The Personal Branding Blog: William Arruda and the Reach-Certified Personal Branding Strategists

Getting Beyond “My Brand”

These days, it seems that personal branding has faced increasing criticism. Much of it, I think, is driven by people who don’t get it, or at least who don’t get the concept that we advance at Reach. And, let’s face it, social media and the prevalence of internet marketers has allowed for the idea to be hijacked in the interest of “driving traffic.” Lot’s of people out there pushing “my brand” opens the door to the perception of personal brands as contrived or fake.  Frankly, I think the dialogue about personal branding is a good thing, and that we need to participate. I think that addressing these criticisms gives us a platform for creating more clarity, and perhaps even evolve the concept of personal brand further. So, here’s my contribution.

* * *

Think about it. When you were growing up, did your friends ever ask if your brand could come out to play? Not likely. What they wanted was you and what you brought to their experience. Fast forward to the present, and ask yourself if your friends ever ask for your brand to come and hang out. They probably don’t. What they want is you and what you have to give. The fact is, people don’t associate with you because of your brand, but because of who you are and how their experience is transformed by being with you.

The same holds true in your business and career. Even if you have a “brand” that represents some distinct value that people are willing to pay a premium for, they’ll still expect something more. They’ll expect some of the magic that only you can provide; a magic that is not available from anyone else. So, why do people insist on creating this artificial entity that is labeled “my brand” and then proceed to promote it endlessly? Even as a personal branding strategist, I can tell you that listening to that distinction is a bit creepy. And that’s not to mention suffering the endless “me” messages.

Frankly, Geoff Livingston, who has long been critical of “personal branders,” hits the nail on the head in a brilliant post. He said:

“We all want to look good and want to present ourselves in a becoming manner, but not to the point that we seem like over contrived, fake people. By its very nomenclature, the term “personal brand” creates a connotation towards the latter.”

And went on to say:

"In the end, it’s about being smart.  Present a good face, but know that your reputation will ultimately be decided by the actions you bring to bear, not the consistency of your presentation. At best, the presentation will only get you a shot to be on the stage. Your performance is the ultimate barometer."

Of course, a big part of Geoff’s message is that you need to do what you do very, very well. Still, I think there is even more to it. And that “something more” is addressed by Seth Godin in his excellent book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? One of his central ideas is that it’s not just what you deliver, but how. It’s about your ability to give generously, to transform others by going beyond the expected. Godin sees this as your artistry. It has nothing to do with what is said or promised in advance. Rather, it is the unexpected gift the artist offers up freely – even as he or she provides what was expected in the first place.

In the end, no matter how shiny your “brand,” it’s who you are and how you enrich the lives of others that really matters! Get beyond “my brand,” and find ways to make art.

Cross-posted at Threshold Consulting.

Using Twitter and Branded Communications to Find a Job

With Recruiting via Social Networks on the rise, why are you conducting an old-fashioned job search? You can either be at the front of the find-a-job-via-social-media movement, or you can be left behind by the throngs of successful candidates who have embraced new technology tools, such as Twitter, and landed a job faster and easier than they ever thought possible.

Twitter use for sourcing candidates by employers and recruiters is at 42% according to the 2009 Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey. Yet, very few job seekers venture into the Twitter stream where they can be highly visible and build productive networking relationships.

If Twitter seems like a far-fetched job search strategy to you, you may want to listen to Deb Dib and Susan Whitcomb, co-authors (with Chandlee Bryan) of The Twitter Job Search Guide. Join William Arruda as he interviews these guest experts for the Reach Personal Branding Interview Series on August 12, 2010 at noon EDT. You will learn:

• How Twitter can be effective for job search and career development
• Critical do’s and don’ts for using Twitter
• Why Twitter’s 140-character rule is sparking next-generation branded communications
• How personal branding and Twitter are integrated
• Why the Branded Value Proposition (BVP) is the core of branded communications

UPDATE: RECORDED AUDIO available at  http://bit.ly/dobt1F

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Personal Branding: Trends and Power Tips for Your Success

Personal branding has come a long way since Tom Peters first wrote “The Brand Called You” for Fast Company magazine’s August 31, 1997 issue. While personal branding’s visibility and credibility has grown slowly and steadily over the past 12-plus years, there is no denying it has now become a mainstream topic. Just Google the term “personal branding” (in quotation marks) and you will find more than 891,000 results!

The Reach Personal Branding Interview on July 15, 2010 at noon ET addresses upcoming trends in personal branding, as well as key suggestions to make the most of your personal brand. Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation, and William Arruda, a pioneer in personal branding and founder of Reach Personal Branding, will explore:

• The intersection of digital marketing, social media, and entrepreneurship,
• Opportunities in the new personal branding trends,
• The importance of personal branding - now more than ever,
• Effective methods to promote your brand,
• Best ideas for brand visibility, and
• Getting attention in a crowded online world.

Named Canada’s Most Influential Male in Social Media and one of the top 100 online marketers in the world, Mitch Joel is President of Twist Image, an award-winning Digital Marketing and Communications agency and the Twist Image blog. His business focuses on helping people define their personal and corporate brands.

To register for Thursday’s call, go to http://budurl.com/GuestMitchJoel and input your name and email address.

UPDATE: Audio recording of the Mitch Joel interview with William Arruda

Cross-posted at the Career Goddess Blog

Is Your Career Trapped in the Matrix?

I recently stumbled  onto a great post from Chris Brogan, “Avoid the Many Versions of the Matrix.” He raises the question, “Job security= being employed by a stable company. Matrix or no?,” and concludes: “There’s what we think is real; there’s what we observe as real: and then there’s what we can change.”

In reading the post, it occurred to me that many people subscribe to a matrix-like view of successful job search. You know the one. Prepare a sharp resume, strong cover letter, network for job leads, and sharpen up your interviewing skills. Add to this, the propensity of many job seekers to rely on “applying for the job,” and you can see how this leads to a situation where people operate inside of what they “think is real.”

So, what is real?

Well, putting aside the truth that “there is no spoon,” one view of reality is this: for years, insiders have had the edge in winning job offers. And the evidence for this is the vaunted “hidden job market,” which fills an estimated 70 – 80 % of jobs before they’re posted. If you think about it, the candidate who wins an un-posted job most certainly has an inside track of some kind. Either they are an internal candidate, or have a relationship with a company insider.

None of this is to say careerists should abandon traditional job search methods – they still seem to be successful 20 –30 % of the time. It is to say, however, that your focus needs to be not on heating up job search, but in pursuing the “cool” status of someone “in the know.” In short, you need to work at becoming an industry and company insider. And this does take work. Yet, today, we know what matters and have the capacity to do something about it.

What to can you do? Here are just a couple of ideas.

Start by unearthing your personal brand. It’s the foundation for your success. In the process, you can achieve the clarity that helps you articulate what you want to achieve professionally, the unique value you offer, and who needs to know about you. Your personal brand establishes your point of view and provides a platform for engaging others inside of your brand community.

Cultivate relationships with people already in your brand community, but also work to expand it. You probably already know lots of professionally relevant people. In fact, if you attend professional meetings, you likely share drinks and stories with them. Still, there is real benefit in growing your brand community beyond geographic boundaries. Today, via the magic of social media, you have unprecedented access to people globally. And among them are the industry and company insiders you need to meet and start “hanging out” with.

The new reality of successful career management is that you must gain visibility and credibility – and connection – with the insiders who can be important to your professional success. Today, web presence not only provides that visibility, but also drives relationship building. Consider LinkedIn. It has grown dramatically to become a robust tool for engagement. Sure it is, and has been, great as a resume, Rolodex, and job search engine. Today, however, features like Answers, Groups, Status Updates, and a host of application, including Google Docs, Twitter, and SlideShare help you to bring your profile to life.

Even more, these are tools of attraction and connection. Not only do they invite people to learn about you, but allow you to learn about others. They also give you a basis to start conversations that lead to genuine relationships. So, the real value of social media is in your ability to find people as well as information – and then engage based on what you find. Over time, you gain the reputation and connections that drive the perception of you as an insider. 

There is, of course, a paradox here. Once, online connections were looked at suspiciously. Online relationships were not seen as a real relationships, but as fragments of virtual reality, kind of like the Matrix. Yet, increasingly, a heated up social media is driving an ever-increasing range of “real world” mass-mingling events. The game is changing. You now have the tools. And today, if you want to move ahead, your best choice is the red pill.

What Is Your Personal Brand Story?

Whether you are a job seeker, entrepreneur / small business owner, employed professional, student, consultant, author, or retired, you have a brand story. That story goes to the heart of who you really are and what makes you unique. It can clarify your values and passions, or speak to your goals and dreams. If written well, it can also attract the attention of your target audience (employers, hiring managers, clients, or book buyers, for example) and persuade them to do hire/promote/buy YOU!

Discovering your personal brand and communicating it in a compelling and clear manner to those who matter is not easy. Until now that is…

My international friend and Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist colleague Bernadette Martin of Visibility Branding has just released her new book Storytelling about Your Brand Online and Offline. This book is a must-read if you want to:

• Understand the difference between a Bio and a Resume
• Develop branded, storytelling content for your Bio and Resume
• Integrate video storytelling and/or interview storytelling into your repertoire
• Internationalize or digitalize your brand story
• Create a Career Personal Brand Tool Kit
• Avoid verbal graffiti
• Master the use of Ice-Breaker storytelling
• Jazz up your Elevator Pitch with a brand story
• Morph your existing Resume into a Bio, and more.

When Bernadette first contacted me to be one of the 15 thought leaders interviewed for her book, I knew she was on to something big. Stories have always been a universal means of connecting with others. But, did you know that neuro research indicates that “our brains are wired to process information as stories” and stories make us more memorable?

In addition, stories allow us to connect to others on a more powerful level than just the intellect; they can evoke emotion. A well-known tenet in sales is that people “buy” based on emotion and justify their decision with logic!

My section of the book - Story Building around Assessment Results – focuses on the use of career assessments for uncovering the building blocks of your personal brand and brand story. Your personal brand must be authentic to who you are, and not a concocted “marketing slogan”. By using objective career assessments in combination with more informal, feedback assessments, such as the 360Reach Personal Branding assessment, you can feel confident that your brand story is true and real.

In Faris Yakob’s post for GapingVoid, he said, “eventually, you need to start being you, and then – you need to get really good at it.” That is so true, and I would also add: “get really good at communicating your brand message to others.”

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

It Takes the Same Amount of Time to be Friendly

Standing in line, especially in long lines, you tend to re-evaluate your reason for even being there in the first place.  For me, today, the offer made by this business was too good to pass up.  So, I was here, in their forever long line.  The promotion was targeted just for people “out of town”.  And, although they provided many promotions for “locals”, too – you couldn’t tell which “line” was for whom.

Finally, I’m at the front.

Waiting in Long LinesAnd, the exchange begins.

Brand Representative:  “Oh, you’re in the wrong line”
Me:  “Where’s the right line”
Brand Rep:  “Over on the other side of the building”
Me:  “Where is that exactly?”
Brand Rep:  “Across the building – exact opposite of where we’re at. Near the tables.”
Me:   “I’m from out of town.  Where are the tables?”
Brand Rep:  “Over there (pointing into the air). You’ll find it.  I’m busy.”

Yes, this is a true exchange.  And, one I’m sure happens often at a variety of different establishments.  Often, I hear people fuss that “my advertising doesn’t work”.  However, I would vehemently disagree with them.  Advertising got them through the door , as it did in this case.  Your BRAND REPRESENTATIVE however failed to mirror your brand and the intent of your ad campaign so – you lost them.

(It was nice that another brand representative with the company overheard the exchange and came to me to say, "I don't understand why some people act so fussy - it takes the same amount of time to be friendly."  Thanks, Rick (the brand representative), for a great title to this post!)

We see this online (people click-thru and yet do nothing on the site)  and offline (people disgusted that they have too much to do and all these “darn customers” get in the way).

Make sure your BRAND REP (and for solopreneurs and executives – this could be the person answering the phone for you, responding for you or being a point of contact) knows:

1.  The expectations and brand of the company or yourself.
2.  The rules of engagement
3.  The goal (in all its specifics)
4.  Your brand core attributes
5.  Your brand communication plan

Hint:  If you don’t have these – then work on this.  This is your part and the “heavy lifting” you must do to prepare those who would be and act as extensions of you brand.

Read more at TheBuzz101 on creating positive word of mouth around your brand

Author:

Maria Elena Duron Maria Elena Duron | chief engagement officer is co-founder of #brandchat, a weekly conversation on Twitter.  Join us weekly as we discuss all aspects of branding.

Profit and Your Brand

Hopefully, every business you encounter is focused on profit. 

They should be.  After all, why are they a business in the first place?

Yes, it’s important that you love what you do.  It’s important that you have the skill set to be good at what you do.  Still, at the risk of sounding cold and calculating - profit is the reason. 

How cool is it if you can love what you do, enjoy who you do it with and make a profit?
In a meeting yesterday, a gentleman in the banking business shared his experience at the workshop.  He was saddened to get the feedback that the general consensus of the attendees is - that bankers are the ‘bad guys’.  They were described as cold, heartless and only centered on profit.

There are times when our personal brands are tainted by the industry we’re in.  How many employees of BP can hold their head up high and proudly say they work for “BP” right now?  They might be stellar people but for right now anyone associated with the company is tainted by the horrible perception that people have for the company and their oil spill debacle.

And, there are many corporate entities where the corporate headquarters and ivory tower executives have garnered a bad reputation but the local, hard working people in the branches, local stores or representing the company/organization are really good people.
How do you overcome that and an individual? How do you take your personal brand further and farther than or in a different direction than the current perception of your company or organization?

This gentleman, Michael, from the banking business said it best – focus on profit.  Yet, not the word profit in the sense that you know the word.

He used an acronym – P.R.O.F.I.T. 

People Remain Our Finest Investment Today

Whatever storm your organization is in you can weather it best if you remain focused on PROFIT (the people that you work with, the help you, that you help and that are truly the difference of whether your company will make money or not).   The people that you work with or directly associate with will determine your PROFIT.
Stay true to them and you’ll do well.  Even when you’re no longer with your current company, you will take profit with you if you focus on PROFIT.

Have you done something to focus on PROFIT today?
Cross-posted on TheBuzz101

Author:
Maria Elena Duron | chief engagement officer is co-founder of #brandchat, a weekly conversation on Twitter.  Join us weekly as we discuss all aspects of branding.

Change Leadership Is Changing

The evolution of change management is inevitable. The traditional top-down silo model of leading change in companies came about in a pre-2.0 world. Now, with the advent of flat organizational structure, rampant social networking, and the ever-present push for transparency, expectations and engagement have changed. Consequently, getting change right is not so easy. The best ideas can get stalled or stymied by lack of involvement and commitment from the very people who are tasked with implementing those ideas.

In the June 2010 Reach Personal Branding Interview, guest expert Seth Kahan, author of Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out will discuss the new face of change leadership with William Arruda. Learn about Seth’s new model of leadership communication and how to:

• Create rapid, widespread engagement
• Communicate so people get it and spread it
• Energize your most valuable players
• Understand the territory of change
• Accelerate change through performance communities
• Generate dramatic surges in progress
• Break through logjams, and
• Attain WorkLifeSuccess in the midst of change.

Seth Kahan has been recognized as a visionary and thought leader in change leadership, and writes the expert blog Leading Change for Fast Company. For a glimpse into Seth’s ideas, check out this book excerpt Getting Change Right Project Planning.

You are invited to join us on this live call on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at noon Eastern. There will be some time for questions and answers at the end of the interview.

Update: Seth Kahan audio recording of June 2010 interview with William Arruda featured on PersonalBranding.TV

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Do Websites Still Work for a Brand?

There was Web 1.0, then Web 2.0 and now we even see Web 3.0 as web interactions transform and become even more interactive.  

So, in all of this – does a website still make sense?

 I’ve been a strong proponent of a blogsite (a blog with the comments turned off so it will act like a website).  And, I’ve supported it because of the growing discomfort between website design and getting pertinent, timely and interactive material out there with ease.  We know that this is so as we see so many promotions for “do it yourself” type sites really messaging that you have control of the site.

So, does your brand still need a website?

I posed the question to the BRANDidos (those who chat in the weekly brandchat conversation on Twitter) and this is what they said:

• ambercleveland: Websites do play a role in brands, it is a 24-hr store for your message #brandchat
• karimacatherine: Q2 : Website is another touchpoint.they have to be integrated in a larger branding exercise to deliver value to customer #brandchat
• techguerilla: @brandchat Q2: Influence varies by specific brand, but yes they play a role. Sometimes a primary one #brandchat
• McCreadyM: Q2 websites should play a huge role - important touchpoint for consumer #brandchat
• klequoc: Q2: Hell yes!! Websites = key platform to convey what the brand is about = especially as consumers tend to research online #brandchat
• michaelnewhouse: Absolutely, all part of Brand Integration mix Q2: Do websites play any role with brands these days? #brandchat
• EvolveTom: Q2: Websites are a necessity -- you need a central collection point for your customers/fans. The site has to support SM #brandchat
• KevinLyons: Q2 Websites (like direct mail, social media, sign on door, voice on phone, biz card, etc.) are brand conveyor & engagement tools. #brandchat
• wileyccoyote: @karimacatherine i don't think that Web sites should have been static before social. brands always have to change face #brandchat
• LoisMarketing: Websites do -- or should -- play role in brand. Many times they are customer's first and regular interaction point. #brandchat Q2
• GetResults: Q2 - Websites play an important part in any branding - just as does customer experience, ads, etc - all part of the mix #brandchat
• RobertJames1: Q2: Your website is the hub of your brand. Develop it properly, build it strategically and make it useful #brandchat
• CASUDI: Web sites are a very important anchor for your brand ~ 24/7/365 presence #brandchat
• karenswim: Q2: Yes! You still need a hub, social media does not replace that #brandchat
• pure_ink: Q2: More than ever. The web can define a brand from interactive, to wayfinding, to informational. #brandchat
• JohnAntonios: Q2: i think standalone websites are useless - they are reading a label of some sort - you have to engage (2way communication) #brandchat
• MarketingMary: Q2 Does anyone NOT search company websites when researching products/services? #brandchat
• abarcelos: Q2. People still go to websites to find out about a brand. It's critical all channels communicate ONE consistent message. #brandchat

At the just of the conversation, you can see that websites are just one of many touch-points for a brand.  They are not the “be all, end all” for a brand.  In fact, nothing in branding is.  

If you discover your brand, yet you don’t craft your communication plan to express and exude your brand – then how valuable is the discovery.

The same applies if you exude your brand but have not taken the moment to discover your true attributes and your unique promise of value – what good is that?

It is a mix.  A good mix.  And, how you use if for your personal or company brand needs to be done consistently with your brand attributes and message.

So, what are your thoughts?  Do you still need a website?

Author:
Maria Elena Duron | chief engagement officer is co-founder of #brandchat, a weekly conversation on Twitter.  Join us weekly as we discuss all aspects of branding.

Calling in the Armed Forces

We've all heard when someone IS the company.  They embody it.  As entrepreneurs, they started it and everything with and within the company reflects this person's personal brand. 

I was fascinated to find something uniquely military, carried by a personal brand that truly embodies the military brand, come to Main Street America.

Military Brands

And, of course, on this Memorial Day weekend in the United States.  This story came to mind...

Companies, schools and even couples have turned to tried and true military practices in the name of team building, common vision and to solidify relationships.  Military practices have come to help Main Street America focus on increasing team work.  While Memorial Day offers a day when we remember and focus on the contributions of the brave men and women that have served the United States, military practices have begun to serve corporate America proving that “Uncle Sam” really knew what he was doing in creating cohesive teams.  Lean mean fighting machines are now teaching corporate America how to be lean strong teams.

Debra Semer, executive director of Operation Ward 57, uses the HOOAH! Button to motivate her team. The nursing staff working with patients who are wounded warriors likes to come by and press the button when something good has happened. “It might sound a little cheesy but the smile that comes when they press the Hooah! Button is something else”, Semer reflects. Hooah is a military term often used to encourage and motivate the troops.  Cynthia Rhodes, a case manager for an attorney, says “it creates a great team feeling whenever they turn in a case – they hit the HOOAH! Button.”  Nine case managers that put together the legal cases, at this office, use it to encourage and give each other “pats on the back”, according to Rhodes.

Even Boot Camps

Even couples-to-be, are finding that Bridal Boot Camps, help them to be a stronger couple.  Collette Trebon and Scotty Moniz, married on May 15th, attended Bridal Boot Camp.  "We are a team," says Moniz. "There's a lot of give and take. I gotta pick and chose my battles."

Christine Dwyer, founder of CancerGrief, appreciates the smiles and cheers when she strikes her HOOAH! Button during support groups for those who are touched by cancer, “they remember those serving us and they feel uplifted and hopeful”, shares Dwyer, who is also grateful of the reminder that her son is serving in Afghanistan.

Even across the pond in London, England, this past weekend, May 22nd, Royal Marines Officer Rob Suchet put Umi Hotel employees through their paces - all in the name of team-building.

His boy scout troop, according to Andrew Franco, uses the word HOOAH! not just in the field but even with their medieval play.  He said, "it keeps them motivated and focused as a team."

A productive team is made up of people who share a common goal, a common vision and a level of trust and belief that each other will do the job that they are supposed to do.  In this lean economy, businesses are seeking ways to be more productive with the team members they do have.  According to Dan Schawbel, author of ME 2.0 and a columnist for BusinessWeek, “engaging the people on the team is what gets them excited and committed about their work and their customers.”

Can you think of any other items branded as a military practice or military brand that have crossed over from the military to Main Street?  I'm anxious to hear your stories especially during a weekend here in the United States focused on reflection of all things that are military. 

Cross-posted on TheBuzz101

Author:

Maria Elena Duron | chief engagement officer is co-founder of #brandchat, a weekly conversation on Twitter.  Join us weekly as we discuss all aspects of branding.