:

1) Increased visibility. Publishing a book provides a valuable opportunity to increase your visibility. From appearing on TV to publishing excerpts in national newspapers, there is nothing quite like a book for generating publicity. Each of these platforms represents a golden opportunity for you to pitch your book, of course, but also to pitch yourself and your business.

2) Increased credibility. As soon as you are able to add the title “author” to your resume, you’ve taken a huge leap in terms of credibility. Our society associates authorship with expertise—so as soon as you’ve published a book on your industry, you can expect a seismic change in the way your audience perceives you. When you are competing for a prospect, for instance, the fact that you have published a book is a powerful differentiating factor. When you publish a book, you become an expert on the subject in the eyes of your audience—I’ve seen it happen time and time again.

3) New opportunities. Whether it is the opportunity to launch a new venture with a partner, to franchises your business model, or something else—the process of writing and publishing a book often leads to a number of intriguing opportunities. Publishing a book is a bit like entering an exclusive club—all of a sudden, you’re rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers that keep our economy running. There’s no way of predicting what types of opportunities you’ll discover, but you can bet that they’ll be life-changing!

4) Discover your voice. When I’m talking to clients about publishing a book, the most common response is “But I don’t have anything to write about!” But they do, and so do you. In the process of planning and writing a book, not only are many business owners delighted to discover that they do have a story to tell… but they also find an effective means of communicating with their audience. They discover their “angle”—the distinguishing factor that sets them apart from their competition. You might not have any idea what to write about at the moment… but I can assure you, that will soon change!

Choosing to write and publish a book will have a dramatic impact on your business. And here’s a secret: it doesn’t have to be difficult! Get in touch with me today to learn more!

Why should you invest time and resources into creating a powerful brand? At the end of the day, the answer is simple: because a strong personal brand will lead to more customers and a more profitable business. Of course, it doesn’t happen automatically—so below are four ways to leverage your personal brand in order to bring in more business.

Brand your website. A strong personal brand is particularly valuable online—because over the internet, one of the major obstacles you face is inspiring trust on the part of potential leads. A generic, cookie-cutter website doesn’t cut it. Consumers want to deal with a living, breathing human being—not an anonymous website. Feature a picture of yourself prominently. If possible, include a video introduction. Make it clear that, when visitors to your website fill out a contact form or pick up the phone to call you, they will be interacting with a real live person.

Use your brand to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Your personal brand is a powerful tool for building credibility and visibility—but it’s more than that. A well-defined personal brand has the power to memorably differentiate yourself from your competitors. Your brand can then answer the all-important question: “why should I choose you instead of your competition?” Take the time to identify your most valuable points of differentiation—the superior quality of your product or services, your focus on customer service, your extensive experience in the industry… whatever they may be. Then, incorporate them in to your personal brand. Do this successfully and your personal brand becomes a powerful sales tool.

Incorporate your personal brand in your sales pitch. You have worked hard to create an effective personal brand—so leverage it during your sales process! Make your experience and your expertise a central selling point. On your website, this might mean featuring your accomplishments and your qualifications on the home page. As part of a direct mail campaign, this could mean prominently featuring your biography. Remember, consumers want to work with an expert whenever possible—so if you can combine a sales pitch that effectively communicates the benefits of your products and services with a powerful personal branding statement, you’ve got a winner every time.

Don’t hide in the corner. Finally, understand that your personal brand doesn’t help you unless you have an audience. Look for opportunities to interact with your target market, whether that means networking, speaking at a seminar, appearing on local TV outlets, publishing articles in newspapers and magazines, or something else entirely. It’s important to remember that even non-business events can be valuable networking opportunities—so whether it’s chatting with other parents at your child’s soccer game or attending a birthday party for friends, keep in mind that your next lead could be right around the corner.
No smart business owner spends money on marketing initiatives that don’t provide a return. Properly executed, your personal branding campaign may be the best investment you’ve ever made. Contact me today to learn more!

One of the primary objectives of personal branding is to differentiate yourself from the competition in your market. In other words, you are seeking to persuasively answer the most important question your prospects and leads will ask, namely “why should I choose you instead of competitor X?” In many cases, “competitor X” will offer cheaper rates, or may possess more experience, or some other tangible advantage.

A strong personal brand is the key to differentiating yourself from your competition—and a strong brand will give you the power to charge premium rates, while still attracting plenty of new business. Below are three specific ways in which your personal brand can separate you from the competition in your market.

1) An effective personal brand builds credibility. Take a look at the Home page of my website (http://www.jwdicks.com/). You’ll note a long list, on the right hand side of the page, of the numerous media outlets to which I have contributed. This provides instant credibility, and it will do the same for you. Write articles. Publish a blog. Look for opportunities to be featured in your local newspaper or on TV. (If you’re not sure where to start, contact me today!)

2) Your personal brand positions you as an expert in your field. In addition to building credibility, a well-crafted brand will position you as a leading expert in your industry. This is extremely valuable—imagine for a moment that you are looking for a new accountant, for instance. Would you prefer to work with one of the hundreds of anonymous CPAs in your town, or with an individual that is recognized as the leading expert in your area? Of course, you’d choose the expert—and you’d likely be willing to pay a premium for his expertise. Pursuing the media outlets in the previous paragraph will help position yourself as an expert, but don’t stop there. Pursue public speaking opportunities, consider publishing a book or an e-book, and look for other opportunities to bolster your status as a leading expert.

3) A strong personal brand communicates your personality. At the end of the day, people prefer to do business with others that they know and trust. This is an area in which many business owners go off course—they are so busy marketing their products and services that their brand lacks any personality whatsoever. As a result, it is hard for them to establish a personal connection with their market, and therefore it’s harder than it should be for them to close a deal. Done right, your brand can position you both as a credible expert in your industry and a real, breathing human being with an attractive personality. Do this by injecting your personality into your branding and marketing efforts when it’s appropriate. Sprinkle some jokes throughout a speech. Talk about your local sports team for a few minutes before you begin a face-to-face sales pitch or presentation. Share your frustration with the latest American Idol vote on Twitter and Facebook.

A strong personal brand will differentiate yourself and your business from others in your market—effectively allowing you to lock out the competition. Contact me today if you’d like to learn more!

Personal branding is great—but at the end of the day, nobody gets in to business because they want to establish themselves as a celebrity expert, or become memorable, or anything else along those lines.

The vast majority of business owners are in business for one simple reason: to make money!
And therefore, for personal branding to be a valuable pursuit, it must result in increased income.
Good news: it does. We wouldn’t be in business if it didn’t. Personal branding, properly integrated into your marketing plan, will result in more sales, better client retention, and ultimately, more income.

How can you effectively leverage your personal brand into your “big picture” marketing plan? Below are three steps:

1) Integrate your mass-media exposure into your direct marketing channels. At the Celebrity Branding Agency, one of the services we provide to our clients is helping them get exposure on TV and through major newspapers and magazines. But as you probably realize, appearing on a local TV affiliate may be great for your credibility, but it typically won’t result in a flood of phone calls—because only a tiny, tiny percentage of the TV audience are target customers. However, when you ARE marketing to your target customers (through your website, direct mailers, or whatever channel you may be using), incorporating your TV exposure into your pitch sends your credibility through the roof and gives you a much better chance to close the deal.

2) Tie your personal brand in to your website. Many websites these days have a “generic” feel to them. They may look great and have great content—but they often feel anonymous. This is a real problem, because one of the primary challenges of selling online is overcoming the cynicism that many online shoppers have developed. Incorporating your personal brand into your website gives it a personal appeal and makes your visitors much more likely to trust you and your business.

3) Create “raving fans” of your brand. Chances are, you know someone who is a devoted fan of Apple products. They own an iPad, an iPhone, and iMac—you name it, if it’s Apple, they own it. And they can’t stop talking about it! This is an extreme example of a raving fan—and it’s impossible to overstate the value of creating such fans of your brand. Raving fans generate authentic word of mouth referrals—and as a business owner, you know how valuable those are! If you can tie exceptional customer service and “WOW” moments into your brand, you’ll see your word of mouth referrals skyrocket.

At the end of the day, the key to bringing in more business and locking out the competition is to create a powerful and distinct personal brand for yourself—and then to leverage it effectively throughout your marketing presence. To learn more about creating and leveraging a powerful personal brand, please get in touch with us today!

For a business owner who has begun to develop his or her personal brand, with moderate success, there often comes a point at which they think “what’s next?” Typically, a personal brand is built in steps—first may be entering the world of social media, or simply focusing more on building relationships with clients and prospects. If you are in that situation, looking for strategies to take your brand to the next level, this article is for you. Below are four steps to help you create a dominant personal brand:

1) Write and publish a book. These days, it is hard to be considered an expert without writing a book. Conversely, being able to add “author” to your credentials provides an injection of credibility—even if few people read your book! Publishing a book discussing your industry and highlighting your expertise immediately takes your personal brand to a new height. And while the process of writing a book and having it published may seem daunting, it can actually be a simple process—enjoyable, even! If you’re interested, contact me and I’ll help you get started!

2) Seek out speaking opportunities. To further enhance your credibility and gain additional exposure, look for opportunities to speak on topics relating to your industry. Whether it is trade associations, conferences, or networking events, take as many opportunities to speak as you can. I understand that public speaking may seem intimidating—but trust me, after you’ve done it once or twice, you’ll start to enjoy it.

3) Appear on TV & radio broadcasts. Nothing screams “expert” like appearing on TV and the radio! And while you can’t simply walk to your local media outlet and ask them to let you on the air, it’s not as difficult as you may think to appear on these platforms. I’d be glad to tell you more about this process. Not only is a TV or radio appearance a great credibility booster—but it also introduces you to a large audience that likely has never heard of you. It’s a win-win situation!

4) Create a comprehensive internet presence that establishes your credibility. These days, most people who are looking for professional service conduct a Google search before doing anything else. If a prospective client searches for your name on Google, what will they find? Will they find a professional website with plenty of valuable content? Will they find a confusing mess of information and an unprofessional site? Will they find nothing at all? If you don’t have a great website, it may not matter how well-established you are as an expert in your field. Don’t take that chance—make sure that you have an internet presence that reflects your expertise!

These four steps, if properly executed, can help you create a personal brand that allows you to dominate your market. However, remember to stay consistent and true to the core of your brand. If you’d like help planning and executing any of these strategies, contact me today! (http://www.jwdicks.com/contact)

In my last article, we began examining the critical elements that make up a successful branding campaign. While no two branding campaigns are exactly the same, the reality is that virtually no branding campaign will succeed if it is lacking in any of these elements. Previously, we discussed the first three components: a branding campaign must boost credibility, increase visibility, and have a strong appeal to the selected target market. Today we are going to discuss the final three elements that must be present in a personal branding campaign if it is to be successful:

A strong personal branding campaign must brand the individual as an expert in his or her industry. Think about the last time you had to choose a doctor, a tax accountant, a lawyer, a financial advisor, or some other service provider. If your choice was between three average professionals and one recognized expert, which would you choose? For most people, the answer is obvious—whenever possible, we prefer to do business with experts. Your personal branding campaign must brand YOU as a recognized expert in your industry. Consider the legendary small business consultant Michael Gerber, the author of E-Myth. He didn’t settle for writing a bestseller—he parlayed that success into a personal branding blitz that includes radio shows, television appearances, speaking gigs, and much more. He is an unquestioned expert in his field—largely because he has been proactive in branding himself that way. For many business owners, the world of social media is a fantastic place to begin branding yourself as an expert—in fact, recent statistics show that out of every six minutes spent online, one of them is spent on a social network. It’s a rapidly growing audience—get your message out there!

An engaging personal branding campaign incorporates personality. There is more to personal branding than making an individual into a highly visible and credible expert. In addition, it is important to create a memorable brand. It doesn’t do much good to be considered an expert if everyone you meet forgets about you the very next day, does it? To address this challenge, a well-crafted personal branding campaign incorporates the individual’s personality into the brand that is being built. This can be done by focusing on your hobbies, your favorite sports teams, or your sense of humor, to name a few. The idea is to let your audience get to know your personality as well as your business acumen—so that you remain in the forefront of their mind long after you’ve met. A great example of this is Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban. There are 29 other owners in the NBA, but none with anywhere close to the name recognition as Cuban. What makes him different? He hasn’t been afraid to express his personality in the public square.

An effective personal branding campaign stays consistent. This is an area in which many branding campaigns go off track. Remember that the goal of any branding campaign is shape the way an individual, product, or company is perceived by their audience. And while the first impression you make goes a long way towards establishing your brand, it takes consistent repetition to firmly establish any brand. If you are always changing up your brand, before long you won’t stand for anything. Once you have identified the brand you are seeking to build, it’s crucial that you stay consistent. Keep hammering your message home—and before long, your audience will perceive you exactly the way you want them to!

There are plenty of tactics to choose from when it comes to creating a personal branding campaign. But whatever route you decide to take, make sure that your campaign accomplishes these six critical goals!

Personal branding is all about differentiating yourself from the competition by positioning yourself as an expert in your field. But there is another goal that must be considered, as well. Your personal brand must be memorable. It doesn’t do you much good to be considered the most skilled dentist in your town if people forget your name thirty seconds later. We’ve focused recently on building the credibility and expert status that are so important to a powerful brand—so today we are going to examine strategies by which you can ensure that your personal brand is memorable.

1) Focus your brand on a small number of attributes. In order to make your brand stand out, it is important that it is tightly focused. You can’t brand yourself as a marketing guru, a financial expert, and a great doctor all at once. Now, perhaps you are an overachiever and DO have expertise in a wide variety of fields. That’s great—but your personal brand still needs to be focused on a small number of attributes. You can’t be an expert at everything—otherwise, you end up standing for nothing. And that’s a sure way to be forgotten.

2) Highlight the value that you and your business provide to your target customers. As you are constructing your brand, make sure to highlight the values that have the greatest value to your market. As an accountant, for instance, emphasize relevant traits such as your experience and your excellent eye for details. When you give your target audience a reason to remember you, they are much more likely to do so. Everyone has needs, and by positioning yourself and your business as the best solution for those needs, you can ensure that you’ll come to mind as soon as the need arises.

3) Be a leader—not a follower. Too many business owners fall in line with the rest of their industry. As a result, every business in the industry looks the same. Whether you’re a doctor, a dentist, a CPA, or a retirement expert, don’t settle for the status quo. We’re not just talking about marketing, either—if you have an innovative idea for your products or services, pursue it. Become a leader, not a follower—and you’ll be the name that stands out in the minds of your audience.

4) Incorporate your personality. It is easy to ignore personal brands that seem artificial and contrived. Nowadays, we are extremely cynical—so it is important that your brand feels authentic. The best way to do this is to actually make it authentic! Incorporate your sense of humor, your love of sports, your hobbies, and your personal life. Make your brand feel authentic, and you don’t have to worry about being written off as just another salesman.

It is not enough to build a brand that positions you as an expert in your industry if nobody can remember your name! Is your personal brand memorable? If not, these four steps will help you fix this problem in a hurry!

This article was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1789411/keys-to-personal-branding-success-part-one

What does it take to execute a successful personal branding campaign? As you can probably guess, that answer is long and fairly complicated. However, while there are too many details to discuss in this space, there are several important concepts which are essential to any personal branding effort. Today, we are going to focus on three key elements—stay tuned later this month for part two, which will feature three more essential elements.

A successful personal branding campaign builds credibility. The idea behind our personal branding strategy is to help business owners establish themselves as celebrity experts within their market. No, we aren’t trying to make them into international superstars like Justin Bieber or Johnny Depp. We are trying to make them experts within their market. For instance, we would help a real estate agent in Atlanta become THE sought-after, well-known real estate guru in that market. The first step in accomplishing this goal is to build credibility for the business owner—and there are many ways to accomplish this. We encourage (and help) our clients to write and publish a book. We help our clients appear on local TV broadcasts, and we help them publish work in such prestigious newspapers as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. We encourage our clients to speak publically on topics related to their areas of expertise. Establishing credibility is a critical first step in building a strong and dynamic personal brand.

A successful personal branding campaign boosts visibility. The strongest personal brand in the world won’t do you any good if nobody sees you. It’s not enough to position yourself as a celebrity expert—you need to develop an audience! We help our clients accomplish this through a variety of media channels, as mentioned above. We also help them to build a dynamic website—and to attract targeted traffic. We teach our clients effective social media strategies and help them to build relationships with target customers within their market.

A successful personal branding campaign has a strong appeal to your target market. If your personal brand is going to lead to business growth (and really, why else would you be interested in branding?), it’s essential that it is finely tuned to appeal to your market. Your brand should reflect your personality and your skill set, but everything should be filtered through the question “does this appeal to my target customers?” What qualities do your customers value? Is it a sense of humor? Is it a non-stop, relentless work ethic? Is it your ability to take complicated issues and turn them into black and white, common sense terms that make sense? Tailor your personal brand to attract your target customers, and bringing in new business will be easier than ever before.

As discussed above, there are many elements that go into a successful branding campaign. But every strong branding campaign will boost credibility, increase visibility, and appeals to its target market. Stay tuned later this month for more keys to creating personal branding campaigns that really work.

This blog was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1782941/personal-branding-secrets-dont-go-with-the-flow

The goal of every personal branding campaign is to help the individual stand out amidst the competition. If you are a financial advisor, we want to help you become the premier financial advisor in your market—the go-to guru. If you are a dentist, we want you to become a local celebrity—the clear choice for any patient who wants the best treatment. So how do we accomplish this? A personal branding campaign has many elements, of course, but they are all focused on helping business owners stand out. In other words, we don’t want you to go with the flow. Below are several tips to help you stand out from the competition:

1) Make your personality part of your personal brand. There are plenty of competitors that offer similar products or services to yours. But none of them, not one single person, has your personality. So harness it! Make your personality a visible part of your brand—whether that means showcasing your sarcastic sense of humor or your impressive attention to detail. Your blog and your social media accounts are great platforms for this type of expression—and of course, in face-to-face conversations you should do your best to express your personality to everyone you meet.

2) Don’t hide your hobbies. When I tell clients to make their hobbies part of their brand, I often hear things like “but why would anyone care that I collect coins?” And yes, they are right—a potential customer is unlikely to become a client solely because of your hobby. But that isn’t the point—the point is that by sharing your hobbies, you give prospects an extra bit of information about yourself. And every bit of differentiation you can provide makes it easier for you to stand out in the minds of your prospects and customers. The point of sharing your hobbies isn’t directly to attract more business—the point is to make you and your business memorable for everyone you come into contact with. Ultimately, that memorability will lead to more business!

3) Don’t be afraid to stir the pot. Many business owners are so afraid of making a mistake when it comes to branding and marketing that they end up with a vanilla brand that looks just like everyone else’s. And while it is generally important not to offend anybody, don’t be afraid to push the envelope. If you can perform a service better than anyone else in your market, say so! If you have ideas that may shake up your industry, don’t hold back. And if you have opinions that may raise eyebrows, share them! Just make sure that you are staying true to your values and to the brand you are trying to build.

When it comes to personal branding, standing out from the crowd is always the goal. We have covered three great ways to do this—if you would like further information or if you would like help building a strong and distinctive brand, please contact me (http://www.jwdicks.com/contact) today!

This article was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1778400/personal-branding-have-you-identified-your-niche

If you are at a shooting range, what comes first: aiming your gun or pulling the trigger? For your safety and that of everyone nearby, I hope that aiming is the first step! While this is an obvious concept when it comes to shooting a gun or throwing darts, it’s an often overlooked step in many branding campaigns. An effective personal branding campaign starts by asking one question: who are your target customers? Once this question has been answered, a plan can be constructed to most effectively reach these customers. Often referred to as “finding your niche”, the process of identifying your target market is an all-important first step in any marketing and branding campaign. Below are several questions to ask in order to identify your ideal target market:

1) To which customers will your products and services most appeal? Most businesses have a wide range of potential customers—and many business owners make the mistake of pursuing all of them. The problem with that approach, from a personal branding standpoint, is that a strong brand can’t appeal to every single potential customer. Instead, it is important to identify your “bread and butter” customers, who will make up the core of your business—even if these customers don’t currently represent a majority of your total business. Once you have identified these customers, customize your brand for maximum appeal.

2) What attributes distinguish your business from the competition? In order to effectively position yourself within your marketplace, it is important to identify the traits that separate your business from everyone else. What does your business offer that no one else in your market can? Answering this question will enable you to emphasize your unique value proposition while constructing your personal brand.

3) What common frustrations or needs do your services or products address? How does your business solve a problem or find a solution for your customers? In particular, do you solve problems that nobody else can? These solutions should be an integral part of your personal brand. Along the same lines, try asking your customers what they appreciate the most about your business. Make their answers a focus of your branding and marketing campaigns.

4) How much competition are you facing? Finally, before settling on a target market and crafting a brand to reach that market, ask yourself the all-important question: how much competition will you be facing? If you can help it, avoid entering a hotly-contested market—because you’ll be fighting an uphill battle. On the other hand, if a less competitive niche isn’t available, don’t surrender. Instead, focus on differentiating yourself from the competition in your market. You can succeed in a market, no matter how competitive it is, if you can find a way to provide more value than anyone else—and if you can communicate this value proposition to your market.

If you haven’t yet identified your target market, take a few moments right now to do so. Without a clearly defined niche, your personal brand won’t be effective. Feel free to contact me for more help in this area!

This blog was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1774215/personal-branding-101

We have been taking an in-depth look at a variety of personal branding strategies over the past several months. Today we are going to take a step back and review the basics of personal branding.

The idea is simple. Personal branding seeks to shape the way an individual is perceived by his or her audience, whoever that audience may be. That typically includes seeking to brand oneself as an expert in a particular field. It should also include efforts to make the individual stand out from the crowd—this is often done by highlighting hobbies or unique talents.

The first step is defining your brand. This means sitting down and setting your goals—how do you want to be perceived? Obviously the answer to this question depends on the market you are targeting. It doesn’t do a marketing guru any good to brand himself as an accounting prodigy. If you provide support services to restaurants, for example, you’ll want your brand to be relevant to restaurant owners and managers. At this phase it is also important to identify your points of differentiation—how can you separate yourself from the competition? There may be plenty of marketers out there—but how many are there that specialize specifically in marketing for small accounting firms?

Once you have identified your area of expertise, you next need to figure out how to make your brand memorable. This can often be done by highlighting aspects of your personality—maybe you have a great sense of humor, or are a passionate sports fan. Highlight a trait or an ability that will help your brand stick in the mind of your audience.

Now that you have identified the brand you are seeking to build, the next step is creating and implementing a plan. There are nearly infinite choices when it comes to tactics for building a strong brand, including media campaigns, networking, and your social media presence. Carefully evaluate your options and settle on the approach that will best suit your brand.

The final, ongoing stage consists of review and adjustment. After you launch your campaign, regularly assess the effectiveness of your efforts. Be aware of your market—many people fail to pay enough attention to their market and end up building a brand that doesn’t resonate with their market the way they expected it to. At this point, you are like a pilot guiding his plane in for a landing. As the wind and other factors change, you need to make tiny adjustments to keep your brand on track. Don’t overreact—simply make the necessary adjustments as you grow your brand.

Personal branding is not a difficult concept to grasp. Basically, you want to be known as an expert in your area of expertise, and you want to stand out in the minds of your audience. Accomplishing that goal takes understanding of your market, your target customers, and of effective tactics for building your brand. And it takes commitment. If you’d like more information on personal branding, feel free to get in touch with me today!

This blog was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1769746/celebrity-branding-what-if-im-not-special

As I tell my clients over and over, your personal branding campaign should be primarily centered on the goal of branding yourself as a celebrity within your market. The key phrase here is “within your market.” You don’t need to become the next Hollywood superstar, you just need to become the go-to guy in your field, within your market. And as you know if you’ve been paying attention, that involves branding yourself both as an expert and as an interesting individual. Why interesting? Because it’s not good enough simply to be considered good at what you do; you also need to be memorable. You need to stick in the minds of potential clients, so that when they need your services, you are the first person they think of. For some clients I’ve spoken to, this seems to present a problem. “There’s simply nothing memorable about me,” they say. If you identify with that notion, pay attention, because today I’m going to show you that anyone can brand themselves as an expert and a celebrity if they are willing to commit 100% to that goal.

A common misperception about celebrities, whether in the entertainment industry, in business, or in sports, is that they are generally superior to the rest of the population. Many people perceive celebrities as not only talented, but also smart, good looking, ambitious, funny, and so on. The truth, in most cases, is that celebrities are just like the rest of the population, with some minor differences that make all the difference. The average NFL player is extremely good at football, but that’s probably the only thing separating him from the rest of the population. Warren Buffet is extremely gifted when it comes to finance. Justin Bieber is a great musician. Do you see what I am getting at here? Becoming a celebrity doesn’t mean transforming into a totally different person. It means getting extremely good at one thing. That sounds much less intimidating, right?

Of course, getting good at something doesn’t help you if nobody knows about it. And that is where celebrity branding comes into play. Let’s walk through the process together. Who are you, and what are you good at? What gifts, skills, or knowledge sets you apart from the competition? The answers to those questions point us to the essence of your personal brand. Whether you’re a forensic accountant or a beauty consultant, your brand should position you as an expert in your field, and it should reflect the specialized skills or knowledge that your competition doesn’t have, or doesn’t communicate.

The next ingredient to an effective personal brand is memorability. What will make you stick in the minds of potential customers? To answer this question, step away from your business qualifications for a second and think about your personality. What makes you unique? Your hobbies? Your sense of humor? Your passion for music, movies, or sports? Identify two or three personality traits that make you unique, and you’ve identified the “personal” part of your personal brand.

Branding yourself as a celebrity sounds intimidating. But as we’ve seen, it is something that most business owners can accomplish if they are serious about it. Do you have an area of business expertise? Do you have hobbies, passions, or interesting personality traits? That’s all it takes. With commitment, hard work, and the right guidance, you can become a celebrity within your market.

This article was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1767796/common-personal-branding-mistakes-to-avoid

The internet and modern technology means that, in 2011, we humans have more information at our fingertips than any other civilization, ever. This is an incredible privilege—but unfortunately, we also have to be careful, because there is as often as much bad information out there as there is good. Whether it is bad information or simply a lack of knowledge, there are certain mistakes I see repeated over and over when it comes to personal branding. Today we’re going to take a look at several common personal branding mistakes… are you making any of these?

1) Inconsistency. Building a powerful brand requires a strong focus on the precise brand you are seeking to create. It is essential that you zero in on your brand—and then keep hammering it home. You can’t be an expert financial planner one week and an eye-opening marketing consultant the next week. Either of those identities could make for a powerful brand—but if you are bouncing back and forth, you are not going to stand for anything.

2) Lack of focus. Don’t be vague. Whatever your profession is, I’m willing to bet there are plenty of people who more or less do what you do. Simply being another generic face will not get you noticed. You need to own your niche within your market—and to do this, you need to focus like a laser on that niche. You aren’t a lawyer—you are an expert legal advisor for emerging non-profit organizations, for instance.

3) Lack of benefit. The core of your personal brand can’t be what you do… the core of your brand must be what you provide to your customers. Do you see the difference? Shoppers don’t buy paper towels because they love paper towels… they buy them because they want to clean up spills! Apple does a fantastic job with this concept. Have you ever seen an Apple commercial focused primarily on the technical specifications of their products? No—because they focus on the convenience, the power, the “coolness” of their products. It’s not what you do, it is the benefit you provide to your customers!

4) Lack of originality. Branding is all about differentiation. I work with my clients to help them stand out from their competitors. Of course, they can’t do this without an element of uniqueness. Your brand must reflect you as a person as well as your professional identity—what makes you unique? Do you have any hobbies? Are you a huge fan of a certain TV show? Are you an obsessive sports fan? Make these traits a part of your brand! The goal is to make your brand unique and memorable—and to do this requires mixing in elements of your personality.

Are you consistent in your branding efforts? Are you focused on your niche? Is your brand about benefits? Is it original? If so, congratulations—you are well ahead of many others. If not, you still have plenty of time to make corrections! Don’t make these common mistakes.

This article was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1765056/personal-branding-what-can-we-learn-from-lebron

Even if you are not a sports fan, it is highly likely that you have heard the buzz surrounding LeBron James as the NBA playoffs wrapped up earlier this month. He has been a dominant topic of conversation for several months now–and not for the reasons that he would prefer. In case you haven’t heard, he made headlines last summer when he announced that he was leaving his previous team in Cleveland and heading to Miami to join the Heat. Unfortunately for him, after making his announcement and in the months to follow, he was transformed from a likeable and talented player in the public’s eye to Public Enemy Number One. Where did he go wrong, and what can we learn from his mistakes as they relate to personal branding?

1) Don’t always deliver bad news in public. If your press release or announcement can hurt or embarrass someone, the wise thing is to take the high road and not call attention to it yourself. Last summer, rather than informing the Cleveland Cavaliers that he would not be returning to their team, he went on live TV to publicly announce the decision. Cleveland’s management was humiliated and their fans were heartbroken. Simply by handling his announcement more tactfully, LeBron may have spared himself national scorn. This principle is very relevant to business as well–whether it is laying off an employee or ending a business relationship, always do your best to spare the other party embarrassment. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also keeps you from looking bad in public.

2) Don’t appear arrogant. LeBron James has been a star since high school, and has good reason to be confident. Unfortunately, thrust into the national spotlight after his decision to join Miami, his confidence began to look like arrogance. In a preseason rally he predicted multiple championships and stated that winning games would be “easy.” The fact that he refers to himself as “King James” doesn’t exactly scream humility, either. In America, we appreciate confidence and we love to watch talented individuals work, in sports or in business, but arrogance rubs us the wrong way. You want to be seen as an expert in your field, but there is a fine line and when you cross over from confidence to arrogant, you will lose more than you gain. You want to be considered humble, open, and teachable.

3) Don’t let others define you. Perhaps the biggest single mistake LeBron made was letting the media and his critics define his brand. After his announcement on live TV that he was leaving Cleveland, LeBron could have immediately apologized for embarrassing Cleveland. After he predicted multiple championships, he could have made a statement explaining that he was excited and got carried away. Instead, he largely remained silent–allowing his critics to portray him as arrogant and out of touch. This happens often with media that control your sound bites. If what is being conveyed isn’t accurate, be quick to correct it.

4) Surround yourself with talented advisors and confidants. A major factor in the fall from grace that LeBron experienced over the last year appears to be his lack of good advice. While experienced PR professionals could have stopped LeBron before it was too late, he prefers to surround himself with personal friends and family members. There’s nothing wrong with involving friends and family in important decisions, of course, but it’s essential to seek out experienced professionals before making big decisions–in any line of work.

In the scheme of things, LeBron James will be just fine. He’s incredibly talented, not to mention wealthy. However, the level of public criticism he received this year had to take a painful toll on him. While very few of us will ever command his level of attention, we can all learn from his mistakes and apply them to our own branding efforts.

Most businesses today have some sort of Facebook presence, and with good reason. Facebook is an incredibly popular social platform and is picking up thousands of new users each day. Unfortunately, it seems that many business owners don’t know how to truly engage this massive audience—many business people I have spoken to have created a page for their business, but don’t know where to go from there. I have some good news for you today—creating a strong Facebook presence is easier than you may think. In fact, your objective essentially boils down to a single concept: seek to create a community of users united by their common interest in your business—and make your community fun.
How can you make your presence fun? Here are some ideas:

1) Be creative. When you are posting something to your wall, don’t write in the same way that you would if you were preparing an annual report. The vast majority of Facebook users aren’t interested in boring, stuffy information—but if you make it funny, exciting, or outside-the-box, your audience will be much more receptive.

2) Offer special Facebook-only deals. Saving money is fun. Offer short term deals or discounts on your page (i.e. “10% discount on all products exclusively for our Facebook fans. Enter promo code ABCXYZ when you’re checking out.) This strategy can be a great way to boost sales—but even if most of your fans don’t make a purchase, you can bet that you will have their attention going forward. If you can make it clear that your Facebook presence can be a valuable money-saving resource for your fans, they’ll be much more interested in everything you have to say.

3) Look to build community. This is an area where many businesses get it wrong. Your Facebook presence isn’t a soapbox for you to lecture from. You can approach it that way, but your audience will quickly tune you out. The real value of your Facebook page is the interaction between you and your audience. So do your best to engage them. Ask for feedback on products. Start conversations that may not even be about your business. Comment on the activities of your fans. Don’t make it all about you—if one of your fans or friends has a question or needs advice, share your input.

4) Be active. Even if you are creative, work to build community, and offer great deals to your Facebook fans—you won’t accomplish much if you aren’t regularly active. Posting twice a month simply isn’t enough to build a real connection with your audience. Remember, most of them are on Facebook for hours each day… so make an effort to participate frequently.

If you can make your Facebook presence fun and valuable, you won’t have any problems attracting an audience. The vast majority of Facebook users aren’t looking for a sales pitch and aren’t interested in boring company data. They are interested in interacting with others, having a good time, and getting great deals. Make your presence fun—and the rest will take care of itself.

What is the difference between a generalist and a specialist, and why does that difference matter in your personal branding efforts? As you will see, the difference between branding yourself as a specialist instead of a generalist can literally be the difference between the success and failure of your business.

A generalist, quite simply, is somebody that is good at many things. In the context of our discussion, a generalist would be a professional with many specialties. For instance, a lawyer whose practice areas include criminal law, family law, business law, and tax law is a classic generalist. Another example would be a financial planner who dabbles in retirement planning, business consulting, tax services, and investments.

A specialist, on the other hand, is focused on a core specialty. An personal income tax advisor, a Volkswagen mechanic, a divorce attorney—these are specialists.

Which is better for business purposes? Many people think that it is best to be a generalist—because then you can attract a wider range of clients. The lawyer we used in our first example could bring in all sorts of business—those facing criminal charges, businesses, individuals pursuing divorce. On the other hand, our specialist lawyer would only attract those considering divorce. Clearly, it’s better to appeal to many people than to appeal to only a few, right?

Wrong.

It’s better to do one thing, and to do it well, than to dabble in a wide variety of services. To understand why this is the case, put yourself in a customer’s shoes. Let’s say you need to speak to a retirement planner. You have two choices—planner A is a generalist. He does a bit of everything, from corporate consulting to tax preparation. Planner B is a specialist who works exclusively with retirees and those planning for retirement. Everything else being equal, which planner will you choose? Clearly planner B, right? Because he is an expert in precisely the service that you need, whereas planner A juggles so many different services that he cannot possibly be as knowledgeable when it comes to retirement planning.

What does this mean for your branding efforts? It means you need to zero in on your core services and eliminate everything else. (Note: this doesn’t mean you can’t ever do work outside of your area of expertise—it just means those additional services should not be part of your brand.) Branding yourself as a “business consultant” is too broad. Instead, brand yourself as a marketing consultant for small law firms, or a management consultant for large construction firms. The key is to specialize—and then to become known as the expert in your specific specialty. When you do this, your target customers will be naturally attracted to you. You will not have to go door-to-door looking for any type of work you can get—you’ll have customers knocking on your door looking for the expertise that only you can provide.

As you are working on your personal branding plan, never forget the importance of establishing yourself as a specialist, not a generalist. With time, you will find that it is easier to attract business than you ever would have imagined. Resist the urge to be a jack-of-all-trades… brand yourself as a specialist.

If you own a business and employ others, it’s important that your staff buy in to your personal branding efforts. If not, you run the risk that your team will undercut your branding efforts. On the other hand, once you explain your brand and your strategy for building it, your staff will play an active role in strengthening your brand. Today we’re going to cover critical ways in which your employees can help you build your brand.

1) By believing. First and foremost, effective branding is about conveying a certain “feeling” to customers and others that interact with your business. This feeling is intangible—there is no way for your team to express it unless they understand and buy in to your concept. Two great examples of this belief in action are the employees at Walt Disney World and at the Apple store. At Disney, nearly every employee you encounter will be smiling, energetic, positive—and willing to do whatever he or she can to make your visit more magical. Meanwhile, the staff at an Apple store is virtually guaranteed to be passionate believers in their products. Apple customer associates are genuinely excited about what they are selling, because they’ve bought into the premise that Apple is truly making lives better one customer at a time.

2) By working your logo and branding identity into everything. Your accountant is sending an invoice to a client? It better be branded! Shipping a package to a customer? Same thing—there had better be a logo on the package. Why? Because branding is all about repetition. Every chance you have to get your logo in front of a customer or a prospect is a chance you need to take. If you run a large organization, it’s impossible for you to personally inspect every correspondence that goes out—so make sure your team knows the drill.

3) By answering the phone properly. This may seem trivial, but in many cases the first contact someone has with your business will be over the phone. That means whoever answers the phone is creating the first impression for your business—which will go a long way in conveying your brand effectively or not. Your name (or your company’s name) should always be in the greeting, and whoever answers should speak clearly and cheerfully. Even details like the type of music playing while a caller is placed on hold must be considered—and remember, the goal is to convey your brand at every opportunity.

If you hope to build a strong personal brand, it’s important that every member of your team understands what that brand is and how they are to contribute. Branding be done intellectually—you can’t simply tell a customer what your brand stands for. Your brand is essentially a reflection of how your customers see your company—and in many cases, your staff will do more to shape their perception than you do. So make sure you have the whole team on board!

I’ve spoken to many businessmen and women over the years on the topic of personal branding. And I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard some variation of the following statement: “I understand that personal branding is important—but I just don’t have any room in my budget.” My aim today is to blow that excuse out of the water once and for all. The truth is that you don’t have to spend huge sums of money to create an effective personal brand. In fact, some of the most effective branding tools today are available for use completely free of charge. Below are some excellent tools and strategies to help you build your brand without busting your budget:

1) Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The emergence of social media over the last ten years or so has completely reshaped our culture. And it’s completely revolutionized the world of personal branding. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn each have a different audience—but each is an ideal platform for building your personal brand. And best of all, all three services are totally free. If you haven’t entered the world of social media, don’t delay any longer. And if you are engaged in the world of social media but haven’t figured out how to leverage your presence to build your brand, I’ve covered these platforms in depth in previous blogs and articles.

2) YouTube. Twenty years ago, the notion of recording a video and quickly reaching a global audience would have been considered absurd. Now that technology is common—and cheap. And that means that you have the ability to be seen and heard by a vast audience—what better platform for branding could you dream of? If you’re not sure what you’d talk about, think about your area of expertise. What can you share that many people don’t know? If you’re a tax accountant, create a video series discussing the impact of a new law. Make it as interesting as you can and throw in some humor if possible—and voila, you’ve created a powerful branding tool. While it’s not a necessity, it is wise to invest in some quality recording equipment if possible.

3) Make yourself available to the media. This may sound farfetched—but you’d be surprised at how often reporters need insight from an expert in some field or another. Organizations like HARO (Help a Reporter Out: http://www.helpareporter.com/) exist to connect experts in their field to media sources. Getting quoted in a story or on television will provide an incredible boost in your branding efforts—and once again it won’t cost a time.

4) Rethink the way you and your staff answer the phone. How many phone calls does your office receive each day? Each and every call represents a golden opportunity to build your brand—and the first impression you leave is critical. A cheerful greeting that includes your name and your company name has a bigger impact that you may think.

From cutting edge technology such as social media all the way down to old-fashioned telephone etiquette, the bottom line is that you have an opportunity to build your personal brand every time you interact with the outside world. You don’t have to spend a fortune—you just have to make personal branding a priority.

In an ideal world, each of our personal brands would consistently grow as time passes. In reality, it’s easy to lose track of our branding efforts, or even to see them grow in an undesired direction. This can happen as a result of simply being busy—let’s face it, none of us have time to get everything done every single day. It can also be a result of choosing poor branding strategy that you later come to regret. In any case, today we’re going to discuss strategies for refocusing or rejuvenating your personal brand. If you’ve been neglecting your branding efforts, pay attention!

1) Take stock of your brand. What does your brand stand for? How active have you been in terms of broadcasting it? Are you happy with your brand? Are you exposing your brand to a wide enough audience? The main goal here is to determine your course of action—do you need to redefine your brand, or do you simply need to get it out there more effectively?

2) If your brand has been damaged, begin by addressing the damage. Has your personal brand taken a hit? Whether it’s online complaints about you or your business or negative PR as a result of a failed initiative or poor performance, ignoring the criticism is rarely a wise course of action. Instead take responsibility for your mistakes, take the appropriate corrective actions, and move on. If you don’t address negativity, it will continue to hang over your head and will threaten your future branding efforts.

3) Refocus. It’s not uncommon to see a personal brand drift off course. Keeping a brand focused requires conscious effort, and many people slip up from time to time. The most common problem is drifting from being an expert in your field towards being a “jack of all trades.” As you know, you can’t be everything to everyone. Focus your branding on what you do best, not simply on whatever comes to mind.

4) Look for lost opportunities. Once you’ve gotten your brand refocused to your satisfaction, it’s time to make sure that you are taking every opportunity to get your brand out there. Is your website up to date and consistent with your brand? Are you including links to your blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account in your email signature? When your office answers the phone, are they cheerful, helpful, and pleasant? Are your invoices and other communications with clients branded with your logo and your colors? Each of these instances represent a valuable opportunity to expose your target market to your brand—make sure you’re taking advantage of them.

Branding is an ongoing effort. This is good news for anybody who has ever let their brand get away from them—because it means that it is never too late to get back on track. So be honest and evaluate your efforts… and if you know you aren’t doing as well as you should be, commit to getting back on top of your personal brand starting today!

What does your personal brand represent? When coworkers, potential clients, or customers see your name, what do they think of? Hopefully you’ve identified the brand you want to project by now—if you haven’t, browse through my blog entries and articles to get a crash course. Today, I want to give you tips for ensuring that your brand is unique—in other words, that your personal branding helps differentiate you amongst your peers and competitors:

1) Take a survey. Step one is identifying the current state of your brand. Find five coworkers or friends and ask them to write down the top three words that come to mind when they think of you. Once they’ve finished, look over the results. The words they have chosen should give you a pretty good idea of how people perceive you. What do the results say? Are the traits they’ve identified generic and boring, or are they unique and interesting? Now that you have an idea of what your brand stands for, you can begin working to strengthen it.

2) Identify traits that make you unique—but also valuable. For many people, the hardest part of building their personal brand is determining what that brand should consist of. It’s important that it be unique and somewhat memorable, but it’s also important that your brand sends the right message. The challenge is identifying memorable characteristics that also add value to your brand. This might seem challenging, but it’s not. Why should potential customers choose to do business with you? What do you have that very few others can match? Answer these questions and you’ve identified the core of your personal brand.

3) Use your personality. Your brand can be more than your work experience or your education. Your sense of humor, your ability to focus, or your superior communication skills can be a valuable component of your personal brand. This requires an effort on your part, however— it doesn’t happen automatically. Whether that means inserting some humor into blog entries or making a point to seek out public speaking opportunities, emphasizing the skills that set you apart from the competition will make your brand stand out. What makes you unique?

Your personal brand is what you make it. If you’re content with being just another generic consultant, or lawyer, or whatever you do, so be it. But if you want to build a brand that truly allows you to stand out from the crowd, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Start by identifying the current state of your personal brand. Then identify traits or attributes that set you apart from the competition while also adding value to your brand. Once you’ve done this, it’s simply a matter of repetition and exposure. Take every opportunity to build your brand—including your business card, your social media presence, your blog, and the rest of your public persona. If you’re willing to put in the work, you will reap the benefits!

I had the opportunity to attend the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month. It’s always an exciting event, but it’s more than that—it’s an opportunity to see some of the most powerful and effective personal branders up close and personal. Most celebrities are talented individuals, sure, but talent alone doesn’t get you nominated for a Grammy. So what’s the secret? There’s no exact recipe, but personal branding plays a huge role. So today we’re going to examine the personal branding strategy of an up-and-coming international icon—Justin Bieber. You may not be a performer, but if you are serious about your personal branding efforts you will find something of value in his approach. Below are several of his strengths that are particularly impressive:

1. Consistency. Justin Bieber is nothing if not consistent. His appearance, his clothing, his mannerisms—he’s the same guy day in and day out. Bieber reinforces his brand across a huge range of platforms, ranging from televisions to social media, and he does a remarkable job of staying true to his brand.

2. Social media. Yes, Justin Bieber uses Twitter effectively. Then again, so does every other celebrity and entertainer out there. But Bieber has gotten more mileage out of social media than just about anybody, ever. Without YouTube, Bieber might still be sitting on his couch in Ontario, Canada. At a young age, Justin’s mother began recording his performances and posting them on YouTube—which is where a talent scout stumbled upon them. The agent quickly set up a meeting, at the rest is history.

3. Cross branding. Bieber made a point of associating himself with other stars early in his career, including such notable celebrities as Kim Kardashian and Usher. By doing so, not only did Justin expose himself to their considerable fan bases, but he gave himself an additional boost in credibility. At this point in his career, Bieber does not need “help” from anyone else, but it wasn’t that long ago that the general public was unsure if they should take this teen sensation seriously. The fact that other celebrities respected his talent was a critical boost to his brand.

4. Appeal to his target market. This is the most important point to be made here. Justin Bieber‘s personal brand has been carefully crafted to appeal to his most passionate supporters—namely, teens and young women. His appeal cuts across all demographics, but Bieber’s persona has been perfected to the point that it’s hard to find a teen girl who isn’t head-over-heels for him. By positioning himself as the ideal “product” for his target market, Bieber was able to create such a sensation that the rest of society was forced to take note. The lesson here is simple but critically important: give your target market what they want, and the rest will take care of itself.

Justin Bieber is a talented performer, but that’s not why he’s an icon even among other celebrities. More than anything else, Bieber and his managers have branded him perfectly. We may not have the charm or the vocal ability, but Justin Bieber’s branding success should be an inspiration and a lesson to all of us.

How many different business cards do you have in your wallet or near your desk right now? Twenty? Fifty? One hundred and fifty? Whatever the amount, you can understand my point. Most businesspeople are inundated with business cards. The challenge becomes, from a personal branding standpoint, how do you make your cards stand out from the rest? You need to think outside the box for this one—but it’s a challenge because you really can’t stray too far from the accepted standards for a business card. After all, your cards still need to be able to fit in wallets, purses, rolodexes, etc. Below are some of my favorite suggestions to help your cards stand out in a sea of business cards.

1) Size your business card irregularly. The standard size of a business card is 3.5 inches wide by 2 inches tall. As I mentioned earlier, you can’t stray far from this standard, but there is some room for flexibility. In particular, slightly reducing either the height or the width (but not both) of your card is a great way to make it stand out from the pack without going too far.

2) Consider laying your card out vertically. Most business cards have a horizontal layout. Designing yours to be read vertically changes the feel of your business card.

3) Altering the shape of your business card. Stepping away from the standard rectangular shape of most cards can be a great way to stand out. Even a simple effect like rounding the corners can make a dramatic difference. If you’re brave, a circular shape or an industry-specific shape can be a great route to go.

4) Use creative materials. The texture and feel of your business card is important. Simply by using top-of-the-line paper and dyes, you can help your card stand out amongst the lower quality competition. Or if you want to go further, consider using plastic or some other material. Designing your card to double as a refrigerator magnet is another good idea, and the possibility that it will end up on a fridge instead of in the trash is a major bonus!

As you can see, there are a variety of options when it comes to differentiating your business cards from the competition. It is important to remember, however, that your card needs to send the right message about you and your company. Thinking outside the box is great, but make sure you stay true to who you are and what you do. A tax accountant, for instance, probably wants to stay away from a card shaped and colored like a tropical fish—though such a card might be a great idea for a travel agent.

Oftentimes, your business card is the only connection that a potential client or customer may have to you. If that’s the case, the benefits of having a memorable card are obvious. Take a few moments and look at your card. Does it need to be improved? If so, the tips above should get your creative wheels turning.

As we’ve discussed in the past, Twitter is a powerful tool for anybody looking to build their personal brand. It’s a simple, user friendly service with vast potential. If you haven’t jumped in yet, it’s time to take the plunge! In recent months I’ve answered many questions from clients and colleagues who are beginning to get involved, and today I am going to share some of my favorite tips for using Twitter to build your personal brand.

1) Put thought into your profile picture. What type of brand are you seeking to establish? If you wish to appear professional and businesslike, make sure the picture you use reinforces that image. On the other hand, if you’re going for a casual, laid-back vibe, don’t choose a picture of yourself in a suit and tie. Your facial expression is important too—try to find a picture that makes you look friendly and engaging.

2) Consider an application such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, or Cotweet to help you manage your account. As we’ve discussed in the past, it’s important to have a regular presence on Twitter. A single tweet three times each week is simply not going to have much of an impact. At the same time, when you have a busy schedule it can be tough to tweet several times each day. That’s where an application like Hoobsuite or Tweetdeck can really help out—they allow you to schedule tweets in advance. Spend 30 minutes scheduling tweets in advance, and you won’t have to worry about it on a daily basis.

3) Promote your Twitter presence. Make sure you have links to your Twitter page on your email signature, your website, and anywhere else it’s appropriate. The more followers you have, the more impact you’ll have with each tweet.

4) Add value to your tweets. Why should anybody pay attention to your tweets? If you don’t give your followers a reason to pay attention, they won’t. Share interesting, relevant links. Make recommendations. Answer questions that other people have been asking. By providing value to your followers, you ensure that they will continue to pay attention.

5) Strive to build relationships. At the core, Twitter is about relationships. The best way to utilize it effectively to build your brand is to develop relationships with your followers. Not sure how to start? Begin by retweeting a post of somebody you follow, or compliment them on a job well done. Twitter users love to be noticed—simply showing interest on somebody else’s profile is a great way to lay the foundation for a strong relationship.

6) Pay attention to trends. Twitter has a great feature that allows you to see which topics are popular currently. Keep an eye on these trends (the list is located on your Home page), and if you have something to say about a topic that is currently trending, do so! It’s a great way to pick up more followers—and more importantly, it keeps you plugged in to the always interesting world of Twitter.

Twitter is a powerful tool—how many other platforms are there that allow you to potentially reach millions of people instantly, and for no cost? Make sure you are using it as effectively as possible! These tips should get you going in the right direction.

Personal branding has been a hot topic of discussion lately, and with good reason. It’s gained mainstream acceptance to the point that most professionals are at least aware of the basics. However, there still seems to be a misconception out there that personal branding is important for executives, business owners and celebrities—but not for everybody else. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Personal branding is an essential tool for all of us—entry-level employees all the way to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Effective personal branding will enhance your value to your employer, can increase your chances of promotion, and will position you as an expert in your line of work. And personal branding doesn’t have to be difficult—in fact, the tactics we’ll cover today can be done without walking away from your computer.

Think about your current job—when do you expect to be offered a promotion or a new opportunity? What is HR or management waiting for? In many cases, they’re waiting until they feel you have the necessary experience, or until you’ve developed sufficient expertise, or until you’ve shown the proper level of dedication to your job and your company. Now, strong personal branding won’t by itself accomplish any of these goals—but used effectively, your personal brand can showcase your talents, your knowledge, and your dedication to the outside world.

The first step is to determine the central components to the personal brand you want to build. When management hears your name, what do they think of? Are you young and energetic? Wise, experienced, and a proven winner? What about your expertise and your level of passion… do you love your job? Are you constantly soaking in knowledge, whether at work or at home? Are you up to speed with current developments and events that have an impact on your job? And what is your personality like? Are you laid back, calm and collected under pressure? Or perhaps you’re passionate, driven and determined to succeed in your every endeavor. Once you’ve identified two or three traits that you want to emphasize, you can begin building your brand.

The first step for professional personal branding should be LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a networking site that allows you to essentially display an in-depth resume and portfolio. You’ll want to upload a current version of your resume, as well as provide the additional information to display on your profile. Remember, as you are completing your profile, the personal brand that you are trying to build. Make sure that the information you are listing doesn’t take away from this brand. Every element of your profile, from your picture to your ‘specialties’, should enhance your brand. Once you’re happy with your profile, you can begin ‘connecting’ with colleagues, management, clients and others.

Twitter is another great online tool for professional personal branding. It’s important to remember, though Twitter is much more casual than LinkedIn, that your goal is still to build your personal brand. Make sure you choose an appropriate profile picture and write a professional-sounding blurb about yourself. Before you tweet anything, ask yourself “what would management think if they saw this?” Great tweet ideas include links to breaking news that impacts your job and your company, thoughts and insights relating to your areas of expertise, and personal thoughts or opinions that further advance your personal brand.

Social networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter are powerful tools for building your personal brand. Used wisely, they can emphasize your best qualities to the outside world—enhancing your chances of promotion, increasing your value to your employer, and positioning yourself as a true expert in your field.

There are many ways to build (or tear down) your personal brand. We’ve covered many of them in depth, so today we’re going to focus on less obvious opportunities to build your personal brand. Remember that every interaction you have either build your brand or weakens it—so ignore these opportunities and your own peril!

1) Your email signature. How many emails do you send each day? 10? 30? 100? Though writing emails has become a mundane part of the day for many of us, each email sent represents an opportunity to build your personal brand. That’s because your email signature is an incredibly valuable branding opportunity. Along with your name and contact information, your email signature is a great place to insert a quote or word of wisdom. With just the slightest bit of technical savvy you can insert a picture of yourself or a logo. And you can advertise your social media presence by providing a link to your Twitter profile, Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. But the best part of a branded email signature is the repetition. If you can create a signature that truly conveys your personal brand, it will be broadcast countless times every single day. Clients that you correspond with regularly will see it often enough that it will sink and create, in their minds, the perception of you that you want them to have. It doesn’t get any better than that from a branding standpoint!

2) Phone conversations. Conversations on the telephone, whether they’re business related or not, are another great opportunity to build your personal brand. It starts with your greeting— a good greeting will make you sound cheerful, welcoming and professional. Conversely, it’s easy to come off as cold, irritable or unprofessional without even realizing it. From now on, pay attention to how you answer your phone! Casual small talk is another opportunity to build your brand by projecting your personality. What are you saying about yourself when you’re talking about the weather, or the stock market, or the local sports team? Are you optimistic? Witty? Cynical? Negative? Whether you know it or not, the person on the other end of the phone is subconsciously shifting their perception of you based on what you say and how you say it. This is particularly true of contacts who haven’t met you in person.

3) Your wardrobe. Have you thought about how your clothing impacts your personal branding? Do you dress appropriately for the brand you’re trying to project? Oftentimes the clothes you wear define the first impression you make while meeting somebody face to face. This doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a $700 suit—it just means that the way you dress should be consistent with the brand image you are trying to create. Think about color as well—are there certain colors you’d like to be associated with? If so, wear them often!

As you can see, building your personal brand is an ongoing process. To create a powerful brand, you need to pay attention to the less obvious branding opportunities in addition to the more obvious opportunities. Doing a great job in the three areas we covered above will help you establish your personal brand in the minds of your customers, colleagues, friends and contacts.

We’ve talked about the importance of Twitter for personal branding in depth.  Today, I’m going to share three success stories—companies and individuals that have used Twitter to effectively build their brand.

1) Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh. Zappos was a very early adapter of Twitter, and as a result has built a very strong presence.  CEO Tony Hsieh, in particular, has used his twitter account (http://twitter.com/zappos) to infuse his personality into his business.  Contrary to the approach that many businesspeople take with Twitter, Hsieh isn’t hesitant to tweet about personal thoughts, opinions and activities that may have nothing to do with his business.  Rather than approaching Twitter as a giant billboard to advertise for Zappos, Hsieh uses it primarily to express his personality and connect with his followers.  When he does tweet about his business, he doesn’t make a sales pitch.  Rather, he shares interesting background details with his followers, or invites them to suggest improvements to various facets of his company.  As a result, followers stay engaged because Hsieh isn’t simply trying to sell them products.  In the long term, this results in customers with a strong connection to both Zappos and Tony Hsieh—and that is personal branding at its best. 

2) Comcast’s Bill Gerth. Comcast was another early adapter of Twitter, but they took a very different approach than Zappos.  In order to counter the perception that they were out of touch with their subscribers, Comcast created a Twitter account (http://twitter.com/comcastcares) specifically to help out frustrated customers.  In order to add personality to the account, Comcast assigned employee Bill Gerth to be the face of the operation.  This allowed followers to develop a personal connection—subtly countering the notion that Comcast is a large, bureaucratic, inhuman corporation.  Their customer service team uses the page to assist customers that are having issues— technical, billing, or others.  A glance at their page reveals a steady stream of correspondence with customers, immediately conveying that Comcast is dedicated to satisfying their customers.  Their Twitter presence serves two purposes—first, it’s an efficient way to provide customer support; and second, it presents Comcast as a customer centered company that truly cares. 

3)Southwest’s Christi Day. Southwest has been on Twitter since 2007 and has built a dynamic presence.  Run by employee Christi Day, Southwest uses their profile (http://twitter.com/SouthwestAir) for a variety of functions, but all have brand-building as their central purpose.  Common tweets include correspondence with travelers experiencing problems (a tweet earlier this week to a delayed flier read “I’m so sorry for the delay tonight. Hopefully we’ll get everyone outta there soon, hang in there!”) as well as announcements, information and contests.  This month, Southwest is holding a “12 days of LUV” contest in which they are offering 12 $1,000 Southwest gift cards to contest winners.  The contest asks followers to participate in various challenges, such as dressing their pet festively for the holidays.  Participants send pictures, and the winner is announced via Twitter.  These interactions paint a picture of Southwest as an engaged, fun-loving and customer oriented airline—branding at its finest.

You may not own a Fortune-500 company, but there is nothing stopping you from building a strong personal brand through Twitter.  The companies we covered above found great approaches that work for them—what will your approach be?

If you pay attention to the world of sports, you’ve no doubt heard plenty about Michael Vick’s record setting performance last Monday night. Vick, the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, had an incredible game while becoming the only player in NFL history to throw three touchdown passes and run for two more in the first half of a game. Headlines across the nation paid tribute to his incredible performance—starkly contrasting the headlines that ran in 2007, when Vick was arrested for animal cruelty and other charges. I’ve spoken to many individuals who have been on the receiving end of negative publicity because of their own or other’s mistakes. In many cases, they feel hopeless and are ready to give up. Michael Vick’s story is a great illustration of the reality that it is never too late to begin recuperating your brand and overcoming mistakes. While Vick still has many detractors and a long way to go to make us all forget about his crimes, the fact that he is back in the public eye, making millions of dollars playing in the NFL, is amazing. So how has he begun restoring his brand, and what lessons can we take from it?

1) Take responsibility for your mistakes. Own up, apologize if necessary, do what you have to do to make it right—and move on. In Vick’s case this meant prison time… for most people, this may mean an apology to a customer, employer or boss. If a client complains about your products publically online, for instance, don’t ignore it. Instead, engage the unhappy customer and offer to work with him or her to make it right. Not only might you win the customer back, you’ll also have turned the negative publicity into a positive. Without your response, potential customers that saw your unhappy client’s complaint might have been frightened away. By responding, you’ve ensured that even if potential clients do see a complaint about you, they will also see how hard you’ve worked to make it right.

2) Address the issues that caused the problem. For Vick, this meant finding a new circle of friends. For others, it may mean being careful about what they post and say on Twitter and Facebook, or it may mean terminating or retraining an employee. The bottom line is that you need to fix the problem and make sure it doesn’t happen again. In general, people are willing to forgive and forget about a mistake. But repeating the same mistake over and over will make it very hard to recover.

3) Remember that nearly everything you do contributes to your brand. You may not think that how you answer your phone is important—but it often forms the first impression that somebody has of you. When you’re trying to recuperate your image, every interaction with a customer, colleague, boss or employee is important. Think about how you dress, what you say, and how you say it. Are you sending the right message?

4) Give them something else to talk about. Last Monday night, Mike Vick changed his public perception by performing at an incredible level. You may not be an NFL quarterback, but you are capable of exceptional performance in your field, whatever that may be. Do what it takes to impress those around you with your skill, determination, knowledge or whatever assets you possess.

Dealing with negative publicity or a bad reputation can be depressing. It’s a horrible feeling to see your name or your company’s name associated with negativity. But it is never too late to turn your reputation around. The steps we’ve discussed above will get you started in the right direction.

In just a few short years, Twitter has become a household name. If you had told me five years ago that I would spend my time “tweeting” I would have thought you were crazy. Today, most people are aware of the power of Twitter for networking, website promotion and communicating… but have you thought about the impact Twitter could have on your personal brand? Twitter is ideally designed for personal branding—users have the ability to choose a color scheme, upload a picture, and send messages to an unlimited number of followers. The casual feel of the site gives users the freedom to incorporate their sense of humor and personal interests into their tweets—an opportunity that doesn’t exist with many other forms of communication. However, don’t let the simplicity fool you… as with all branding efforts, effective personal branding through Twitter requires a well-conceived plan. Below are five tips to get you started:

1) Put some thought into your layout. You don’t have to design a masterpiece, but you should spend some time on your Twitter layout to make sure it is consistent with your personal brand. Perhaps most importantly, choose a picture that shows you at your best. If you’re like most people, you’re a bit shy about using your picture in public—but resist the urge to use a company logo or some other image. When it comes to the colors of your profile, try to use the same colors as you have on your website, blog or other branding materials.

2) Engage experts in your field. Follow experts in your field and look for opportunities to contribute to their conversations. If they reply to you, you can bet that many of their followers will follow you. This is a great way to gain more followers—and it’s a great way to gain credibility in your field of work.

3) Self promotion should be subtle. Many experts suggest that no more than 20% of your tweets should be self promotion. More than that may make you look like a spammer—and that is not the brand any of us want to convey! In addition, even when you are promoting your blog posts, web site or special deals, make sure that you choose your words carefully. Twitter is not a place for an in-depth sales pitch.

4) Tweet once a day at minimum. If you’re tweeting less than once a day, you’re not going to connect with your followers. You need to build relationships in order to convey your brand—and that takes more than two tweets per week.

5) Be yourself. Don’t be stiff and boring. Display your sense of humor. Share some opinions. You don’t want to be overly controversial, obviously, but an interesting opinion is a great way to catch the attention of your followers.

Twitter provides a unique opportunity to engage your friends, clients and potential clients. Before diving in, make sure that you’ve identified your personal brand. Each action that you take should reflect that brand. Keep the guidelines we’ve covered above in mind, and you’ll be well on the way to projecting your personal brand through Twitter.

Roman emperors used their own personal branding technique when they minted coins with their faces on them. By doing so, they made their subjects aware of who was in charge and this, in theory, avoided any messy rebellions.

People in advertising have known this for a while, and that is why faces are so prominent in visual advertising.

The face is one of the most used visual tools in advertising campaigns. It is used in all types of visual media. Faces are found in newspapers, magazines, and authors very often have their photos on the inside back cover of books. Television is all about people’s faces. Even online, people are recognizing the power that comes from having an image of themselves online.
The reasoning behind this is simple. People are hardwired to recognize faces, so it makes sense to use faces in ads. They direct the audience’s attention towards what the ad is trying to sell. People read other people’s emotions through the expressions on their faces, and through this often perceive certain things about the person behind the face.

People’s penchant for faces is also one of the primary reasons Facebook overtook all other social sites and now dominates that market. Sure, the other sites allowed you to post your face, but the “Face” in Facebook made it seem like the thing to do.

The same is true in other, older industries.

New real estate agents are taught to have business cards with photos of their faces on them. Though a potential client may only have met the agent for a few minutes before receiving the card, seeing the real estate agent’s face subconsciously allows any potential client to “know” with whom they are doing business.

People like to know the people with whom they do business, so having your face on a business card or, even better, a website and social media sites, will help people become more open to doing business with you. If someone knows your face, they think they know you.

In reality, they do not know the intricacies of your personality, your likes and dislikes, or what your favorite color might be, but by making your face part of your personal brand you are helping potential customers get to know you. If they get a chance to meet you in person, they will likely treat you like someone they have known for some time, rather than someone that they have barely met.

This simple personal branding tip can create business from places you least expect. Imagine getting an e-mail or phone call or someone popping into your place of business and greeting you by name, just because they saw your photo on your website. This is happening more frequently in today’s business world, and it is all due to people adding their face, and the personality behind it, to their brand.

This personal branding stuff is not really a new thing. Since the early days of advertising, faces of people have graced the packaging products, and businesses grew from the sheer force of the personalities of those who started them. Look at Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Tiger Woods, Richard Branson, Michael Jackson, and a whole host of others who have used their personas to create or enhance a brand.

All of them built their businesses and brands around who they were. Sure, all of those mentioned above had their talents. Michael Jackson had a brilliant singing voice. Tiger Woods has a knack for golf. And Gates, Buffett, and Branson certainly had more than their fair share of business acumen.

But who and what grew their careers and businesses? They did. And it was not just because they had talent. People liked and trusted that they would do the things they said they would, and all things being equal, people tend to buy products or services from people they like and trust. That is one of the most important reasons behind celebrity endorsements for many big companies.

What is new about personal branding today is that now anyone can do it with relative ease and with little expense. Social media has leveled the playing field, allowing small business owners, wannabe musicians and artists, filmmakers, job seekers, and others to stand out from the herd.

It has helped consumers become more responsible about the companies with which they choose to do businesses. It has helped launch new celebrity careers. It has promoted businesses that start with little or no advertising budget. And it can help you.

Whether using your personal brand to launch a career or strategically place your start up business, personal branding using social media is as important a development as television was to advertising and marketing in the 1950s. In fact, it is even more important!

This is because social media allows people to easily carry on conversations with other people, including and especially potential customers, something which television tends not to do so well. Social media has become a means to connect people with common interests from around the world. People in business are finding it is an important way to connect consumers with their products or services. The Internet has become ever more social, and with the number of online communities growing exponentially, knowing where you fit into it is essential to developing your personal brand.

For social media to truly work when developing your brand, it is necessary to look at what makes you stand out from the crowd. You need to look at yourself and what you do, and how you are different from your competition.

It is a good idea to ask yourself questions from a potential customer’s perspective:

• What makes you better and more capable?
• What makes you a good person with whom to do business?
• Why should people do business with you rather than with someone else?

Once you know the answers to these questions it will help you create your brand position and focus your marketing message to a particular target.

Someone asked me the other day what exactly “personal branding” meant. It took me aback for a second, because I had been doing what many others often do – I assumed that they knew what I knew. It reminded me that not everyone is focused on personal branding like I am – and likewise with your business. Sometimes going back to the basics is more valuable than nuance. One of the basics of personal branding is simply telling your story.

Your business’ brand is the aspect of your business that makes you unique to your competitors. And personal branding is building that brand around the most unique element of your business – YOU!

One of the hardest things for people to do when focusing on creating a personal brand is opening themselves up to others and letting your market see who you are – the good and the bad! Most of us fear rejection until we come to realize that we will never please everyone. Once we understand this and focus on the people that accept us as we are, we will be able to help more people in the long run. The more open you are, the stronger you’re relationship will be with your customer. They will trust you more and be more willing to do business with you and recommend you to others.

The best way to begin to “open yourself up” to your market is to tell your story. Why do you do what you do? Just like a new relationship, your story is the building blocks of who you are and in turn, what you have to offer that is unique. Being able to convey this message effectively could be the catalyst to building a solid personal brand.

In my book, “Celebrity Branding You!” I pose three questions to ask yourself when creating your personal brand. First, “What do people talk to you about or compliment you on?” This is important because it makes you think about the best way that you can help others. It may sound simple, but knowing what you do best is key to building your brand.

Next, “How do you communicate with others?” In the book I say that, in business, you are always on stage. Knowing how you come across to people in your actions and your words (and sometimes your body language) is extremely important. If you aren’t conveying to others how you want to be branded, then others will do it for you. Take time to think about how you may be portraying yourself to others. Try to picture yourself through their eyes. Is it the same picture that you’re trying to portray?

Finally, “What is Your Elevator Speech?” The elevator speech is what you would tell someone in an elevator if they asked about what you do. I think everyone probably has this information nailed down – but are you conveying this information in the right way? Try to take a moment to think about your answer. Is your answer something that will make that person think about you in the future? Does your answer provide the possibility of value to that person? Think about an answer that you can give that sets you apart from their preconceived notions of your profession. Don’t let them pigeonhole you. Give them something that’s hard to forget.

Being able to tell your story effectively will be key to setting your personal brand apart from others. Be yourself and seek those who like you for who you are. Be honest and open – let people understand who you are and where you’re coming from. In the end, your clients will trust you more – and be more willing to let you help them when they need your expertise.