December 3, 2014 5 Minutes to Better Personal Branding
Your personal brand is more than your company logo or the colors you choose for your website. Your personal brand is, to put it simply, you. How you act, what you say, how you dress, and how you address others all contributes to your personal brand. It’s what you’re showcasing to the world and, consequently, how others see you.
No empire is built overnight, just as no brand is transformed in a day. It takes time to build a reputation around yourself that others will respect. But you CAN get started today by writing down some of the key goals you have for your personal brand and how you will go about achieving those goals. Start by thinking about a few key things:
1. Your brand should be consistent.
If you want to make yourself known as the reliable, go-to person for any project, then be reliable! If you want to be known as the employee who goes out of their way to include others, then focus on being inclusive! Don’t try to fake it and be something you’re not, but DO try to capitalize on your assets and be consistent with your behaviors. And remember: the office pool can be quite small. If you act one way with one group of people and act completely different with others, that behavior will be noticed…and that’s frankly not the kind of attention you want.
2. Review your daily activities.
Do your day-to-day activities support your personal brand? If you’re trying to promote your writing skills, but are constantly working on research projects or editing, then you’re not being true to yourself or your abilities and it’s probably time to reevaluate your daily work. Talk to a manager about getting more writing projects or volunteer for additional writing opportunities (like the monthly company newsletter).
Or maybe your goal is to rise to a leadership position. Think about your typical daily to-do list and ask yourself if your activities are contributing to the bigger picture. If not, how can you go about changing them?
3. Stay rooted.
Yes, personal brands evolve. You might change your career goals or you might even switch positions within the company. That doesn’t mean your personal brand should be scrapped and you should start from scratch. Stay true to who you are and never lose sight of that. You might consider saying an affirmation to yourself every morning like, “I am a positive, optimistic person who always gets things done on time” or “I enjoy working with customers and go out of my way to make them happy.”
The best way to start working on improving or honing your personal brand is to have a plan. Do not approach it haphazardly and let others decide how they see you. YOU decide how you’d like to be seen. YOU have the power to build a strong, respected personal brand, brick-by-brick.
Need help getting started? Contact me today for guidance with strategic career planning.
Tags: Better Personal Branding, improve communication, Personal Branding, personal branding 101, thrive at work
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- Posted under Advice from a Life Coach, Communication, Personal Branding, Thrive at Work
November 26, 2014 Happy Thanksgiving (And a Quiz!)
Today, I would like to express my thanks to all of you–friends, loyal readers, acquaintances, fellow career coaches, aspiring leaders, and all the positive influences in my life. I thank you for your support, your business, and your encouraging words.
What are you grateful for? Take a few moments every day this week to count your blessings and be thankful. Being grateful for what you have helps elevate your sense of fulfillment and provides you with an extra dose of motivation. Also, as I wrote about in my November newsletter, being grateful is the number one most magnetic personality trait. Others are drawn to those who are humble, caring, and genuinely thankful.
Even though Thanksgiving comes but once a year, we should all try to occasionally pause and acknowledge all the goodness around us. Let the feeling of the season sustain you throughout the year to come.
Happy Thanksgiving and please enjoy the following quiz. How much do you actually know about the holiday? This quiz will test your (and your guests’) knowledge of Thanksgiving. It’s a fun way to keep the conversation flowing after everyone’s had their fill of turkey and stuffing. Enjoy!
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Thanksgiving?
Tags: being grateful, gratitude, Margaret Smith, positive attitude, thank you, UXL
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- Posted under Changing Your Life, Uncategorized
November 19, 2014 Are YOU Prepared For Small Business Saturday?
It’s right around the corner. On November 29th, millions of people will flock to small businesses to take advantage of sales and to support the local economy. Small Business Saturday is a great idea and a fantastic opportunity to promote your small business, but how on earth can you take full advantage of it? How can your small business stand out from the crowd?
Before I answer that, let me be clear about one thing: Your small business does NOT have to be a brick and mortar store. You might host house parties (think Norwex or Tastefully Simple), tutor math students, sell jewelry, or run an independent consulting business. In any of these cases, Small Business Saturday applies to you.
1. Run a Promotion
Nothing gets people to flock to your business like a good old fashioned promotion. If you’re a consultant, you might offer one free half-hour session for anyone who contacts you on Saturday. If you sell hand-knitted hats and mittens, you might give people a chance to enter a drawing for some free goods. If you run a pastry shop, you could give away free cookies. Whatever the case, make sure you thoroughly advertise your promo through all your marketing channels: social media, your newsletter list, your family and friends (you might be amazed by how willing people are to help you), etc. Need help getting started? This article gives you the basics on creating a great promo.
TAKE ACTION:
If you’re totally at a loss for how to create a successful promo, try creating a coupon (i.e. 50% off any one item from your Etsy store) and send it to all your email contacts and post it on Facebook.
2. Start Talking
Don’t be shy about advertising your small business! Use all the marketing resources you have at your fingertips. That includes social media, word-of-mouth, your email list, your book club or church group, and your past customers. Generate a buzz about Small Business Saturday and start creating dialogues with those around you. Make an effort to post something about your business (or Small Business Saturday) every day until the 29th. If you’re in any business-related groups on LinkedIn, start a conversation about Small Business Saturday and see what others are doing to promote their businesses. Engaging your social media platforms accomplishes two things: 1) It creates excitement around your products or services and 2) It boosts your SEO since search engines are designed to search for fresh content (and that includes social media updates).
TAKE ACTION:
One of your greatest resources is past customers. These are people who can attest to how great your products are or how fantastic it is to work with you. Collect as many testimonials from past customers as possible and post them on your website or tweet about them. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your past customers to spread the word about your business on Small Business Saturday.
3. Collaborate with Other Small Businesses
Make Small Business Saturday a party this year! Invite other small businesses to join you in marketing and promotion. These might be businesses that are similar to yours (i.e. jewelry shops) OR they might be physically located next store to you (then you can work on attracting visitors to your specific neighborhood) OR they might simply be businesses with whom you have a good, long-standing relationship. By pooling your resources, you can create a more in-depth, far-reaching campaign and you’ll be able to draw on each other’s creativity. Plus, this kind of relationship with other businesses opens the door for collaborating in the future.
TAKE ACTION:
After Small Business Saturday is over, be sure to compare notes with your small business team. What went well? What didn’t? What would you do differently next year? This kind of dialogue sets the stage for next year and helps to keep marketing at the top of your mind as you march into the holiday season and the upcoming new year.
Good luck out there and be sure to send me an email on Small Business Saturday with this code:
Sincerely,
Tags: creative marketing ideas, marketing for your small business, Promote your small business, Small Biz Saturday, Small Business Saturday 2014
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- Posted under Better Business, Uncategorized
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