What matters to you?

Everyone involved in social media is attempting to leave their social footprint of influence by building a strong and consistent message. This message must be genuine and must resonate with others. Building your brand is a time consuming and difficult process. You must consistently be on message and make certain that you are heard on multiple platforms.

An influencer – in my opinion – does not simply rely on amassing thousands of Twitter followers and Facebook fans. She makes certain that the message being delivered is helpful and simple to digest. An influencer must also understand the criticality of listening. We must listen not only to learn but to understand. This is the only way to truly connect with others. We must understand the needs of others and be able to help them solve issues. This level of engagement helps you to establish yourself not only as an authority but as an influencer in the space.

Building an online presence or brand is an integral part of creating an image that resonates with the social web. Focusing on what matters should be about building a positive persona that is reliable, personable and most importantly, engaging.

Thinking about ways to engage and be trusted by peers is an integral part of becoming an influencer in any space. I believe that becoming an influencer entails three important factors that shouldn’t be disregarded when on the journey of building that positive online reputation.

Choosing quantity over quality

If content is king then SEO is queen and should be the main focus on brand building.  While many say posting frequently will get you ranked higher, it does not necessarily mean that you will gain readership.  If your content doesn’t serve some kind of purpose, it won’t get you too far.

My advice: just keep it simple. Create a schedule that works for you, stick to it and be consistent.

Not engaging

If you are up to your eyeballs in analytic tools and plug-ins while neglecting to interact and make a concerted effort to show your human side by joining in on the conversation, then I think being a part of the social web is pointless. You must take part of the conversation in order to be a part of the conversation.

Not listening

If your idea of connecting is taking to social networks for self-promotion, spamming and making it all about you, then clearly the point of listening is being missed.  It is very important to take note that consumers trust peer recommendations more than ever and will not easily fall for the catchy jingles and slogans anymore.  Not listening to those who define your market could be costly.

With so many ways to take part in the social web, it is very important to always stay true to who you are, your purpose and clearly identify what matters to you.

Guest post by Kim Dority – part 2 of a 2-part series on Professional Brands [Editor’s Note: The original article focused on your brand for traditional employment/career success. I have added notes for applying this information to your online/blogging career, designated with the “Editor” preface.]
Read part 1 – Build Your Professional Brand for Career Success

Having a strong, positive professional brand will open up opportunities for you throughout your career. Having a bad professional reputation, however, can sabotage your career in countless ways. Are you guilty of any of these brand-damaging behaviors?

Burning bridges with previous employers.

Had it with your job? Resist the urge to simply tell everyone what you think of them and then stomp out the door. No matter where you live or what profession you’re in, assume it really is a small world, and your unprofessional behavior may come back to haunt you in the future.

Editor: Don’t blast out a blog post or tweet letting everyone know just what you think about a particular brand or company. Instead, think about turning the experience into a productive blog post for your readers to learn along with you…without naming names.

Over-sharing photos online.

Yep, it may be fun to post Friday night’s bar-hopping escapades on your Facebook page, but keep in mind that photos posted online tend to be much more visible – including to potential employers – than you’d imagined.

Editor: Obviously, depending on your personal brand, this may be fine. But, if pictures of you dancing on the bar at the latest blogging conference is not in-tune with your standard online persona, you might want to think twice about them.

Not watching your online words.

Like photos, online communications (think blog posts, comments, association discussion lists, etc.) live on years beyond their original publication. Thinking about starting (or participating in) a flame war? Think twice – how would this look to a potential employer?

Editor: This is something I think the majority of bloggers, particularly women bloggers, know all too well. In our blogging community, it seems to happen all too often. One blog post about another blogger and/or their blog, leads to multiple comments, tweets, and other blog posts. Remember that via search engines, all of your words will live forever.

Sabotaging co-workers.

Word gets out quickly when you develop a reputation as a back-stabber. Play nice – when you help others succeed, they’ll be much more interested in helping you succeed.

Editor: Our blogging community can be a great benefit to each of us. I know that through recent exchanges within my own network, we’ve been able to help each other out with our blogs tremendously. But, it takes everyone playing nice and helping each other out equally.

Being unreliable.

Everybody drops a ball now and then, but if you consistently fail to meet deadlines, deliver papers on time, or show up prepared, you’ll develop a reputation for being unreliable and immature – regardless of how smart or talented you are.

Editor: If you agree to be part of a campaign that has a specific time line, then you need to meet that time line. If you’ll be unable to do so, the professional thing to do is to communicate with your contact for that campaign and provide a new time line that is agreeable to both parties.

Taking credit for others’ or team efforts.

A professional looks for ways to give credit to those who have earned it. If you take credit for others’ work or successes, you will develop a reputation as a selfish, untrustworthy co-worker. That reputation quickly makes its way to bosses and potential employers.

Editor: Give credit where credit is due. If you were inspired by another blogger, then say so. If you worked with someone on a project, then give them the proper credit.

Being difficult to work with.

You don’t want to develop a reputation as the person who’s temperamental, moody, arrogant, negative, or always taking offense at perceived slights. You want colleagues at previous jobs to want to work with you again, and recommend you to their new employers. If “difficult to work with” is part of your professional brand, everyone will find ways to avoid working with you!

Editor: I have heard that PR agencies do talk to each other. If you’re known to be hard to work with on campaigns, word may spread. The same for clients. People look for recommendations and your goal is to be recommended amongst your network and your network’s network.

Neglecting to say “thank you.”

Throughout your career, a lot of people will help you in various ways. Remembering to thank them, especially with a written note, is not just a professional courtesy, it’s how you build a reputation as a conscientious and appreciative colleague. Failing to do so marks you as unappreciative and selfish – characteristics unlikely to contribute to a positive professional brand.

Editor: Even in blogging and other online businesses, thanking those you worked with – as a client, on a campaign, etc. – will be appreciated. And yes, personal handwritten notes are still loved by many, but even an email will go a long way.

Do you tend to think about how your actions might affect your personal brand?

Guest post by Kim Dority – part 1 of a 2-part series on Professional Brands [Editor’s Note: Though this article focuses on your brand for traditional employment/career success, it can be applied to your online/blogging career.]

What’s a professional brand? In the marketing world, a brand is the collective characteristics that the market attributes to a given product or service.

Think about these companies and products: Target, Estée Lauder, and Haägen Daz. You probably associate very specific ideas with each of those brands. For Target, you might think “inexpensive but good quality, family-friendly, a shopping experience that’s fun and upbeat.” For Estée Lauder, perhaps beauty, glamour, a high-quality and expensive luxury. And for Haägen Daz, you may be thinking chocolate, indulgence, high quality, an affordable luxury… okay, and also a gazillion calories, but who cares??!!

Professional Brands… for People

Okay, so those are brands for products. Now think of these people: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, anti-apartheid activist and former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, songwriter and singer Lady Gaga, and media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey.

Each of these people has a very specific brand. That is, they are known to the world for very specific values, passions, skills, and professional competencies. When you thought of them, you probably also had a set of expectations regarding how they might (or do) behave in their various roles and circumstances.

So it is with your own professional brand. A professional brand isn’t about creating a phony “persona” or pretending to be someone you’re not. Instead, it’s about showcasing the best of who you are and the value you provide. Your professional brand highlights the strengths that you want to be known for, and takes the initiative to shape others’ assumptions about your ability to contribute.

What Are the Key Characteristics of a Brand?

There are many different definitions of what constitutes a professional brand, but one way to think about brand characteristics is laid out by authors David McNally and Karl D. Speak in Be Your Own Brand (Berrett-Koehler, 2002). They identified the big three characteristics as competencies, standards, and style.

• Competencies. Not only what you’re good at, but what you want to be known for being good at. What work are you passionate about doing? (If you’re a decent manager, but you hate managing people, you don’t want to build your brand around management competencies.)
• Standards. How do you perform your competencies? Are you known for always beating deadlines, bringing creative thinking to a project, paying attention to all the details, or ensuring the smooth running of team projects? Are you a perfectionist? What level of performance should others expect of you?
• Style. How do you communicate and interact with others? Think about your relations with classmates, co-workers, bosses, customers, etc. Are you generally more casual in your interactions or more formal? A high-visibility contributor or a more reflective, quiet participant? Do you gravitate toward leadership roles, or prefer to be more of a team player? Are you someone who uses humor (when appropriate) to lighten the mood? These are the attributes you would showcase as part of your professional brand.

How Do You Demonstrate Your Professional Brand?

There are a number of ways you demonstrate your value to the world (and potential employers); most important among these are:

• Your language – is it hesitant or confident, cold or friendly, arrogant or supportive, careless or professional?
• Your clothes – do they reinforce the way you want a potential employer, co-worker, customer, or client to think of you? Or do they tell them not to take you seriously as a professional?
• Your contributions – what projects or volunteer work have you done that demonstrate the professional characteristics you want to be known for? (These characteristics could be a commitment to community service, innovative thinking, leadership, artistic ability, etc.)
• Your public communications – on the job or in class, in print, and online.
• Your attitude – are you a positive person? Easy to work with? Comfortable working as part of a team?

What About Building Your Brand Online?

You have all sorts tof ways to boost – or bury – your professional brand online. The social networking sites – for example, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter – are a great way to promote your interests and expertise, or discuss what you’re learning about in school. Or consider writing a blog on a professional topic that interests you or creating a website that provides resources on a topic for which you’d like to be known.

Just keep in mind that you should assume all of your online communications will be visible to – and checked out by – a potential employer. You don’t have to be boring, just try not to do any major damage to your professional reputation!

Why Your Professional Brand is Really Important to Your Career

Having a strong professional brand can help you build the career you want in a number of ways.

• It provides stability in the midst of workplace and economic chaos.  You know the drill: pink slips are flying left and right, companies are changing direction (and staffing needs), entire industries are contracting (and job opportunities along with them.) You may have made a decision that your current job (or employer) is a dead-end deal, and that it’s time to head in a new direction. Having a strong professional brand lays the groundwork for you to land on your feet with a new employer if needed, because you’ve already built a reputation (which they can see online and/or hear about from others) that lets them know how valuable you are.
• It helps shape how people are willing to let you contribute.  If you’re new on the job, and no one really knows you, they won’t know what to expect of you. Should they trust your judgment? Should they give you the important assignments or new opportunities? If you’ve built a track record – a brand – that lets them know you’re smart, capable, and have high professional standards, you’ve gone a long way toward answering those questions for them.
• It positions you in the path of opportunity.  If you’ve done a good job of building a reputation as a strong contributor, you’re more likely to be mentioned by others when new opportunities arise. It’s impossible to tell where a new project may be developing, when a company may be taking a new direction that would be a perfect fit for your skills, or how a start-up is going to need your expertise to take advantage of an expanding market segment. But if you’ve got a great brand that’s visible to a lot of people, it’s a lot likelier that your name will cross paths with those opportunities through people who can connect the dots for you.

Have you thought about your personal brand?