Personal Branding – It’s all about you!
Marketing professional firms has changed significantly across the past few years. Gone now are the days of sitting back and waiting for referrals to call.
With increases in competition, difficulties in the marketplace, and frequent changes in the operating environment, just being good at what you do is not nearly enough.
We live in a business world of constantly changing rules, and rapidly increasing choices. It has never been more important to stand out and differentiate than it is today.
I want you to think about selling yourself, and then this simple process:
- First you sell you,
- Then, you sell your service,
- And finally, you sell your firm.
Whether you want to win a deal, make a sale, or even get a new job, it’s about being chosen over and above those around you trying to win the same thing.
Branding yourself has never been more important. Think about this in terms of your local reputation. When someone mentions your name, what does that name mean to those who hear it?
Standing out
Let’s take a minute to think about differentiation and what makes us stand out from the crowd. To be noticed you need to be different. You need to significant in a world of often similar people.
In his book “Purple Cow”, Seth Gobin makes a great analogy which is very useful here:
Imagine that you are diving down a motorway, and you pass a field of cows. You see one, and then another, they are all very pleasant looking. Then you pass another field of cows and you think “not so interesting, just more cows”.
But, now if you passed the same second field, and in the middle stood a purple cow, you would think “wow a purple cow”. That would get your attention. That would be memorable.
To be different and memorable in business doesn’t mean you need to paint yourself an odd colour, but it does mean that you need to stand out.
Your online presence
A part of standing out is maintaining a great online presence. If you are not maintaining a presence online then you are already behind.
And I did say great online presence here. Most people now have a Facebook or Twitter account, most of us are on Linked-In, and some even blog. This is all a step in the right direction. But how are you going to turn this online presence into a “purple cow”, how are you going to stand out.
And before we go on, don’t forget that the starting point if clients, employers, business partners, colleagues or friends want to find anything is an internet search. They “google”.
Ignoring all the technical stuff about search engine optimisation, presenting yourself well online is about providing an authentic, open and honest impression of you.
An online profile (especially Linked-In) may well be someone’s first interaction with you – make that a good first impression. The expectation is now that you can find someone online, it is often first point of call for potential clients, and employers.
Authenticity is the key. It is vital that your profile sells you. Make is open and honest, and about you.
If you are unsure that your online profile sells you well enough, or are keen to make sure that it is as good as it can be, please read my blog “Top tips for a winning Linked-In profile”.
Contact me
For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathanxp, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.
I look forward to being in touch.
