This is an issue that I strongly believe in. What you are reading is part of my own branding efforts.
First, the wisdom of Jim Taszarek, known as Taz. He consults radio and tv sales departments and sends out a daily email. This is from one of his latest:
Let the World Know How Cool You Are |
If you're in sales or management, you ARE a brand. (More common name, Reputation.) No matter. The market (everybody who knows you) has perceived then assigned a brand VALUE to your name. We do it ourselves when we talk about someone else. Examples; He's a great guy or She really knows her stuff. You can also tell by how many and what kind of clients who will see you or how many calls have you had about a job?
Since (a) there are now fewer qualified clients and (b) nobody has time for anybody, the old reliable face-to-face call is a luxury. You don't have time to waste on unqualified long shots. Now there are so many ways to extend your Brand - positively - and they cost next to nothing.
I'd say to every MM, DOS, GSM, LSM, AE, BMOC - whatever - that you are just crazy to pass up the available 21st century Social Networking Tools. Do yourself a favor and create an account in . . .
- LinkedIn.com. Primarily business - and the world is here.
- Facebook.com. Primarily social, but CEOs list themselves. You'll find many of the industry's glitterati. I get leads from this and Linkedin.
- Plaxo.com. A great way to keep your database up to date and keep your cute mugshot in front of, who knows.
If you're concerned about security, you can make each element of information as public or private as you wish. No home phones or addresses needed. Then look to . .
- Your Own Blog. It's cheap and easy and if you know how to do tags and trackbacks - your material will spread like wildfire.
- YouTube. Just put your best pitch on video. Load it up.
If you're already using these tools, show them to clients and encourage them to also create an account. What if all this could bring a couple clients to you - or your clients.
I wrote about LinkedIn once before and the CEO of an online company sent a note saying he didn't use any of them because he didn't want everybody to see his Rolo-dex (ancient database). I thought, why not? To me, networking is a good thing and I want everybody to see who I do business with - I'm proud to brag about my clients.
The rare downside is hearing from old school buddies who you hardly knew (or liked) who are now selling stocks, who will tell you It's a great time to get in the market - there are some real bargains right now and if you act quickly I can get you into Nouveau Kielbasa Partners Ltd, and . . . I digress.
I suggest that you try them for a few weeks. You can get out with 2-minutes of key clicks.
Go see my LinkedIn Account at http://www.linkedin.com/in/
Hey, it's me, Scott Howard again. Here's how I am using the internet to brand myself.
There's my LinkedIn account at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthowardscloho
I have a couple of Professional Blogs.
The one you are reading now, Collective Wisdom always contains material from others, (hence, "Collective") that is related to my field of Advertising, Marketing, the Creative Process and Sales. Updated 7 days a week with a Sales Training article to start each day, and a wrap up of Marketing News at the end of each business day, and a few updates through out the day.
Here's the official link: http://sclohonet.blogspot.com/
I also have another Professional Blog that is entirely my own writing. My wife asked me one day if I would consider writing a book on my passion, which instead became The Not-So-Secret-Writings of ScLoHo. These are basicly the 1st draft of the book, if I were to put it in print. It gets updated at least weekly. The link is: http://sclohonet-thebook.blogspot.com/
Because life is not all work, there are a couple of other blogs that are fun and more personal.
My Really Blog will take a Fort Wayne Focus again starting January 1st, where each day, I'll provide a link to a local website or blog for 365 days. The link is: http://scloho1.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582253729
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/scloho
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ScLoHo
And my own homepage which has a few more links: http://www.scloho.net/
The results have been astonishing. Get on board. If you want help, contact me. ScLoHo@ScLoHo.net Sphere: Related Content
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