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Archived in Personal branding is nothing new. Politicians, celebrities and high flying executives have used personal coaches and branding consultants to spruce up their image for decades.
What’s changed is that people are now forming impressions of businesses based on what they uncover on Google. So whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, small enterprise or monolithic conglomerate, it’s worth understanding why personal branding is becoming one of the marketing buzz words for 2009.
Google is watching you
People might grumble about CCTV and ID cards, but what they should really be worried about is the amount of data being recorded about them on the web.
Whenever you post a comment on a blog, update your MySpace profile or get tagged in a photo you’re leaving a digital trace that says something about you.
‘Hilarious’ comments on Facebook and people airing their private lives on blogs has already ruined interviews and cost people their jobs because of employers conducting background checks on Google, and not liking what they find.
The same potential risk applies to your business. Before hiring your services or buying your product, there’s a high likelihood that people will type your brand name into Google to decide whether you can be trusted.
If you’re mentioned online it means you have a reputation and a brand identity to protect.
What is your personal brand?
Traditionally a personal brand is a culmination of your attributes, such as your vision, values, skills, passions and how you communicate. It should define how people perceive and respond to you, which is why personal brands are so carefully managed by people in the public eye.
Now that people are forming impressions based on what they discover on the web, personal branding applies to entrepreneurs and businesses as well.
Along with your logo, slogan and headshot, you need to consider how the content you publish on the web influences the impression people have of your brand, and whether to hire your services or buy your product.
How do I create a personal brand?
Building your personal online brand isn’t simply a case of creating profiles on every social networking site you can find. Any fool can create a Facebook page, send friend requests to as many randoms as possible and abuse their status updates plugging their services.
Creating a successful personal brand comes from providing great content to your customers because, as with social high flyers, it’s the quality of the conversation you can offer that will boost your standing in people’s eyes.
Personal branding checklist
For a master class in personal branding on the web look no further than Brand Obama. But in the meantime, here’s a checklist to get you started:
Website – Your #1 personal branding tool. If you’re not online then you’re nowhere as far as a sizeable chunk of your customers are concerned. If your website doesn’t pop up on the first page of Google then people are unlikely to reward your absence with their hard cash.
Blog – become a publisher and giveaway free valuable content offering insight, entertainment and a glimpse into your brand’s personality. Blogs are an excellent tool for relationship building and positioning yourself as a knowledge leader. Google seems to like them too.
Email – whether you repackage your blog posts or create new content from scratch, the relative low cost and effectiveness of email means it should be on your brand building to do list.
Email newsletters are regularly rated as the most effective internet marketing tool because they enable you to maintain contact with prospects, foster relationships and build trust.
Twitter – you’ll soon be hearing a lot more Twittering going on now that people are flocking to follow their fellow professionals, celebrities and favourite brands. Expect to see Twitter strategies being rolled out by PR agencies in the near future.
So what does Google say about your personal brand? Or are you too afraid to look?
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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:01 am
[...] about Ebooks as of February 6, 2009 What Does Google Say About Your Personal Brand? – thinkbda.com 02/06/2009 Personal branding is nothing new. Politicians, celebrities and high [...]
February 8th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
This is incredible information for a small business owner. While I am familiar, I have not yet learned how to use Twitter.
I am in a tiny niche market. My firm provides Executive Coaching/Anger Management for disruptive physicians.Therefore, branding is critical.
February 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Creating brands worth evangelizing about is often misunderstood. The connection between the core values – the soul of the company and the soul of the customer – is why customers evangelize. They have found a temple of core value at which to worship. It’s mythic. It’s epic. The brand becomes icon because it connects to the subconscious yearnings of the customer, imprinting on the brain. The pictured emotional experience becomes a conduit through which the customer can again be touched by those core values.
Those pictures and emotions then become language in the brain of the customer. And it’s the language of evangelism.
February 11th, 2009 at 10:28 am
[...] What Does Google Say About Your Personal Brand? [...]
March 6th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Excellent stuff here great for both the basics and advanced methods!
March 6th, 2009 at 10:20 am
[...] Charlie posted a noteworthy aricle today onHere’s a small snippetPoliticians, celebrities and high flying executives have used personal coaches and branding consultants to spruce up their image for decades. What’s changed is that people are now forming impressions of businesses based on what they … [...]
March 8th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Sweet article, justa small Q, what is a good average search amount for a niche site? about 300 per month?
March 9th, 2009 at 6:45 am
[...] admin posted a noteworthy aricle today onHere’s a small snippetPoliticians, celebrities and high flying executives have used personal coaches and branding consultants to spruce up their image for decades. What’s changed is that people are now forming impressions of businesses based on what they … [...]