ted
murphy
Personal Branding for Blogstars

why personal branding
Your personal brand
can help propel your
professional life

brands propel business

brand building blocks
Promise
• What are you all about?
Identity
• How do people recognize you?
Contribution
• How do you make a difference?
Promotion
• How do you get the word out?
Monetization
• How do you ultimately profit?

brand promise

Darren Rowse
problogger

Pair up with
1 someone you
don’t know
Create a list
2 for each of you

brand promise
Keywords help provide a framework
• Remember your keywords in everything you do
Your keywords can help create a vision
statement for your personal brand
• “Plowing through life in the country...one calf nut at a time”
• “Disruption with a smile”
• “Crush it”
Focus on what matters
most then boil it down
to a concise statement

vision into reality

identity

identity
Name
Design
• Personal logo
• Photography
• Blog
• Social media profiles / avatar
Communication Style
Embodiment
• Your personal style
• In-person attitude

name

choosing a name
Proper name
• John Chow
• Zac Johnson
• Brian Solis
Persona
• Internet Geek Girl
• eMom
• GeekMommy
• Brain Foggles
• Technosailor

play everywhere
tedmurphy.net tedmurphy.org tedmurphy.mobi

dominate search
I control the top 10
search results

logo

logo
Your logo is your single unifier.
It identifies all other components
of your brand as yours.

common logo mistakes
Designing a logo if you are not a designer
• Just because you have photoshop doesn’t mean you are a designer
Using clipart as your logo
• Other people can use the exact same image
Using a photograph of yourself as your logo
Creating a logo that only works in full color
• Doesn’t allow for easy reproduction on promotional items
The best logos work
in black and white

my mi sta ke
standard font
photo
just bad

photos
Your photos will be used by
others to promote you.

photos

quality is your friend
meh. yeah!

photography
Hire a professional
• Make sure that your images are suitable for print
Capture your personality
• Get a variety of shots for different uses
Get the rights for publication in all media

blog
Your blog is the central hub
for all things you.

Shoemoney
pioneerwoman.com

common mistakes
Using a standard theme
• Your blog looks just like the others
• Adding a different header isn’t enough to stand out
Designing your blog if you aren’t a designer
Going crazy with display ads

If you wish for an
awesome personal
brand it will magically
happen.

you gotta coooordinate.

brand makeover

Benspark Blog

communication
It’s not just what you say
it’s how you say it.

Tim Ferris

Loren Feldman

Michael Gray

Whatever your tone try
to keep it consistent

define your look

embodiment
Be just as awesome
in real life.

contribution

contribution
How you make a difference
• Can be for profit or not
You should contribute things you are
passionate about and good at
Primary and secondary
• Your job
• Your talent
• Your impact
• Your content
Your contribution is often how people label
you when speaking to others

Gary Coleman
California Star of
Governorial “The Surreal
Candidate Life”
Star of
“Different Strokes”

Chris Brogan
President of Co-Authored
New Marketing “Trust Agents”
Labs
Blogger

Missy Ward
Walks to Co-Founder
Save Boobies of GeekCast.fm
Co-Founder of
Affiliate Summit

promotion

promotion
Think of personal brand like a business
• Who are your “customers”?
• What is the most effective way to reach them?
• How do you differentiate yourself from the “competition”?
Brands do not grow quickly organically
Engagement through social media is only
part of the equation
• Diversify your marketing like a business would
Invest in yourself if you want to succeed
• Personal time
• Personal money

promotion
Sponsored Posts
Search Marketing
Display Ads
Swag
Sponsor Events
Attend Events

monetization

thank you
@tedmurphy