This blog was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1767023/make-the-right-impression

It is often hard to quantify precisely what a strong brand consists of. It’s hard because a powerful brand creates equally powerful feelings in the minds of its market. We pay plenty of attention to important branding tactics utilizing social media, websites, and other media. But I believe that many business owners overlook the power of the “vibe” they create in person.
Whatever you may think of Bill Clinton’s politics, just about anybody who met the man spoke of his charisma and the command he had of a room or a conversation. Do you think that ability helped him reach the Presidency of this country? Of course it did … and you may not be planning on running for office, but the impression you create on those around you will go a long way towards defining your personal brand–for better or for worse. With that in mind, below are some tips to help you make a strong first impression. Some of these may be review–but we can all use a refresher course every once in a while!

1) You need to look sharp. It’s that simple. This means clothing that is appropriate to your profession and the occasion, it means being neatly groomed, and it can even include smelling great!

2) Be confident. A first impression is not the time for modesty. You are an expert. You are the best at what you do. You are an authority in your field. Now act like it! Walk like it. Talk like it. We are all drawn to confident leaders … confidence attracts followers (and customers!)

3) Make eye contact. When you meet someone, look them in the eyes. Making eye contact indicates warmth and confidence–while avoiding it can make you appear weak, or, even worse for a business owner, it can make you seem like you are hiding something.

4) Take a moment to think, if needed. Many people, when they are nervous, will stammer or repeat “um” thirty times per minute. If you are caught off guard, don’t blurt out a poorly conceived answer. Take a couple of seconds to process, and then speak. You will be amazed by the difference this can make!

The first impression you make on a potential client plays a large role in defining your personal brand to that person … so make sure it is positive!

This blog was originally posted and featured on FastCompany.com. The original post can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1765584/personal-branding-tips-be-yourself

Personal branding doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, the best way to ensure that your personal brand is unique and vibrant is to incorporate your personality into the brand you are seeking to build. In other words, be yourself! If you are a fanatical sports fan, let that become part of your brand. Not only does branding become more fun when you are being true to yourself, but your audience will be able to sense that it is genuine and will pay more attention. Below are ways to incorporate your personality into the personal brand you are building:

1) Make your hobbies a visible part of your brand. Whether it is a love for your favorite sports team, your fishing habit, or a less-common interest such as coin collecting, your hobbies are a great way to give your personal brand some life and help stand out from the crowd. Incorporate these passions into your blog, your social media presence, and your “Bio” page on your website. It will make you seem more genuine, more interesting, and it will give you a chance to bond with clients or prospects who have similar interests.

2) Show off your family. If you are married and/or have kids, your family is a major part of your life. Make them a part of your brand–don’t hesitate to post family pictures on Twitter, for instance. Once again, including your family as part of your brand makes you appear much more “real” instead of one-dimensional.

3) Don’t be shy. Many people are afraid to share opinions, ideas, or even their sense of humor. While you do need to be sure that you aren’t offensive or inappropriate, don’t hesitate to express ideas that aren’t pure vanilla. You’ll become more interesting and more engaging–and you’ll find that your clients appreciate getting to know the real you. Injecting a touch of humor into your blog posts, emails, and social media updates is always a good idea as well.

Many people make the mistake of believing that their personal brand should be sterile, clean, and one-dimensional. That’s simply not the case! An effective personal brand is based largely on personality–so don’t be afraid to let yours shine through.

The technological breakthroughs we have experienced in the last twenty years have made it possible for anyone with an internet connection and a good plan to build a strong personal brand. That said, the ease by which any of us can interact with the outside world presents challenges as well. Staying consistent can be difficult. Think about it for a moment—most business owners have a presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Virtually all of them communicate with clients and prospects via email, phone conversations, and face to face meetings. Most businesses have a website, many have additional marketing materials, and some of you may run larger-scale campaigns including billboards, radio commercials, and TV spots. On one hand, it’s incredible to have so many platforms by which you can engage your market. On the other hand, from a personal branding standpoint, it’s incredibly easy to send mixed messages. And as you know, it is impossible to build a strong personal brand without being consistent.

How can you stay consistent? The first step is to have a clearly defined personal brand. We’ve talked about that in depth elsewhere—so all I’ll say here is that you should have a very short list of attributes that make up your personal brand. Every time you engage the outside world, no matter what the platform may be, ensure that the message you are sending reinforces the brand you are trying to build.

We must also acknowledge that there is a big difference between Twitter and a billboard, for example. The style of your communication must change depending on the platform, but your message should not. Yes, you may use incomplete sentences or phrases on Twitter that you’d never use in an email. That’s fine—as long as the message you are sending reinforces the brand you are trying to build.

Staying consistent across various platforms doesn’t have to be difficult. But it does require the right mindset. It’s critical that you view your branding campaign from a big picture perspective—in other words, recognize that your Facebook page and your billboard advertisements are intertwined not separate from each other. Each platform is an element of your branding strategy—and only by coordinating your presence can you be successful.

In today’s world, it’s easy for a branding strategy to become incoherent as you spread your message across a broad range of platforms. Don’t fall into this trap. Make sure your brand is clearly defined. Recognize that each platform is an element of your strategy, not a separate entity. Change your style of communication to fit each platform, but keep the message consistent. If you can stay focused, you’ll be able to build a powerful, dynamic personal brand capable of engaging your market—wherever they may be.

I share many strategies and techniques in this space, including many that take a “big picture” approach—in other words, they may not pay immediate dividends. Like most things in life, a great personal brand cannot be built overnight. Today, however, I’m going to take a different approach and share several personal branding tips that you can put into practice immediately.

1) Take a look at your business cards. Are they sharp, professional, and distinctive? In many cases your business card may be the only connection you have with a potential client—so make sure your card represents you and your business well.

2) Control your name online. Even if you don’t yet have a website or a social media presence, it’s wise to plan for the future. Check to see if YourName.com is still available, and if so, purchase the rights to the domain. It will cost you less than $15 per year. In addition, register your name on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

3) Work on your elevator speech. Every business owner needs to have their “elevator speech” honed to perfection. You should be able to tell potential clients, partners, or employees about your company in 20-40 seconds—and you should be able to do it compellingly. Evaluate your elevator speech right now. Do you have one? Is it effective? If not, get to work.

4) Think about your first impression. How do you come across when you meet someone for the first time? Confident? Friendly? Nervous? Ask for some opinions—friends, colleagues, and family members can probably give you an accurate picture of the impression you make. If it isn’t what it should be, spend some time thinking about how you can improve.

5) Tell your story. Remember that branding comes down to painting a picture of yourself for the world to see. So take a moment to think about your interactions with the outside world. Are you reinforcing your brand at every opportunity? Or are you contradicting the brand you’re trying to build? Evaluate your branding efforts and make changes, if necessary.

While personal branding is an ongoing process that is never “done”, the ideas I’ve just listed can make an immediate impact. Put them in to practice today!

Whatever your personal brand may look like, it’s important that the central component be your expertise in your field or occupation. If you are a landscaper, you are THE expert landscaper in your city. A retirement planner? You are THE expert retirement planner in your area. It’s a simple concept, but it’s critical if you’re hoping to translate a strong personal brand into more business. You can have the strongest personal brand in the world, but if it doesn’t include expertise in what you do, it’s not going to lead to more clients. This concept holds true no matter what platform you are using for your branding—billboard advertisements, social media, direct mail campaigns, or whatever else you may use. If the central message behind your brand isn’t “I’m the best at what I do,” you need to reevaluate. Below are three ways to incorporate your expertise into your branding efforts:

1) Break down the news. One of the absolute best ways to establish yourself as an expert is to break down news that impacts your business and your customers. Don’t simply parrot the news, analyze it. If you’re a landscaper and the weather forecast is calling for an extremely hot and dry summer, provide tips to your clients to help them keep their plants healthy. By interpreting the news and explaining the impact to your clients, you quickly become a trusted expert in your area of work.

2) Play the part. You’ve heard the old cliché “a man should dress for the job he wants,” right? That concept holds true for marketing purposes, too. You’re an expert—so act like one! Look for opportunities to speak, whether to trade associations or high school students. Write a book, publish a blog, try to get quoted in the newspaper.

3) Stay focused. Remember that you cannot be everything to everyone. You’re not going to be regarded as an expert landscaper, architect, marketer, and accountant. Don’t overdo it—focus on building your expertise in your field of practice.

A strong personal brand can bring you plenty of new business—but only if your brand is centered around your unique skills and abilities in your line of work. It’s easy to focus on being funny, knowledgeable, or any number of other things. And that is ok—just make sure that when all is said and done, you’re an expert first… and everything else second.

Close your eyes, clear your mind, and think about McDonalds. No, I’m not trying to make you hungry—but I bet I can tell you exactly what came to mind: Happy meals, French fries, or maybe the iconic golden arches. Now repeat the exercise, but this time the word to consider is Microsoft. What came to mind? This time it’s a lot harder—Windows may be the answer for many, but many others would point to Bing, Excel, Hotmail, X-Box gaming consoles… the list goes on. What’s the difference between McDonalds and Microsoft? Clearly both companies have been incredibly successful—but McDonalds has a much more powerful brand than Microsoft. Why? Simple—focus, and consistency.

McDonalds is a fast food joint, plain and simple. Microsoft makes operating systems. And search engines. And productivity software. And gaming consoles. See the difference? Microsoft doesn’t stand for anything in particular. Now, as a multi-billion dollar company, their lack of a focused brand won’t kill them. But for a small business or an individual, the difference between a focused brand and a diluted brand can literally be the difference between success and failure.

Let’s make this personal now—what is your brand? You’re THE go-to marketing consultant in your area? Then focus on repeating that message, hammering it home time and time again. Resist the temptation to branch out with your brand—for instance, adding and advertising management consulting services to your current services may seem like a good business decision, but what will the impact be on your brand? Suddenly your audience, who has come to know you as the marketing guru, is hit with a conflicting message. Who are you—the marketing guy, or the management guy? You simply can’t be seen as an expert in every subject—and if you try, you end up not being seen as an expert in ANY subject.

Here’s the bottom line: you can’t be everything to everyone. If you try, you’ll end up standing for nothing. So resist the temptation to branch out. Focus your branding efforts around the key components of your personal brand and keep hammering the message home.

As you know, building your personal brand is an ongoing process. Creating a powerful brand requires action on a regular basis—and if you fail to make it part of your routine, your brand will slowly lose its power. The problem is that you’re busy—so how can you make sure that you’re dedicating sufficient time to branding? There is only one answer to this question as far as I’m concerned—you need to make it part of your routine. Eventually it will become a habit, just like checking your email in the morning is a habit. Below are tips to help you incorporate your personal branding efforts into your routine:

1) Schedule your branding activities. Hopefully blogging is a part of your branding, along with a social media presence. Schedule these activities into your week—for instance, make blogging the first thing you do each Tuesday and Thursday. When branding becomes another item on your agenda, instead of an “extra” task to do when you have time, you’ll find that you become much more effective.

2) Make it fun. Are you a good public speaker? If so, seek opportunities to speak on topics relating to your area of expertise. If you’re a great writer, look for opportunities to contribute an op-ed to the local paper, or even write frequent letters to the editor. Branding doesn’t have to be hard work!

3) Seek accountability. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated and on schedule. This is true in just about every situation—whether you’re trying to get into shape by working out at the gym, or trying to build your personal brand. Find a partner and hold each other accountable. This could be a friend, a colleague, or even an employee. It could be someone who is similarly struggling to devote time to branding, or it could be an individual that needs to be held accountable and encouraged for a different purpose. You don’t need a branding expert—you just need someone to call you up and say “how’s it going?”

Building your brand requires constant work. And like a houseplant that needs to be watered regularly, if it is neglected it will wilt and eventually die. It’s vital that you create a system for your branding efforts. Address your personal brand regularly and you’ll be reaping the benefits for years to come.

Why is personal branding such a big deal? The fact is that a strong personal brand means different things for different people, though it is valuable for everyone. Today, I’m going to answer the question from the vantage point of a business owner. Below are some of the many benefits of a strong personal brand to a business owner:

1) Credibility. When a potential client comes across your website, what will they find? Are you Johnny Q. Smith, one of five hundred landscapers in your city? Or are you Johnny Q. Smith, THE landscaping expert in your area? As a customer, which profile is more appealing? Obviously, any customer would rather have an expert working on their yard. So how can you establish yourself as an expert? You guessed it—that’s what a strong brand will do for you.

2) Command a premium price. As we discussed in point number one, customers and clients will always prefer an expert in their field. A consequence of this, of course, is that experts in their field can command higher fees. A strong personal brand allows you to make more money in addition to attracting more clients.

3) Make yourself memorable. Contrast these cases: Let’s say you’re working on a short-term project for a customer. In case A, you do a solid job, collect your payment, say goodbye, and move on. In case B, you do a solid job, demonstrate the traits that make you unique as the expert, collect your payment, and continue to keep in touch after you have done your job making sure the client is happy with the work you delivered. In which instance are you more likely to get a call for a repeat job six months down the road? Case B, of course. If you can stand out in the mind of each of your clients and follow up to make sure they got what they need and are satisfied with your work, you’re much more likely to get repeat business. And a strong personal brand and good customer relations will help you stand out to each one of your clients.

A strong personal brand creates instant credibility, allows you to command a premium price, and enables you to stand out in the mind of your clients. Each of these abilities will directly contribute to your bottom line—and that’s why personal branding should be very, very important to you.

What makes a celebrity? As I discussed in a recent article, talent is not the answer to that question. There are probably thousands of female vocalists with more talent than Lady Gaga, but she’s on the cover of every magazine and they aren’t. It’s more than talent—it’s connections, it’s luck, but a huge part of it in my opinion is personal branding. So what can we learn from the personal branding habits of celebrities?

1) Stand for something. It doesn’t matter what it is—if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to stand for something. Simon Cowell will call it like he sees it, whether he’s offensive or not. Whatever you think of Sarah Palin’s political views, you’ve definitely heard of her. Eminem is notorious for the violent lyrics in his songs, but he’s managed to parlay his notoriety into commercial appearances for major national brands. Now, I’m not suggesting that you morph yourself into a polarizing or outrageous character—but I am telling you that if you don’t stand for something, you’re not going to develop a powerful brand.

2) If you want to be a celebrity, act like one. Justin Bieber grew up in Ontario, Canada. If he had chosen to stay there, would he have blown up into the international phenomenon he is today? Of course not. Part of making it in his line of work is moving to Hollywood, or New York, or Miami. Does Rihanna still dress and do her makeup the same way she did before she burst on the scene a few years ago? I can’t say for sure, but it’s highly doubtful! The point is this—to be taken seriously as a celebrity, one must act like a celebrity. If you want to be taken seriously as an expert in your field, you need to act like one. Write a blog. Publish a book. Speak in public.

3) Don’t try to please everyone. Taylor Swift is wildly popular, but there are plenty of music fans who hate her music. The same goes for just about every celebrity out there—even a figure with such universal appeal as Bono of U2 is certain to have his fair share of detractors. It’s a simple concept, but it’s often overlooked: You can’t please everyone. You can’t be an expert at everything. So don’t try. Instead, focus on what you do best. Work to give your target market exactly what they need, and don’t worry about the rest of the world.

We’ve talked before in this space about the value of your blog in positioning yourself as an expert in your field. And obviously, establishing your expertise is a big part of establishing your brand. But your blog is more than simply a place to establish credibility, it’s also an opportunity to broadcast your personal brand as a whole. It can be used to convey your sense of humor, your non-work interests and your passions. Used effectively, your blog can be a great vehicle to truly connect with your readers as you build your personal brand. Below are tips to help you get the most out of your blog’s branding potential:

1) Choose an appropriate layout or theme. Whether you’re designing your blog from scratch or using a theme, it’s important that the layout of your blog conveys your brand. If you’re branding yourself as a serious, dedicated professional, you should probably stay away from a sports-themed blog. Conversely, if “sports fan” is a big part of your personal brand, a sports-oriented layout may be perfect. The key here is that your layout should reflect the brand you are trying to build.

2) Make sure to include a picture of yourself. Even if you’re camera shy, it’s important to include a picture of yourself on your blog. After all, your blog is all about building a personal connection with your audience, and it’s hard to do that if they can’t see your face.

3) Display your sense of humor. Your readers aren’t expecting your blog to read like a textbook. While you want to stay focused and professional, don’t hesitate to show off your sense of humor.

Whether it’s a link to an article you found amusing, a joke you want to retell, or just some sarcastic commentary throughout your posts, don’t be shy. Not only will it make your blog posts more fun to read, but your readers will be seeing the “real” you. And that’s what personal branding is all about.
Your blog is a powerful tool for building your personal brand. Make sure that you are making the most of it.