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Personal Branding – Using The Internet To Build A Powerful Brand

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Personal Branding – Using The Internet To Build A Powerful Brand

When building a Personal Brand, the easiest, fastest and most impactful way to do so is online. But be fore-warned, it’s just as easy (and even faster) to destroy your brand if your social media campaign doesn’t have a strategy behind it. Whether it’s blogging, article marketing, tweeting, or posting to Facebook and YouTube, having an effective internet presence is the number one way to boost your brand.

Developing a solid personal brand can have a tremendous impact on your bottom-line if done correctly. Here are some tips to building a stand-out Internet Brand.

1. Know Your Goal

Begin with the end. First determine, what is the goal of being on the internet? Is it to get clients? Is it just for socializing? Do you even have a goal? For purposes of this article, let’s assume your goal for being on the internet is to generate business and get clients.

However, before diving into all forms of social media head-first, you must indentify some objectives to reach your goal. Consider this:

Do you know where your clients are?
On which social media platforms do they engage/ participate?
What is the message you want to convey to them?
Will your objectives boost your brand awareness?

The true test of your social media campaigns’ effectiveness will come from your ability to create an online community who will become cheerleaders for your brand.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Knowing where your customer is will save you lot’s of time and energy. It will also help define your marketing message.
In addition to knowing where your clients are, you need to identify who they are. You may think you know your target audience, but when it comes to building an online community, ask yourself this:

What benefits do my products or services provide?
What do I want to say to that audience? (Your communications shouldn’t always be a sale or a “call to action”; in other words, a one-way conversation. Start by building a relationship and creating 2-way conversations.)
What type of person needs my product or service?
What is the best way to reach them on the internet that will showcase my company’s culture and generate sales?

Once you have answered these questions, then you can begin to create a strategic social media campaign to reach your ideal audience. (More on that later)

3. Personality + Passion = Purpose

Put passion and personality into all of your online profiles and be consistent across the board.

The most important reason for businesses to have an internet presence is to build a powerful, compelling brand. The only way to make that brand stand out amongst the crowd is to filter through all of the fluff for your target audience. Take advantage of the opportunity to showcase your personality and passion in all of your communications. By doing so, your audience will see your authenticity and get a clear understanding of your purpose.

You also have the opportunity to make an emotional connection with your audience. The majority of sales are made based on emotional connections. Why wouldn’t you use this platform as a vehicle to build a fierce Brand reputation?!

Your brand should communicate the following:

Who you are (Personality)
What makes you unique; The only one who can deliver (Personality & Passion)
Your expertise in your niche (Passion)
What service/ product you provide (Purpose)
What motivates you to do what you do (Purpose)

All of these components is what makes you you! If you are truly passionate about what you do, your audience will identify with that passion and understand your purpose for doing what you do. It not only adds value and credibility; it makes you the go-to-guy (or girl) in your industry.

Imagine reading a blog or Facebook post about a single mother’s struggle to raise her autistic child. Because of her experiences, she is now coaching other parents who are facing the same trials and tribulations. Not only would her story resonate with thousands of people, it would most certainly add value to her offering? This is not a manufactured brand. This Brand clearly and authentically communicates her passion, personality and purpose!

4. Develop a Strategy

Now that you have your goal, your audience and know where to reach them, you can develop an effective branding strategy. Each interaction you make with your audience should be strategic and accomplish at least one of the “5 E’s”

Engage
Educate
Evoke (an emotion)
Entertain
Establish (your Expertise)

You can use all social media platforms the same way or use different platforms to convey different messages. But decide early how and when you will use each. If your audience has come to rely on your blog posts as humorous anecdotes, you can’t suddenly decide to be an advocate for abused children using the same platform. You will not only lose your audience, but you will lose credibility.

The purpose of strategic online engagement is to define your Personal Branding. In order to increase your Brand awareness, you will also want to be strategic with:

Timing – How often will you engage? Will your communications correlate with current events? Have your customers come to expect information from you at specific times? Be consistent!

Content – If your objective is to stir up controversy, that’s perfectly fine, that is the value you provide for your audience. However, please don’t mix in touchy subjects with your content if that is not your intention for your brand. Nothing will dilute your message faster and turn off your base!

Placement – This goes back to knowing where your customers are. How are you going to communicate with them? Knowing that will boost your online presence for your community and create value for your clients. Make sure your brand is easily understood on each of your online platforms. If you do decide to switch tracks with your marketing messages, use a different social media marketing approach and explain to your audience why you’ve done. (Remember, make the emotional connection!)

All in all, you get the biggest bang for your buck using social media and the internet to build your brand. When you are clear on your message, the customers will come!

Kelly Green (Brand Coach Kelly) empowers new entrepreneurs and career transitioners to build a powerful Personal Brand, clarify their marketing message, identify their target audience and attract more money, clients and success! For your FREE Personal Branding strategy session, contact Brand Coach Kelly at: http://ThePersonalBrandBlueprint.com

*Special thanks to Philip for requesting this article topic for today’s article marketing spotlight.

How To Grow Your List Through Monthly Teleseminars

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Today On The Article Marketing Spotlight – Author Gina Bell

One of the coaching services I offer is “e-coaching or web-coaching” where clients have one-to-one access to me every day of the business week via email to ask me their most burning question.

Here’s the most recent question I received (client identity is confidential):

Question: “Here is one area of concern – list building. About five months ago I started hosting a monthly teleseminar in order to build my list. Today is my 5th one. When I started there were 47 people on my list. Now there are 138. Not what I was hoping for.

I am committed to these calls through the end of the year. I enjoy speaking which keeps me doing it. The people I am interviewing also have small lists, and they aren’t really doing much promotion either. How do I do a better job in building my list for the teleseminars?”

Answer: A monthly tele-class or radio show is a great visibility strategy and credibility too (based on who your guests are).

I agree… turtle-paced list growth is very frustrating!

Here are some simple things you can do to increase list building results (some you may be doing already):

#1. Invite guests that do have bigger lists than you (sometimes this is a stretch outside of our comfort zone but well worth the reach.)

#2. Make it a requirement that your guests invite their list to the call (you can use a speaker agreement and provide them with a short invitation script that they can copy/paste/send to their list).

#3. Use teaser bullets when you announce the topic for your upcoming call to create curiosity. Teaser bullets are a like mini headlines and we all know how important compelling headlines are – right!? After you done reading this post, hop on over to CopyBlogger.com and enter “teaser bullets” into their search box. Just this one change alone can dramatically increase interest in your teleseminar topics!

NOTE: Copy Blogger is my #1 resource for boosting my motivational copy skills! I recommend that ALL of my clients spend some time on their blog. Why? Because writing effective copy is an essential skill set for women in business online.

#4. Use cliff hanger statements/bullets in your communications to build excitement about what’s coming up next month. If you’ve ever watched a daytime or evening drama and experienced… “Here’s what’s coming up next on Days of Our Lives” for example and they play a series of clips that move you to the edge of your seat and leave you saying “Oh I can’t wait to see THAT episode! I’ve got to know what happens!” – that’s what you can create in your copy. Here’s a great article on – you guessed it – CopyBlogger.com that talks about this (see #5) and gives a great example too.

#5. List your tele-classes with free teleseminar listing services such as

a. See You On the Call at seeyouonthecall.com

b. Conference Call University at cculearning.com

#6. Use a “tell a friend” page/script as a thank you page once people opt-in. The service I use for some of my virtual events is www.YourTellAFriend.com (at the bottom of the form you can include a “slide by” link that takes them to your official thank you page and call-in details)

#7. Invite more than one expert to each call and conduct a PANEL discussion… instead of one guest inviting their list, now you have three each month (and triple the traffic filtering through your Tell A Friend page too!).

As you can see there are many ways to “take it up a notch or ten!” as I like to say ;)

LAW this to this

For additional list attraction advice you can also visit http://www.ListAttractionWeek.com. The event is over but the recordings are still available.

How To Use Twitter Hashtags

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I use Twitter. I am really basic with it. Plenty of folks use hashtags, you know like #ArticleMarketing or whatever trending topic is going on over there on Twitter. Yet, I stay away from them, because I didn’t really know how I was suppose to be using them effectively.

Well thank goodness I ran across this article on how beginners can use hashtags, and I loved it! It is an example of a well-written article, with plenty of information, links, and resources for the Twitter novice to use in order to finally “get” using hashtags.

Major spoiler alert from the article: Try to use hashtags that people already use and search for on Twitter.

So today’s Article Marketing Spotlight is on author Charity Hisle. The article is: #Hashtags For Beginners


Simple Strategies You Can Use To Increase Profits In Any Business

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How to Thrive and Prosper Right Now: Simple Strategies You Can Use To Increase Profits In Any Business

This is a guest article by Walethia Aquil. If you want your article to be featured  in the “article spotlight”, check out the guidelines here.

Your image, etiquette, communication and interpersonal skills can play a major role in the type of opportunities that come your way. Opportunities that will l increase your earning potential, create or expand your circle of influence and enhance the quality of your relationships.

A potential client will, within seconds, determine if you are trustworthy and creditable. When you look polished and professional from head to toe, your credibility is unquestioned and trust goes up.

10 Tips on having the advantage

1. Be polite; treat all people the same even if you are not enjoying their company.      Never make enemies; you don’t know who knows whom and you never know when you might meet that person in a different location.

2.  Always use proper etiquette and manners. Using proper manners and appropriate etiquette will enhance your business and your personal relationships.

3.  In terms of your appearance, you must give careful attention to your dress, grooming, and accessories.  People and potential clients will judge your quality of work by your physical appearance.  Does your image reflect your product or service?

4.  People always enjoy handwritten notes.  Outclass your competition by sending thank you notes.  You can make them special by writing them on customized stationery.

5.  Teach people about yourself and your product and or service.  However, don’t go into a long speech about you, your company or product.  Tell a story, people can relate to stories.

6.  When it comes to introductions, be prepared to answer the question “What do you do?”

7.  Have you crafted your thirty second commercial, and is it second nature to you?    Practice until it is natural and flows freely.

8.  Go beyond networking.  Build your business relationships strategically and systematically.  The acquaintance you make today may become your closet business alliance tomorrow.

9.  What do you do when you walk into a room full of the opposite sex and you have business to conduct?  What do you do about sexual advances?

When you are assertive you gain the respect of others, you get more of what you want and you don’t feel as frustrated or irritated with others. Situations that once represented roadblocks become mere barriers that can be removed with skill and tact.

Women in particular need this kind of “sticking up for yourself” attitude.  Assertiveness is a valuable skill in a world where people first, don’t listen; second, listen but don’t understand; and third, understand but don’t respond.

10.  Be a team player. Become the MVP, Most Valuable Player. Make sure you understand the goals of the team. As a team member complete your tasks on time. Always communicate with other team members if you are unable to complete your assigned task.

Never complain, criticize, or condemn.  Remember there is no “I” in TEAM.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant access to Achieving Success With Grace and Charm Business Etiquette e-course, when you visit  http://www.graceandcharm.com You will learn the ins and outs of using proper etiquette, so that you can boost your confidence, transform your life and accelerate your success.

And to go deeper with how etiquette and a polished image can increase your net worth check out  “The Grace and Charm Success System.”

©WA2010


Article Marketing Spotlight

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Can I Feature You In The Article Marketing Spotlight?

article marketing spotlight

UPDATE: I am now opening guest post “spotlight” opportunities to the public. Please read the submission guidelines.

I am going to add a new feature on this little ‘ole article marketing blog of mine and that is to start featuring or spotlighting articles written my members of our community and people who I think are getting their article marketing right. I really want this to be an opportunity for people to show off their writing, their business, their niche, and to show it off in front of a few more sets of fresh eyes via my site, my Twitter list, my Facebook friends etc.

Now I don’t want you to be shy. You will not be graded for this:) You will not fail a class. This is simply an opportunity to get your article writing and article marketing on and out in front of the world! Just to reiterate what is in it for you:

1. Your article will be featured LIVE on this website.

2. Your article will be promoted on my Twitterstream, Facebook, Ping.fm, and The Article Marketing Network.

3. You will get a cool backlink from my site to yours. Always great for your SEO.

4. This could be your BIG start into guest blogging for sites. Which is a great way to drive new traffic to your site.

Ready to submit an article to the spotlight? Here are a few guidelines:

1. Please submit an article that is between 400-600 words.

2. You are only permitted two self-serving links, but you can place them anywhere in your article.

3. Please submit an informative article which best reflects what you offer or teach people in your niche.

4. I believe in article marketing SEO. So your article has a much better chance in being accepted if you include a keyword rich article title and meta tag keywords.

5. Submit your article in .doc or .txt format to us at our SUPPORT SUITE.

*Hints For More Traffic:

If your article is selected for the article marketing spotlight, you probably have about 3 days tops that your article will be a featured article on the front page of my site. So as soon as your article is published, you should probably tell your list about it via email, tweet your Twitter list, and send updates to your Facebook friends and fans. That will send much more traffic your way.