The Scary Truth About Marketing Yourself

The Scary Truth About Marketing Yourself Before I got laid off in 2006 I was kind of a heads-down guy with my work. I didnt network, didnt know many people locally, was totally unknown I went to work, did my job, and came home and did my family.   It was a peaceful existence. I had all the stress I needed with my work situation (we had a gargantuan task of turning a company around). Then, I got laid off. I soon learned what a grand disservice I had done to myself, my career, and my family by being heads-down. When you are laid off, relatively new to where you live, no one knows you, and you know no one, you are in a bad situation. Whats worse, I was not prepared for this layoff and I didnt really know what I was doing. So I did the wrong things. Fast forward twelve years and things are different. I network. I work on my brand. And, I market myself. CRINGE. Most people I come across do not like the idea of personal marketing. Its too much like bragging and self-aggrandizing. People can be comfortable talking about their company, and their projects, and their products, but generally we find it weird to talk about ourselves (in a good and appropriate way). That should change. We should figure this out. I love recommending the book BRAG! (Peggy Klaus) as a way to help us rethink how we talk about ourselves. But the reality is, we have to do it. Even if its uncomfortable. Even if were not perfect at it. When you connect with my on LinkedIn my admin will accept the invitation and respond back with a two paragraph intro to me. Its really more of a call to action than an intro it has suggestions of things to do (like watch my Pluralsight videos and get on JibberJobber). It is definitely marketing my stuff. It is talking about my stuff. Some people hate it some people are fine with it, and some people think its cool. But I cant let the haters tell me how to run my career. Its like people saying you shouldnt go to a networking event its like cheating on your boss. Oh really?   I tell you what, you pay for the rest of my life, needs and wants, and then you can tell me how to manage my career. Otherwise, I have to do what I have to do. Even if it is hard or uncomfortable. And thats the scary truth: you we have to do this. We simply have to. Dont put yourself in a position where you are unknown and know no one. Instead, consistently work hard at helping people know who you are and what you have to offer. It will be scary. Youll make mistakes. Youll second-guess yourself and your messaging. But youll get better over time. And it will pay off during the multiple career changes you experience throughout your career. The Scary Truth About Marketing Yourself Before I got laid off in 2006 I was kind of a heads-down guy with my work. I didnt network, didnt know many people locally, was totally unknown I went to work, did my job, and came home and did my family.   It was a peaceful existence. I had all the stress I needed with my work situation (we had a gargantuan task of turning a company around). Then, I got laid off. I soon learned what a grand disservice I had done to myself, my career, and my family by being heads-down. When you are laid off, relatively new to where you live, no one knows you, and you know no one, you are in a bad situation. Whats worse, I was not prepared for this layoff and I didnt really know what I was doing. So I did the wrong things. Fast forward twelve years and things are different. I network. I work on my brand. And, I market myself. CRINGE. Most people I come across do not like the idea of personal marketing. Its too much like bragging and self-aggrandizing. People can be comfortable talking about their company, and their projects, and their products, but generally we find it weird to talk about ourselves (in a good and appropriate way). That should change. We should figure this out. I love recommending the book BRAG! (Peggy Klaus) as a way to help us rethink how we talk about ourselves. But the reality is, we have to do it. Even if its uncomfortable. Even if were not perfect at it. When you connect with my on LinkedIn my admin will accept the invitation and respond back with a two paragraph intro to me. Its really more of a call to action than an intro it has suggestions of things to do (like watch my Pluralsight videos and get on JibberJobber). It is definitely marketing my stuff. It is talking about my stuff. Some people hate it some people are fine with it, and some people think its cool. But I cant let the haters tell me how to run my career. Its like people saying you shouldnt go to a networking event its like cheating on your boss. Oh really?   I tell you what, you pay for the rest of my life, needs and wants, and then you can tell me how to manage my career. Otherwise, I have to do what I have to do. Even if it is hard or uncomfortable. And thats the scary truth: you we have to do this. We simply have to. Dont put yourself in a position where you are unknown and know no one. Instead, consistently work hard at helping people know who you are and what you have to offer. It will be scary. Youll make mistakes. Youll second-guess yourself and your messaging. But youll get better over time. And it will pay off during the multiple career changes you experience throughout your career.

The Stronger Brand Harry Potter or Rick Grimes - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Stronger Brand â€" Harry Potter or Rick Grimes - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Fun or just the facts?   When Ryan Rhoten interviewed me for his podcast, it was more of a conversation and storytelling between two friends over coffee (since we’ve known each other for a while from #brandchat â€" a weekly chat every Wednesday about branding). He asked me â€" who do you think has the more powerful personal brand â€" Harry Potter or Rick Grimes?   He knows that I’m both a Potter and Walking Dead fan and devoted to both franchises. You can listen to the “between two friends” answer and discussion here. And, it did get me thinking about the branding lessons we can learn from each. Branding Harry Potter Between the seven volume series and eight movies, Harry Potter quickly became one of the highest grossing brands of all time, settling in at about $15 billion, not including any spinoffs J.K. Rowling may pursue in the future. Aside from rocketing Rowling up to become the first ever billionaire author, the brand itself is what helped take a great series and transform it into a cultural phenomenon. In terms of the Harry Potter universe, it’s the personal branding that made it more than what it was. From a book series named after a boy to everything connected to this fictional character, if it bears the moniker ‘Harry Potter’, it’s almost a guaranteed success. By studying it, we can begin to see why it’s been an unflinching leader in perfect personal branding. Use the Name The Harry Potter series could have easily thrown out the boy wizard’s name for the sequel titles, however it didn’t. Each book began with Potter’s name. Each movie begins with Potter’s name. Rowling’s official site for the Potter universe uses Potter’s name. Even the fervor that gripped the country was dubbed ‘Pottermania’. Repetition is a powerful tool. It transforms your brand from something new and potentially untrustworthy to a common word that people are ostracized for not knowing. The more familiar it is, the easier it is to build up hype. Master your Niche Before the films ever became a possibility, Harry Potter was nothing more than a story that was gaining traction. While the first book proved it could throw out a stellar ending, it wasn’t until the second and third release that people began to recognize just how in depth and developed Rowling’s ideas for the novels were. It clearly wasn’t going to be the same story told seven different times, it was planned as one epic tale that required seven books to tell, with plots beginning in book one not being wrapped up until the finale. Rowling was experienced in her art form and because of this mastery, Harry Potter was that much easier to sell. It may have taken her a decade of struggles and hard work to get where she got to, but it was ten years of honing a skill that gave Harry Potter the gravitas it needed to explode.   Remain Constant Harry Potter has also always stayed true to the brand. Fans of the book went to the movies and got the theatrical experience they were hoping for, especially with movies five through eight. Visitors to Islands of Adventure are met with Butter Beer, Diagon Alley, singing frogs, a wand shop and moving pictures. The line for the Harry Potter ride is filled with scenes from the movies, including the moving paintings of headmasters and the herbology room complete with wailing Mandrakes. Very rarely has the Harry Potter brand strayed from what fans expect it to be. Instead, the Potter empire built itself on top of what was already a bestselling work by enhancing what was already popular about it. Embrace Controversy When Harry Potter first started gathering worldwide attention around the release of the third book, it unsurprisingly ran into groups of people that denounced it for promoting black magic and the worship of the occult. Instead of actively trying to crush these naysayers, the Harry Potter brand embraced them, welcoming everyone to read the books in order to form their own opinions. In the end, this worked as a catalyst to further pull in interest from the public. Neutral parties enjoying the exchange took to reading the books to see just why certain religious factions were throwing fits. More importantly, it got even more adults to read it, widening the audience gap considerably. The Walking Dead’s Everyman The everyman has been a trope in Western storytelling since the beginning of stories. It’s very easy to place yourself in the shoes of a character specifically designed to relate to as many people as possible. Through their eyes, we see a world we’ve never seen, get to ask the questions we would ask and otherwise find a way to survive in an alien landscape. Such is how it is with Rick Grimes, the protagonist of both The Walking Dead comic series and television show. Once a sheriff with a wife and child, he falls into a coma after a shootout and wakes up as our eyes during a zombie apocalypse that has besieged the world. Marketing the Flawed While an everyman, Grimes isn’t 0% good. Though he works as hard as he can to stick to morals in a world where depravity exists everywhere, sometimes he makes good decisions, other times he makes poor ones. This continual internal conflict, however, is a big reason why Grimes is rated as one of the top 30 comic book heroes. Even the actor portraying him, Andrew Lincoln, has received much critical acclaim. In short, his magnetic personal brand derives from the fact that he is a flawed human trying to do his best, a struggle we can all relate to, the very essence of the everyman. From the beginning, Grimes has never been a shining example of humanity. From the comic book to the TV series, he has always had a haggard, world weary look about him, and this is on purpose. His personal brand is that he is not perfect and that includes physically as well. He is not Clark Kent nor does he ever try to be.   Using Reality Beyond this, Grimes’ strong personal brand also pulls from the fact that his story is told within the realm of reality. Physics are not broken. Aliens don’t invade. There is no magic. While not a happy story, it nonetheless paints a picture of an incredibly viable real world that we could all wake up tomorrow facing. In the middle of it all is Grimes. He is nothing more than an aging man trying to stay alive during such dark times. He’s somewhat charismatic but more practical. He suffers grievous wounds both physically and emotionally. Yet through it all, he remains human. Rick Grimes is a strong personal brand more in tune with adults. Faced with responsibility, a scary new world and the fear of death, it’s his drive to keep living that endears us to him, always accepting him as a hero even though he slips up occasionally. And while he doesn’t play games on flying broomsticks or travel through space, his brand’s power comes from the simple fact that even against such soul crushing odds, he continually shows us what it means to remain human in a world besieged by monsters. Harry Potter, though a fictional boy wizard, is nonetheless one of the best examples of personal branding done right. Family-oriented, based on good writing and otherwise always delivering to the fans what they ask, it’s no surprise that he helped usher in the craze of books turned into successful movies that followed in his wake. While the main series is over, the name alone is still enough to continue to draw in crowds to the Harry Potter ride, sell untold numbers of specialized wands and otherwise keep Pottermore.com an active and engaged community. Indeed, Harry Potter, the boy who once lived in a cupboard underneath a staircase, is the brand who lived.

Grin and Bear It - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Grin and Bear It - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Smile when you pick up or click on the phone and continue as you talk regardless of who’s calling or what the conversation is about. The person on the other end of the line can hear a smile, she can also hear a frown, smirk, and rolling of the eyes. Your articulation improves when your jaw is loosened up; your voice intonation and cadence is more appealing; and you’re less likely to be boringly dull. Your telephone voice is the equivalent of the in-person body language people use to size you up. They hear your sincerity, passion, enthusiasm, conviction â€" your personality â€" or lack thereof, in your voice. Their positive reading of you gets you set for a more positive outcome; similarly, a negative reading can start you off on the wrong foot, annoy, hurt your personal reputation and the reputation of your company, and cost you a connection. Have a calm-intensity tone and tempo when speaking in person, on the phone, or on video: That being an audible, modulated, matter-of-fact tone of voice; steady and even-keeled without useless filler words (ah, uh, umh, okay, etc.). I call it a ‘pass the salt’ tone of voice because no matter how excited or agitated, you still usually have an even keel when asking for ‘the salt’ across the table. The expression is just a mnemonic device to remind you to speak like you’d like to be spoken to. Fast, high, shrill, studiously slow, sing song, brusque, too quiet, or too loud â€" each sends its own emotional message â€" generally not a positive one. As one seasoned executive told me,  â€œYour words should be like canned green beans, soft and tender, not like corn nuts; makes it easier if you have to eat them later.”

5 Tips for Networking With People Who Are More Successful Than You Are - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

5 Tips for Networking With People Who Are More Successful Than You Are - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv8MIsEgE2g] Subscribe to my podcast series Its very challenging to network with people who are more successful than you are. Ive been able to do this over the course of the past few years pretty successfully. Ive spoke with over 70 successful people, just on this blog alone. The magazine I publish, Personal Branding Magazine, has highlighted even more. How am I able to do this? Well today, I want to reveal the best way to network with people that you may be intimidated by or scared of. These individuals are the ones that can help you out significantly. People who are influential have large spheres of influence, so they can help promote your brand to a larger audience. The problem is that most of these people dont need your help, or do they? Today, Im going to tell you how to network with celebrities like a champ! 1. Offer them something they dont have The number one reason to start a blog or to be a journalist isnt to position yourself as an expert or get your thoughts out there. The truth behind all the BS you hear every day is that blogging and journalism is about networking. 99% of bloggers and journalists make almost nothing (relatively nothing), but the network that they gain from giving value to successful people, is priceless. See, the one thing that all successful people have in common when it comes to needs is that they need visibility and promotion for their brands. With a blog, you can provide that to them. When you first start your blog, you cant because you wont have enough readership to prove the benefit to them. 2. Give it to them for free Unless you have something of extraordinary one of a kind value to give to successful people, you are better off giving them something for free in exchange for an endorsement or referral later. A lot of consultants choose to do this or have to do this when they are first starting out, so they can build credibility and a track record. Obviously, people are more inclined to accept that type of generous offer than pay a complete stranger or someone who isnt as wealthy or successful. If you receive an endorsement from them, you can use it on your website or on LinkedIn to attract new business or opportunities. Also, if they talk about you or promote you back, you gain visibility with other influencers, which can further your career. 3. Take genuine interest in their brand If someone emails you and is sincere, you are more inclined to answer their email. If someone is reaching out to you asking you for favors, especially when you are more successful than they are, you are going to disregard the email. Genuine interest goes a long way in this world, especially because people are so used to being used and abused, as well as spammed daily. There is a great opportunity right now to locate people who are closely aligned to your brand and reach out to them. Even if youre less successful than they are, they will at least answer you based on flattery. 4. Get noticed by them Successful people take notice of other successful people. There are like secret code words and there is an ancient language they all speak ;). A great way to connect with them is to be where their eyes already are. For instance, if you speak at an event they are speaking at, its easy to start a conversation around that and for them to already know who you are. Also, if you write an article for a blog or traditional news site that they read, you might earn some respect from them. 5. Find people who know them The shortcut to meeting successful people is by meeting them through your personal contacts. Your friends endorsement can save you from a random outreach and make it more personal. LinkedIn is so important because you can see who knows you and then strategize. Networking gets easier once your network gets larger. When youre first starting out, it will be hard to implement this strategy, but as you grow older, it will become much easier to meet successful people this way.