15 strategies for leveraging social media as a tool for personal branding

© www.briancliette.com

15 Strategies for

Leveraging Social

Media as Tool for

Personal Branding

Brian A. Cliette


Brian A.Cliettewww.briancliette.com

@briancliette

Digital Marketing Strategist

www.superlinkjuice.com


SOOooo

What Exactly is Personal Branding


SOOooo What Exactly is Personal

Branding?

"YOU, MY FRIEND, ARE A BRAND“Barry Feldman


YOU’RE A BRAND

I’M A BRAND

WE’RE ALL BRANDS


Branding?

Whether we aim to be or not


Many people have

questioned the sudden

rise of personal branding


Branding?



Branding?

In some cases we can thank reality television for turning ordinary people into, authors, product developers, spokes people, marketers and overnight celebrities



Branding?Developing

Protecting

Optimizing

the way that you are presented( your personal & professional goals and interest) to others.


Why Personal Branding


Why Personal Branding?

Agendas may differ

Better Job

More Clients

Book Sales But we seek the same things

Recognition

Respect

Influence

SuccessAny goal



"One of the most overlooked aspects of social business and social media is the power of the personal brand. Unfortunately, many marketers and business leaders wrongly assume that personal branding is only for those looking to be "famous" or become some type of online or social marketing "guru." This couldn't be further from the truth" -Pam Moore



No longer do you have to pay the mass media gatekeepers to be published or to gain attention



The Social Web is the great equalizer allowing any individual to publish, promote and engage with a global audience Almost Instantly


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4

Benefits of a Powerful Personal

Brand5

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A Steady Stream of Ideal Clients

Rewarding Partnerships

Leadership Opportunities

Greater Mindshare

Association with a market niche

Greater credibility

Recognition and prestige

Higher perceived value


15 Strategies for

Leveraging Social Media as Tool

for Personal Branding

Some Great Tips for Getting Started With Personal Branding


Adapted from Branding Expert Michael Hyatt's book "Platform"


Choose 1 to 3 areas of expertise 1

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Define your Audience

Create a clear value proposition

Write a compelling brand slogan.

Establish a Consistent look

The 15 Strategies


Show yourself.6

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10

Complete Your Profile

Create " Amazing " Content

Dial Into Dialogue

Connect and Stay Connected

The 15 Strategies


Build a Circle of influencers11

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15

Grow a Responsive Email List

Fix Your Privacy Settings

Monitor mentions of your name, and reply quickly

Post every day to your most valued social profiles.

The 15 Strategies


1

Choose 1 to 3 areas of expertise


What sets you apart from others?




DEVELOPERDESIGNWEB ANALYSISMAKETTING SOLUTION

Finding this unique element will help you set up and target the rest of the steps in creating your personal brand strategy. Before you can establish or develop your expertise, you have to decide what you want to be known for.



" The world of personal branding is flooded with competing entrepreneurs, so it isn't enough to choose a general field like "marketing" or “human resources.“ Instead, it’s best to develop yourself in a very specific niche. With a niche focus, you'll have more opportunities to prove you know what you're talking about, and while your potential audience might be slightly smaller, it will also be that much more relevant.” - Jayson Demers - Inc. Magazine



Specificity is a trade of volume for significance


2

Define your audience


Define your audience

The Focus of all your Content -Must be your readers.

• What are their needs?

• What are their pains?

• How can you help?


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• What can you offer your audience?

• What will they get from investing their time in your content?



A clear value proposition will serve as a framework for all your efforts.

Your value proposition should be succinct and simple


4

Write a compelling Brand Slogan



With the level of noise in Media today, it’s critical to make a strong impression quickly.

How can you summarize your brand promise in a concise slogan?


5

Establish a consistent look



Any memorable brand, your brand included, should present itself consistently.

Using a variety of logos, colors, and fonts will confuse your audience.



Apply the standards you create to everything – your website, business cards, flyers, etc.



Develop a look for your Personal Brand with:

A professionally designed logo

A pleasing color palette

A limited menu of fonts


6

Show yourself


Show yourself

A great photo of yourself helps establish credibility and build trust.

Get a great headshot that captures the real, authentic you.

Use on headshot on your website and across all your social media networks.

People want to connect with people, not merely brands.


Show yourself

Capture yourself in action

» Working at your computer

» Analyzing your client's data

» Coaching one on one

» Facilitating a small group meeting

» Recording a podcast

» Shooting a video

» Speaking before a large crowd

» Autographing your book at an event


Show yourself

Don’t forget to smile –look friendly and approachable


7

Complete your profile



No one likes an egg profile picture



One of the most unprofessional things you can do on social media is to have half-completed, dormant profiles floating around the net.



Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete



• An it is up to date with your most recent work history /education history.

• And that your other profiles such as Google+, Instagram and Twitter are up-to date, relevant and full.


8

Create amazing content



Your personal brand is reflected in the content your create and share.

Creating content to showcase your expertise must be at the core of your personal branding efforts.



" If content is the fuel for your personal brand, social media is the engine." - Kevan Lee



Things to consider when creating content:

• What's most valuable for the reader?• What's the main message you want to get across?• Where can you share your content for the maximize impact?• Does your content inspire some sort of action?• Are focused on educating the reader, not promoting yourself?• Do your social networks reflect your targeted demographic(s)?



Focus on sharing your knowledge. At the same time don’t fear having a strong point of view



Accommodate the different preferences of your target market

BLOGS

PODCASTS

WEBINARS

PRESENTATIONS

EBOOKS

WHITE PAPERS

VIDEOS


9

Dial into dialogue


Dial into dialogue

Advertisers talk and consumers listen

Only foolish die hard marketers believe this statement


Dial into dialogue

"The Only brand you can build when you do all the talking is an arrogant one" -Barry Feldman


Dial into dialogue

You must allow your Tribe/fans/customers to chime in on everything your doing.



Consider the following ways to get them to chime in:

• Host webinars• Conduct and Publish surveys• respond to Blog comments• Host forums and membership sites• Encourage reviews of your products & services• Host Chats• Offer Onsite Polls• Get Social• Post questions throughout your Social Network


10

Connect and stay connected



• The growth of your personal brand will parallel your ability to capitalize on it.

• It is derived from the connections you make.



The following "Connection" tips come from Networking expert David Bradford's "101 tips for shockingly Personal, Powerful and Permanent Business Connections."



The Power of Your Network:

• Building a great network takes time. Make it part of your daily routine and seek to expand it continuously

• Follow up with new connections you make promptly, stay in touch, and always follow-through on your promises

• Connect the people in your network to each other



Think Big:

• Surround yourself with top-notch people

• Don't let awe stop you. Have the confidence to reach out to the best

• Study the network of successful friends and leaders in your niche

• Find mentors. Do as they Do.• Ask for advice from everyone you

stand to learn from.



Be a Giver:

• Give as much as you can• Ask a lot of Questions and listen• Ask your connections if there’s

anything you can do for them• Tell people you're excited to hear their

stories• Make yourself available to your peers

and organizations.• Give thanks to everyone for Kind acts

of any kind



Lastly:

• Use the power of storytelling to give your connections things to remember you by.


11

Build a Circle of Influencers



"Social Clout is the universally accepted currency of the social web" - Brian A. Cliette



Every Club, class, team, or organization always seems to have " The In Crowd "

In the offline world it’s awkward to invite yourself into these networks

However with social media it's not



• Reach out to experts to contribute to your content• Shake hands and exchange business cards at events• Publish Lists, for example Books or Blogs you've read• Seek out guest post on the blogs of others• Offer JV deals on products & services that you create• Ask experts for interviews( Podcast, Google Hangouts)• Introduce people within your current network• Create communities and groups of your own on LinkedIn,

Google+ and Facebook• Share the content of influencers you admire

Some strategies for building authority and leveraging influencers:


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Grow a responsive email list



• Despite being labeled "Old School" Email is still the private and (mostly) trusted medium everyone uses.

• Personal branding is largely online centric.

• The most valuable asset an online marketer could ever wish for is an Responsive email list.



After 5+ Blog PostsManagement of at least 2 Social Networks It’s email time

Develop an offer Create a landing page


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Maintaining a personal brand means keeping on top of your privacy settings.

You should silo very personal items within a specific circle of social contacts



Instagram lets you choose who can see your photos

Pinterest has secret boards

By Contrast, Twitter is a default public network - don't every forget that!!



Lastly, If you don't want the majority of your posts to be seen by certain contacts, it may be time to remove them from your social networks altogether


14

Monitor Mentions of Your Name and Reply Quickly


Monitor Mentions Of Your Name

What is the best way to track those who mention or message you?



Track your mentions with a monitoring tool like Mention.com or Google Alerts.These services track anytime your name surfaces online, be it in a blog, social media post or status update.



Adjust your Social Media email notification settings to see the various types of interactions i.e. new followers, new comments ,mentions, messages, and more.



According to a study by Lithium Technologies "53 percent of users who tweet at a company brand expect a response within the hour"



So…. What about personal brands?

A good rule of thumb might be: a response within 24 hours.


15

Post Every Day to Your Most Valued Social Profiles.


Post Everyday To Your Most Valued

Social Profiles

So.. How will others get to know you and your brand?



Social Profiles

Making yourself easy to find is the 1st step towards a great personal brand

Sharing your enthusiasm and expertise with others

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Social Profiles

Taking an active role on your social channels is key to gaining influence and followers


So what is the Ideal frequency of posting to social media?

• Facebook - 2 times per day• Twitter - 5 times per day• LinkedIn - 1 time per day• Google+ - 2 times per day• Pinterest - 5 times per day• Instagram - 1.5 times per day


Social Profiles


Getting Started


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Find and define 1-3 areas of focus

Share 1 to 2 times per day on your most valued channels

Track your mentions, and reply within 24 hours

Build a consistent persona on all your social profiles

Engage with others by joining chats, groups, and communities

Getting Started


Personal Branding

Quick Tips


Build Your Own Platform

Be Authentic Create content Define Your Audience

Focused Niche

Design with class and continuity

Help others Seek out online influencers

Join online Groups Leverage Keywords and Phrases

Personal Branding Quick Tips


Use LinkedIn effectively

Create A Network Ask Questions Understand and use emotional triggers

Have Passion

Personal Branding Quick Tips


Software For Developing Your Personal Brand

• Knowem.com - Reserve your name on all social channels

• Checkem.com-Check to see if your desired username is still available on Social Networking websites



• Mention.com• Mention tracks any time your

name surfaces online, be it in a blog, a social media post, status update



Content Scheduling

• hootsuite.com

• tweetdeck.com

• Bufferapp.com



• Buzzsumo.com

• Analyze what content performs best for any topic or competitor



• Feedly.com

• A single place to read your favorite newspapers, magazines and blogs.


Helpful Books On Branding

• Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future, By Dan Schawbel

• The You Plan, By Michael "Dr. Woody" Woodward

• Branding Pays, by Karen Kang

• Platform,by Michael Hyatt

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THANK YOU