Personal Branding
WordCamp Reno 2013
Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.
Background
Disclaimers
Main Points Today
1. Personal branding is a huge
opportunity and responsibility
2. Being searchable and shareable is
good for your business
3. Proper operating principles are the
key to success
You Just Wrote A Blog Post
What is it you hope will
happen next?
We Want
• Eyeballs
• Comments
• Shares (twitter, LI, FB, Pinterest)
• Links
• Action
We Want
• Eyeballs
• Comments
• Shares (twitter, LI, FB, Pinterest)
• Links
• Action
How do we get these things?
Relationships Are Key
• Personal
• Relevant
• Reciprocal
Better To Be Curated
• Personal Branding
• Leadership
Personal Brand
If people don’t select you,
spread the word about
you, or pay a premium for
your services, it’s because
they don’t recognize your
value.
(Seth Godin)
Value
What you can do uniquely
well to help others
address issues or solve
problems that matter to
them.
Personal Brand
1.Who are you?
2.Who do you want to
help?
3.How do you want to help
them?
Why You?
Why Now?
New business card
www.bluehost.com
New business card
1. Associate your name and face
with your value
2. Create content and
connections that will get you
indexed and ranked for your
name and value
Social Media
You must be personal and conversant
Lead with value
Wrap the personal around your value
Name, Picture, Purpose
• E-mail, Google Profile
• Linkedin
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Other (Pinterest)
Bret.simmons@gmail.com
bret@bretlsimmons.com
Google +
What most companies think
1. When we get started, people will
show up
2. Well, we gave it a couple months,
and no one showed up, so let’s quit
Falls & Decker, 2011
The Reality
• It takes at least SIX MONTHS
before you will start seeing any
demonstrable results and success
from your blog
Falls & Decker, 2011
The Fundamentals
• Listen first
• Be responsive
• Be honest
• Provide value
• Sell last
Falls & Decker 2011
Remember
• Social media marketing is about building
relationships, not receipts. The receipts
will come, but only if you invest the time
and attention it takes to build
relationships with your customers. Think
lifetime value, not sale value
Falls & Decker, 2011, p. 180
Examples
• Jessica Torres
• Tiffany Brown
• Kristin Stith
• Tahoe Mountain Sports
• Cory’s Lawn Service
Questions?
Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.
www.bretlsimmons.com
Bret.simmons@gmail.com
(775) 336-9576

Personal Branding: WordCamp Reno 2013