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Tips and Tricks for building your personal brand; whether you're an individual, work for a company, or just trying to get your name out there, here are some tips and tricks used to be successful
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Brand-ologyTips & Tricks for Branding Yourself
from a Chick who Lives it!
Lauren CooneyGPM, Web Platform & Standards
Microsoft Corporation
Email: [email protected]: www.twitter.com/lcooneyBlog: http://cooney.typepad.com
Tumblr: http://lcooney.tumblr.com
Who am I?31 year old femaleWork at Microsoft; Former IBM & BEALive in SeattleFormer San Francisco Gal; originally from Upstate New YorkLove good friends, good coffee, good technologyAreas of expertise
Web 2.0Social MediaWeb/PlatformsLanguages & ToolingOpen Source SoftwareDevelopersCommunity BuildingNew and Emerging TechnologiesMarketing80’s MusicPub QuizzesPurses, shoes, and anything fashion
Tip #1: Transparency is KEY; Personality is CRITICAL
Who are you? What is your background? What is your purpose here? Focus areas of discussion/expertise Do you have a picture(s)? What are you interested in? Have Passion Remember… You ARE Your Brand!
The more people that can see your face and hear what you are talking about feel like they “know” you and trust what you are about – helping you to gain
credibility.
Where Can you Find Me?
Tip #2: Communicating with the Community
Pick your method of communication– Recommend 3-5 different networking tools– Facebook/Twitter/Blog is recommended– Ensure it scales! (people can find you/you do not lock your FB or
Twitter accounts)– Make sure the user-base is large enough/has enough
members/regular users to make you successful Make it easy to remember/access: user names, links, RSS, ATOM Commit to it
– Keep it up-to-date; people don’t read stale content– Keep it relevant; off topic is okay, but not all the time
Be Patient– Usually takes about 3-6 months to really start seeing results if you are
continuously active
I like to Talk, But I also Listen/Participate
Tip #3: Engage With the CommunityProvide Interesting Facts/Tidbits/Information on
what you’re working on or who withWhat are you doing? People are fascinated with
other people’s livesBe polite and respectfulTake the time to respond to comments on your
blog; comment on others’ blogs, tweets, Facebook comments
Be relevant; be credible (back up with data if necessary)
HAVE PASSION!
Make it Fun…
…And Interactive
From my Twitter Feed: This is how my last call just went... and I was Ben Stein. Fabulous: http://tinyurl.com/chpzrf10:19 AM Mar 12th
Tip #4: What Are You Doing? Engage the community in your life
– What are you doing?• Travel• Work Meetings• Commute Hell• Parties with Friends
Make it FUN!– Take Pictures, Videos– Provide links to new content (youTube, Flickr, etc)– Engage with other Users – Participate in their discussions
But remember…. Maintain respect for yourself; some things should remain private – it is on the
web after all – and that affects YOUR brand.
Patience is a Virtue
Tip #5: Dealing with PITAs
Can happen often working at large companiesDon’t attack your followers – be cordial, be
precise, and follow up with dataBe able to laugh at yourself and take a jokeKnow when to step away: pick your battles
wiselyLook at the big picture – how will it affect your
brand?
The Web Has No Secrets
Tip #6: Push the Boundaries, Safely
Pushing the boundaries can often lead to a greater audience or community following
Have an opinion, but be prepared to back it upIt is the web – and what you say can be written
down/posted anywhere, anytime, in any language – and taken out of context
Be respectful of your employer; if it is your opinion, be sure to state that.
Remember it is YOUR brand you are representing
Take Time For Great Opportunities
Starting something new: Womens’ Bar Camp!
Tip #6: Create Your Own Opportunities
• Branding is about consistency, creativity, and relationships are critical.
• Take the time to build the relationships that matter; if you turn down opportunities ensure it’s done in a way where you can always reconnect later.
• Attend conferences, network with new people, reach out and volunteer for/start things!
• Always follow through; do not commit to something you can’t finish – this hurts your brand.
Tip #7: Have Idols & Reach Out
Your brand will change as you grow in your career
Ensure that you have idols that you reach out to and keep updated about what you’re working on (ie, your brand)– Idols should be relevant to what your brand is– Good idols take interest/can act as mentors– Careful research/listening to the community will
provide you with good prospects
You Never Know What Will Happen
(I was asked to be on the Advisory Board for Web 2.0 Expo!)
The Community Knows Best
Tip #8: Ask the Community
Some of the best feedback comes from the community
Why take a guess when you can ask the questions?
Different opinions give you different perspectives on you and your brand
Good way to test how effective your brand is; what you might need to tweak
Tip #9: “Insider Resources”
Who do you follow on Twitter:– www.crazybob.org/twubble
Advertising your blog: – http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/0008
93.html
9 Ways to Use Twitter: – http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343672,
00.asp
Tip 10: Follow the Experts
Rob Frankel: http://robfrankel.blogspot.com/Chris Brogan: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ Tim O’Reilly: http://radar.oreilly.com/ Dave McClure: http://500hats.typepad.com/Susan Scrupski: http://itsinsider.com/ Charlene Li: http://blog.altimetergroup.com/
Remember…
• It’s not Perfection, It’s Passion. • Your brand requires:– Consistency– Passion– Honesty & Transparency– Purpose/Direction– Personality
• Have fun with it – the joy is in learning.
