Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner at Millennial Branding, LLC
Twitter: @DanSchawbel / Facebook: Millennial Branding
“Your personal brand is transferable from one company to the next and serves as your best protection against business factors you can’t control.”
7. Develop your own website under your domain name (yourfullname.com). The website can be built on the WordPress blogging platform and contain information about your company, your story and your thoughts related to the industry you’re in.
8. Position yourself consistently. Make sure that you consistently position yourself as an expert related to what your company does. For instance, if you sell products to small businesses, you should be a small business expert, etc.
9. Network as much as possible. Connect with people in your industry and form alliances with entrepreneurs outside of your industry. It’s wise to focus on those that can best help you, but also meet those who can open your mind to new business applications and markets.
Melissa Cassera, CEO at Cassera Communications
Twitter: @casseracomm / Facebook: Cassera Communications
“A small business without a personality is like a party with no cake. Developing a personal brand injects personality into your business, making it interesting and memorable. In today’s fast-paced, social media savvy world, it’s a detriment not having a personal brand. People don’t want to connect with a logo or a website, they want to connect with a name and a face.”
10. Create a character description for your personal brand. Include your values, credentials, goals, special abilities, signature phrases, and appearance/style. Just like developing a character for a film or novel, this approach helps you step comfortably into your personal brand, stay true to who you are, and sets a barometer for future business decisions.
11. Place your photo, name and title prominently on your brand. Don’t hide behind your “About Me” page! People want to connect with you, so invest in a professional headshot that matches your brand and splash it right on your homepage, your business card, and your social media profiles.
12. Share your “behind the scenes.” Your customers will breathe a sigh of relief that you are human just like they are. Do you secretly love grocery shopping because you get to read the trashy tabloids? Share it! Do you spend your “me” time performing in community musicals? Share it! Don’t be afraid to share little slices of your life. Your customers will love you for it.
Connect with Erica Nicole on Twitter.
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Photo Credit: Various; J. Lindeberg
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