Personal Branding Online San Francisco * April 2007 Heather Schlegel * heathervescent

Agenda Yourself as a Product The Brand of You Personal Branding Online How to create your personal brand online … and become enlightened in the process

Yourself as a Product

The Brand of You

Personal Branding Online

How to create your personal brand online

… and become enlightened in the process

Seeing yourself as a product Detachment Vision End-goal Execution

Detachment

Vision

End-goal

Execution

Are you a product? Your experiences Your knowledge Your handiwork / code Your skills Your creations /creativity Your network/contacts/rolodex Your company Your energy

Your experiences

Your knowledge

Your handiwork / code

Your skills

Your creations /creativity

Your network/contacts/rolodex

Your company

Your energy

What is your product? You’re an expert in something You’re passionate about something What is that? Barcamps have taught us that everyone is an expert in something Blogging has show that people have passions Passionate work does not feel like work

You’re an expert in something

You’re passionate about something

What is that?

Barcamps have taught us that everyone is an expert in something

Blogging has show that people have passions

Passionate work does not feel like work

Product Building When building a technology product, it’s about what the market, audience, users want When building yourself, it’s about what YOU want. Who you want to BE.

When building a technology product, it’s about what the market, audience, users want

When building yourself, it’s about what YOU want. Who you want to BE.

Traditional Marketing Value Proposition What makes you unique Why would someone hire you Why are you the best Market Research Positioning Pitching

Value Proposition

What makes you unique

Why would someone hire you

Why are you the best

Market Research

Positioning

Pitching

Multiple Identities = Multiple Brands Integrator vs Segmentor? Which audience sees which you? Think about whether (and how) you want to segment Professional Personal Family World of Warcraft / Second Life Burning Man etc Like GM, has several brands, you can be several brands

Integrator vs Segmentor?

Which audience sees which you?

Think about whether (and how) you want to segment

Professional

Personal

Family

World of Warcraft / Second Life

Burning Man

etc

Like GM, has several brands, you can be several brands

Market Research Who do you think you are? Who/what do others think you are? How do you want them to think of you? Pay attention to yourself/your results Do you like it? Did it work? This is you, you’d better like it.

Who do you think you are?

Who/what do others think you are?

How do you want them to think of you?

Pay attention to yourself/your results

Do you like it?

Did it work?

This is you, you’d better like it.

Positioning Relative - you are the center of your universe, but you’re not the center of everyone’s universe Some people will be smarter, more connected, have different products Back to your passion, your expertise Strategic partnerships Companies (aka a job) People

Relative - you are the center of your universe, but you’re not the center of everyone’s universe

Some people will be smarter, more connected, have different products

Back to your passion, your expertise

Strategic partnerships

Companies (aka a job)

People

Creating your Identity Your Name Unique Flattering Domain Personality Online style (email, IM) Offline style (dress, personality) Leave something to the imagination Use Mentors and Role-Models Must be authentic!!!!!!!!! Be yourself

Your Name

Unique

Flattering

Domain

Personality

Online style (email, IM)

Offline style (dress, personality)

Leave something to the imagination

Use Mentors and Role-Models

Must be authentic!!!!!!!!! Be yourself

Your Name Easy to say, easy to spell Authentic, meaningful, metaphorical Visual, memorable, provocative Something you like Your personality Don’t force it

Easy to say, easy to spell

Authentic, meaningful, metaphorical

Visual, memorable, provocative

Something you like

Your personality

Don’t force it

The Creative Mindset Be Authentic Be Focused Be Relaxed But don’t wait for perfection Rapid identity iteration

Be Authentic

Be Focused

Be Relaxed

But don’t wait for perfection

Rapid identity iteration

Using your Brand Consistency Name Picture Easily identifiable as YOU Always link back to your main page Online Social network, blogs, websites, commenting Recommendations/Testimonials on LinkedIn, Flickr, etc Offline Business Cards Getting your face out Being memorable

Consistency

Name

Picture

Easily identifiable as YOU

Always link back to your main page

Online

Social network, blogs, websites, commenting

Recommendations/Testimonials on LinkedIn, Flickr, etc

Offline

Business Cards

Getting your face out

Being memorable

And Enlightenment? Detachment Known Thyself Know where you are going Now, let’s have fun / enjoy the world / discover / play / create really cool shit / make money and all go to Heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla

Detachment

Known Thyself

Know where you are going

Now, let’s have fun / enjoy the world / discover / play / create really cool shit / make money and all go to Heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla

Resources GTD – www.davidco.com www.15secondpitch.com www.superviva.com Tom Peters strikes a match: http://www.fastcompany.com/online/10/brandyou.html

GTD – www.davidco.com

www.15secondpitch.com

www.superviva.com

Tom Peters strikes a match:

http://www.fastcompany.com/online/10/brandyou.html

Contact heathervescent www.heathervescent.com [email_address]

heathervescent

www.heathervescent.com

[email_address]

A Final Quote Look for your own. Do not do what someone else could do as well as you. Do not say, do not write what someone else could say, could write as well as you. Care for nothing in yourself but what you feel exists nowhere else. And, out of yourself create, impatiently or patiently, the most irreplaceable of beings. – André Gide

Look for your own. Do not do what someone else could do as well as you. Do not say, do not write what someone else could say, could write as well as you. Care for nothing in yourself but what you feel exists nowhere else. And, out of yourself create, impatiently or patiently, the most irreplaceable of beings.

– André Gide