Posts Tagged personal brand
Stay ahead of the curve, Book discussion: “Crush It!” part 11
Posted by eviator in For Job Seekers on January 11, 2010
Nothing stays the same, everything changes. Everything I’ve been talking about, and will talk about in the future can and will change with time. The information in Crush It! is not absolute, it can change tomorrow or even later today. It’s up to you to stay ahead of the curve, and you need to always be willing to adapt, especially when something isn’t working. As a matter of fact, social networking and new media is a fantastic way to find out what people think of your brand.
In the past, it was very difficult for businesses (and individuals for that matter) to address criticism or feedback from the masses. With social media it’s easier than ever, and you need to take advantage of the opportunity. Look at what Dominoes Pizza is doing. It’s very impressive that they are willing to interact with their customers on a one on one basis. The new social media offers this opportunity, but far too few major companies are taking advantage of this. Think about how you can interact with individuals within your community?and you will always be ahead of the curve.
Notable quotes from the final?chapters:
- If you see falsehood, you can correct it. If you see praise, you can show appreciation. If you see confusion, you can inform.
- We’re all in the public eye now.
- Think through the consequences of every business decision you make before you actually make it.
- No matter how big you get, every email, every customer, every friend, every single person with whom you come into contact matters and deserves respect and attention.
This concludes the discussion of Crush It! It’s an excellent book and worth the read so check your local library or purchase using my shameless link.
How to monetize your personal brand, Book Outline “Crush It!” part 10
Posted by eviator in Miscellaneous on January 7, 2010
Advertisers are always looking for ways to effectively market their products, and you have been building an enthusiastic community around your specific subject. You’re practically doing them a favor! Most people immediately flock to Google AdSense, which displays targeted advertisements on your webpage, rss feed, etc. You can certainly make some money using this, but it really doesn’t pay very well, and it can make your website look cheap. I think we can all agree that making your website look like a NASCAR driver is probably not in the best interest of your online community, so moving on…
One of the methods Vaynerchuk suggests is placing classy banner ads on your site. See this link?for an example of how to do this. You can also try cold calling companies to see if they are interested in buying adspace on your website. Sounds ridiculous? It’s not. Go to and search for your subject. See which advertisers are using Google AdSense for ads to be posted on these websites, and take note. Call these guys up, and see if they will spend money with you. Think about it, they’re already paying for Google AdSense, so they believe in advertising online. By sponsoring your page directly they will not get lost in the clutter like they would with AdSense, and you won’t look like a NASCAR driver.
One note about advertising, you should only advertise companies and products that you yourself endorse. Don’t put something on your site that you don’t believe in.
Speaking engagements
Come up with an interesting topic, then call a show or conference organizer and offer to give a free talk about your topic. This will give you a chance to discuss something you love, build some credibility, and to do so in front of an interested audience. This could eventually lead to money: You could be paid next time you offer to speak, or even better, your discussion could lead to new clients or opportunities.
Affiliate programs
Affiliate programs allow you to get a commission on products sold through links on your website. For example, if you are interested in purchasing the book I’m discussing, click this link… Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion?and I’ll get a small cut. Cool, huh? One way to go about doing this is to simply do a google search for affiliate programs; there are tons of them out there. Vaynerchuk suggests Commission Junction and Amazon. Also, don’t overlook local businesses, there could be some good money and opportunities for you there as well.
As with advertising, remember that all of the products that you link to should be relevant to your subject / topics, and should be something that you yourself endorse.
Retail
Vaynerchuk suggests that you can create a product or a service that is related to your business. One site that I’ve seen do this effectively is Open Source Marketer, which is also an excellent resource for you evil marketers out there. You could also design T-shirts promoting your site. If your community is big enough this could be profitable in the short term, and more importantly it can help promote your website to the masses.
Articles
You are an expert in your chosen subject, right? You can contribute articles to online and print magazines, and even other blogs. You’ll see some of my posts re-posted on vcplan – The Path?to Success?(you may even be reading the re-post) which is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs looking for venture capital investment. I don’t get paid for this, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. At the worst, at least you are getting your name out there in your community.
Seminars
If your subject lends itself to how-to type of stuff, then put together an event, conference, webinar, etc.
Books and TV
Your blog and community building efforts could lead to book or television deals. Hey, it worked for Vaynerchuk. I wouldn’t?be reading his book if it didn’t.
Consulting
As my boys at Marvel Comics say, ‘Nuff said.
Notable quotes from this chapter:
- Be patient. In time, if you continue to hustle, you’ll grow your presence and improve your skills to the point where the fish – really, really big fish – will be jumping straight into your hands.
- Anything is better than zero.
If you know of any other opportunities, or have any other links, post in the comments, or email me at edwardviator [at] evil-marketer [dot] com
Book Outline “Crush It!” part 4, when should you quit your job
Posted by eviator in For Job Seekers on December 9, 2009
According to Gary Vaynerchuk, you should quit if you can’t answer yes to the following questions:
- Are you happy with your present job?
- Do you work for a company that allows you to have a public persona?
- If you’re not allowed to develop a personal persona at work, are you allowed to do so in your personal time?
In today’s tough economy, it is probably unwise to quit your job outright. However, Vaynerchuk makes a good argument. If you are not able to build your own personal brand, you will be left in the dust, and should at least start preparing your resume. Chances are, there’s a better job out there for you, one that will enable you to prepare for your own future success as well as the company’s.
What do you think? When is it appropriate to quit your job? Let me know at edwardviator [at] evil-marketer [dot] com
Notable quotes from this chapter:
?
- Crying about how things should be instead of embracing how things are doesn’t do anyone any good.
- The middleman has not yet been eliminated but we’re getting there.
- The changes that will be wrought by the internet are as fundamentally transformative to content and commerce as the printing press. It’s a whole new world; build your personal brand and get ready for it.
Build Your Own Brand
Posted by Steve in Customers, For Job Seekers on November 3, 2009
On Monday, an article appeared on CNN, Me 2.0: Branding yourself online. Great article on personal branding as it defines branding and then goes into discussing social branding online.
Definition: Personal branding is promoting yourself like a brand . You have have skills, values, expertise that you can deliver to someone that needs it.
They only touch on a few things but essentially you use the internet, blogs, social websites, and manage your personal brand like you would any other brand. Problem is that you may not know how to do that. Two things you can do. Buy the book they talk about, Me 2.0 (visit the website, www.personalbrandingbook.com) or click on Job Seekers on the right and read the articles. Furthermore, we are going to go into further depth on how you can build your brand.
As a pat on my own back I will state that I have been writing about this for some time. As a job seeker and entrepreneur, build your own brand!
Why? Read yesterday’s post. Building your brand is as useful and as critical as building the brand for your company. People will tie the two together and for startups, which has more history? You! Use it.
Note: This is not an endorsement for Me 2.0. I have not read the book. However, it got mentioned on CNN and it may be worth checking out in the bookstore.
Use your personal brand when you start a business
Posted by Steve in Customers, For Job Seekers on November 2, 2009
In the past I have talked about the multiple focus of the job seeker, that the goal is to advertise yourself on the web. This also applies to the entrepreneur because your personal brand is as important as your business brand when you start.
Why? When your business starts which has a longer track record, your business or you? It is you! Leverage that track record into a brand, tie it to your business, and people will start to believe that your business has that positive brand as well.