A New Generation Marketer

HOW TO: GET STARTED

• Soul search to make your brand completely about you. Find out what motivates and drives you and what you are passionate about.
• Identify what you do best. What are you best at? Which of your skills are impressive?
• What makes you different? Is it your work ethic? Communication skills? Integrity? Creativity?
• Identify your audience. Choose the type of people you want to serve or show your personal brand to. This is your ‘niche.’
• Put all these answers together in a compelling way. Once you lay out the foundation to your brand, polish up the ideas in a concise way to unify the unique aspects of your brand.
• Integrate your brand into all aspects of your brand. Your resume, biography, cover letter, web content, interview stories, business card, and email signature should all demonstrate your unique brand.

I highly suggest that when starting to build your online brand you first focus on these tools:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Blog/video blog
• YouTube
• Personal website (similar to this)
• Offline networking

HOW TO: DIFFERENTIATE AND BRAND YOURSELF ONLINE

• Your personal brand is how other people perceive you: what you do, why you do it, who you do it for, and why you are DIFFERENT!
• Show that you are unique from everyone else in some way. Put your skills to work in a way that sets you apart and gives you a meaning

Stumbleupon.com reported that your personal brand communicates:

• Who do you serve? What group of people is your audience?
• What do you do best?
• Why do you do what you do? What motivates you and gives you meaning?
• How are you DIFFERENT from others? What makes you the ONLY choice?

HOW TO: MARKET YOUR ONLINE BRAND

• Create a web page for yourself. When being considered for a job you may be searched for on Google. Your website acts as a ‘hub’ for your brand. This is your first impression on anyone, so make sure your brand is polished and clear.
• Increase your Google ranking when searched for. SEO! (Search Engine Optimization). Go to Google Analytics to find out how you can increase your ranking on Google and increase your visibility to ‘get found.’
• Communicate your brand via multiple channels online. Use blogs, databases, wiki articles, social networks, and other valuable content to demonstrate your brand.
• Establish Credibility. Start your own blog, comment on other blogs, write articles useful to your audience. This will establish yourself as a thought leader.

BONUS – HOW TO: GET A JOB USING TWITTER

Because I got my first and current job using Twitter (and online branding as a whole) I want to teach you how you can use Twitter to find a job:

• By meeting professionals in the location and industry that you are looking to get into through Twitter, you can develop some great and lasting relationships.
• Set alerts on Twitter (such as through TweetBeep.com) for keywords pertaining to your job search.
• Find people on Twitter who are posting jobs or who may know about job openings in your area and follow them!
• Research hiring managers and experts in the industry that you are looking to work in and follow them as well.
• Complete your Twitter profile by including your area of expertise, skills, and interests (to give your profile some personality). Make sure to add in a link to your personal webpage, blog, online resume, etc. for contacts to view.
• Create Twitter Lists to manage specific groups of people (i.e. create a list for career experts, recruiters, companies, etc.)