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7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Without Releasing a Sex Tape | Rosetta Thurman

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Without Releasing a Sex Tape  

(as published on http://www.rosettathurman.com) and written by Rosetta Thurman

August 5, 2010 | Career Advice, Personal Branding

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Unless you’ve found some way to completely avoid stupid celebrity gossip, you’ve probably heard about how world-renowned actor Laurence Fishburne’s daughter is breaking into Hollywood…via sex tape. 19-year-old Montana Fishburne is going to star in a porn film and it’s interesting to hear her reason why.

“I’ve watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape.”

While it’s true that Montana’s idol – reality TV star, model and now business mogul Kim Kardashian – has skyrocketed to celebrity, I wouldn’t count on Montana’s personal brand achieving the same effect. Sure, she’ll get her 15 minutes of fame (and the clock is ticking), but a good personal brand requires much more than one bootleg movie. Here are 7 better ways that you can build your personal brand…without releasing a sex tape.

Start a Blog

Yup, you knew this one was coming. There are a lot of reasons why every young professional should have a blog (hell, every professional!) but one of the biggest benefits to having a blog is that even if you’re not a bigshot CEO of your company, blogging can allow you to become well-known in your field. Need help getting started? I got you. Last week, I announced my new project, Blogging for Branding, a resource to help you with all the aspects of blogging in order to build your personal brand.

Get Your Own Business Cards

This is one of the most important things you can do for your personal brand (especially for jobseekers). Ever since I was 18, I’ve had my own business cards. And even when I was working a full-time job, I kept a stack of business cards in my purse to let people know about my blog and where to contact me outside of my 9 to 5. My favorite place for business cards is Vistaprint. I’ve used them for the past 10 years because of their low cost, easy-to-use website and quick delivery. And when I say low cost, I mean low cost. New customers get 250 premium quality, color business cards free! (You just pay for shipping.) Click here to order yours. They also have a ton of professional business card templates, but I always keep mine very simple. (If you can’t see the images below, click here.)

And don’t be afraid to tell people how you want them to interact with you. For instance, the backside of my business cards say “hire me” pretty prominently. People always comment on how bold it is. But you have to remember that marketing yourself is a lot like marketing a product. You have to tell people what action you want them to take after they see what you have to offer.

Attract Fans and Followers

If you want to build your personal brand and you’re not on Twitter by now, I don’t know what is wrong with you. You can get started using my Twitter 101 guide if that helps. Once you’re on Twitter, you should be following other people in your career field or niche as well as tweeting insights about those specific topics. If you have a blog, you should also set up a Facebook fan page for yourself in the “writer” category and link to it from your blog so people can keep up with your updates. Don’t forget to put your Twitter and Facebook names on your business cards!

Get on YouTube

People like TV. People like movies. People really like to connect with other human beings by face, so it makes sense that millions of people watch YouTube videos everyday. Yeah, you could wait until you get interviewed on TV, but in the meantime, the best way to let people get to know you by your face and voice is by posting video updates on YouTube. It’s easy and free! Pick a topic that you can share your expertise and opinion on and post a brief video about it every week or every month. It’s up to you. Just be sure to spread your videos far and wide once you take the plunge into YouTubeland. Need inspiration? Look no further than Kim Love. For the past year and a half, the natural hair enthusiast has used her YouTube channel, KimmayTube, to share her expertise with the world and recently leveraged it to launch a successful retail business.

Think Local

Chances are, your personal brand is never gonna be world-famous or even nationally-known, and it probably doesn’t have to be. If you want to become well-known in a particular career field, for instance, it’s probably more useful for you to connect with those in your immediate community instead of trying to be too broad, too soon. Blog about how local issues tie into your niche and introduce yourself to influential people in your city and state that can help you build your professional reputation. Samuel Richard does this very well and has built up a great reputation for himself as a young nonprofit leader in Phoenix.

Network With a Purpose

Networking is such a misunderstood term that we took some time to define it on our recent Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals. @ShannonRenee put it this way:
Networking is meeting people to develop a mutually beneficial professional relationship.
Sounds good to me. The only problem I see is when people go to happy hours and conferences without a purpose in mind. They go, they drink, they go to workshops and then they go home without ever exchanging a single business card. Why go to an event in your industry and not connect with the very people who can help you further your career and vice versa? Remember: you don’t really need to work the whole room, just the parts of the room that apply to what you want to be known for in your niche or career field.

Dust Off Your Email List

Chances are, you don’t email people outside of your workplace as much as you could. Yes, it’s nice to post updates on Facebook and Twitter, but alas, everyone is not on those social networks, and even if they are, you can best believe that they don’t read every single update you post. So, take a couple hours every few months to use email to update your network on what you’ve been doing with your career and what your future goals are. Give them a reason to sing your praises or connect you with people in their network who may be doing similar work. I guarantee that there’s someone on your email list that will be interested in your progress or willing to help you get to where you want to go.
What are some other ways that young professionals can build their personal brands…the respectable way?


7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Without Releasing a Sex Tape | Rosetta Thurman

Support Small Business Saturday

Posted on Nov 23, 2010 by  Martin Lieberman  under Small Business Trends
         

How  will you be spending your upcoming weekend? If you’re like me and  millions of Americans, you’ll be embarking on the annual ritual that is  holiday shopping, picking up presents for family and friends.
This year, however, why not take the action to a smaller scale, and join with us to support the first-ever Small Business Saturday on November 27.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday both drive sales to national  chains and larger retailers, Small Business Saturday, a national  campaign sponsored by American Express OPEN, recognizes the importance  of small, independently owned businesses to our national economy and  local communities.
If you’re a small business, we don’t have to tell you about the impact you have on the economy. But here are just two examples:

• Research conducted by the 3/50 project  suggests that for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores,  $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other  expenditures — far greater than the amount from national chains.
• According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, an estimated 27.5 million small businesses operated in the United States in 2009, and they created 65 percent of net new jobs.

When you bypass the shopping malls and choose to buy from your local  retailers, or eat at an independently owned restaurant instead of a  chain, you do more good than you may realize. That’s why we believe it’s  so important to support small businesseses, this Saturday and always.
Want to get involved in the Small Business Saturday movement? Here are four ways to do so:

• Spread the word about Small Business Saturday with the sharing tools found on facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday and smallbusinesssaturday.com, and through Twitter using the hashtag #SmallBusinessSaturday.
• Give shout-outs to your favorite local shops and restaurants so the people in your social networks help the businesses you love.
• Small business owners can download a number of social media tools  and promotional materials to create buzz for their business through  Small Business Saturday.
• If you’re an American Express card member, the first 100,000 people  to pre-register their card and then spend at least $25 on Small Business  Saturday at a small, independently owned small business will receive a  $25 credit on their next billing statement.

And of course, choose to make your holiday purchases where it  matters: At your favorite small business. While you’re there, ask the  manager if he or she has an email list you can join, or a social media account you can be a part of.

Will you be shopping small? Are you a small business offering a special promotion this Saturday? Tell us all about it by posting a comment here or on our Facebook Page.
Small Business Saturday … It’s going to be huge.

4 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Logo

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

With all the noise on the web today, good branding is more important than ever.  Even if your business is not a cutting edge tech startup, the overall identity of your face on the web, social media, and your storefront should be unified, clean, and compelling.

There’s a lot about doing business on the web that is inexpensive and turn-key: All you need to fire up a basic website, blog, or social media presence is an e-mail address. But no web app can substitute for real design vision, and your logo is the linchpin that ties all of your business’s aesthetics together.

Whether you’re going to hire a pro or put those college art electives to good use, take a moment to heed some advice from the experts about what makes a biz logo “sticky” in the minds of web-savvy consumers.

Read On: 4 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Logo

How 6 companies used social networking to revolutionize sales

Some sales organizations are skeptical of social networking’s ability to increase revenue. But these six no-cost business models prove it’s a resource every salesforce can capitalize on:

1. Best Buy’s Twelpforce: In July of 2009, Best Buy introduced Twelpforce – an entire team of customer service reps who respond to questions and requests exclusively via Twitter. It’s a revolutionary concept that’s already having an impact on satisfaction and loyalty, according to Best Buy CMO Barry Judge. It allows customers to avoid being put on hold, or left to wonder whether their requests are being handled. Instead, the problem is resolved ASAP and the customer knows exactly which steps are being taken to solve the problem. Plus, Twelpforce is a free way for Best Buy to announce and promote new offers and last-minute discounts.
2. Zappos’ CEO engages buyers via Twitter: Zappos reported more than a billion dollars in sales last year for the first time ever. One of the company’s key strategies – creating additional buzz and brand awareness via social networking sites. Zappos set up a microsite devoted to teaching its customers how to register and use Twitter. The Twitter charge was led by Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ CEO, who sent personal requests to develop a community of more than 1,600,000 followers who he interacts with daily. Hsieh uses Twitter to survey customers about business ideas. He also announces contests and free giveaways via his account. All of these updates give “followers” a reason to consistently tune in and find out what the Zappos CEO is up to.
3. Starbucks Coffee introduces “My Starbucks Idea:” Starbucks took social networking into its own hands by creating a customer site called “My Starbucks Idea.” The site gives customers the opportunity to pass on suggestions for improving sales, service or satisfaction. The company then posts the suggestions it’s considering online, encouraging other customers to “Share. Vote. Discuss. See.” The idea is to make customers feel as if they’re part of the company’s decision-making process, while gaining actionable feedback about why and how a certain idea should work. By encouraging customers to share their ideas, discuss what they like, vote for their favorites, and track the results, the company has created its own social network, devoted entirely to all-things-Starbucks.
4. Ernst & Young use Facebook as a recruiting tool: More than 60% of executives now have a profile on at least one of the popular social networking sites. Accounting pros at Ernst & Young decided to use that to their advantage by attracting top recruits via a “Careers” group on Facebook where everyone from intern candidates to high-level execs can see (and apply for) any E&Y job postings that are available. More importantly, the group gives Ernst & Young a consistent outlet for interacting with top recruits even when there are no job openings. That way, when something does become available, the company already has a pool of first-rate candidates who are eager for the opportunity.
5. AT&T develops Twitter microblogs: AT&T hosts a number of regularly-updated blogs available exclusively via Twitter, constantly keeping “followers” updated on industry news, changes to existing products, upcoming launches, as well as ways to maximize the value of AT&T’s service. By using this strategy, AT&T has created a “captive audience,” which it can build rapport with, while cross-selling and upselling new products.
6. Guitarmasterpro.net creates a viral sensation via YouTube: In December of 2005, the sales and marketing team at Guitarmasterpro.net recorded a homemade video of a teenager playing an unbelievable guitar solo in his bedroom. At the end of the solo, a quick ad popped up, explaining the boy learned how to play via Guitarmasterpro. To date, that video has been viewed more than 67 million times. 67 million! While companies like Burger King, Universal and Disney have all mastered the art of viral marketing, Gutiarmasterpro is an example of a small company that found an intriguing way to draw millions of prospects without high-cost ads.

Posted from & courtesy of: (Link to)

How 6 companies used social networking to revolutionize sales | BusinessBrief.com

Yes, CEOs Should Facebook And Twitter

(Courtesy of: Forbes.com )

Social networking has clearly reached a tipping point. Sites like MySpace and Facebook boast hundreds of millions of members. Barack Obama's presidential victory demonstrated that platforms like YouTube and Twitter could transform electoral politics. Yet in corporations where such tools have been expected to bring profound transformations, there has been strong resistance to change.

Many corporate executives either dismiss social networking as a time-wasting distraction or regard it as a risk management problem. Much of their fear has focused on potential risks like security breaches and data privacy.

Web 2.0 evangelists, on the other hand, argue that social software can be used to boost productivity. They say it can facilitate an open-ended corporate culture that values transparency, collaboration and innovation. Most important, it can be an effective way to build a customer-centric organization that not only communicates authentically but also listens to customers and learns from that interaction.

In the current stormy economy, as companies look for new ways to market their products and engage their customers, chief executive officers are finally looking more and more at how social networking tools can extend their brands, create corporate cultures based on listening and learning, and establish their own leadership profiles.

Nonetheless, big brands, generally speaking, haven't successfully tapped the potential of social media; they tend to regard Web 2.0 platforms as just another way to push out short-term marketing campaigns. They fail to grasp that the new media require new ways of doing business. Old ways need to be tossed out.
One highly successful example of Web 2.0 branding is Blendtec's YouTube video campaign "Will It Blend?" The video series features Blendtec's CEO, Tom Dickson, comically attempting to blend all manner of objects in one of his company's appliances. Thanks to the series' viral effects, the company's blender sales have quintupled.
The Blendtec videos cost virtually nothing to produce and distribute, but it is doubtful that TV commercials costing many times more would have produced the same results. That may explain why publicity-conscious CEOs are finally breaking away from the old mass-media approach of a Donald Trump or a Richard Branson to increasingly use videos and podcasts to extend their personal brands.

Most CEOs, let's face it, are cut off from their most important constituencies, including employees and customers. Their press conferences are carefully stage managed, their annual meetings over-rehearsed, and in both cases the goal is usually to reveal as little as possible. Web tools like blogs can help corporate leaders enhance their credibility by communicating directly and having authentic conversations with key stakeholders.

READ ON: Yes, CEOs Should Facebook And Twitter - Forbes.com

Build loyalty through liquor marketing

With online marketing for alcoholic beverages growing, spirits marketers are looking to reach 20- and 30-somethings who are spending more and more time on the Web. This means developing creative interactive campaigns that reach beyond a liquor brand's corporate site.

“Wine and spirits competitors generally rely on brand awareness campaigns to generate sales and engage consumer loyalty,” says David Tapscott, brand director of whisky brand Crown Royal. “However, as media consumption shifts, many brands are realizing the importance of connecting with consumers outside of traditional media.”
The unique challenge for liquor marketers, however, is that they must avoid minors in a medium that, for the most part, lacks policing. “The Internet is a bit loose, and many marketers carry an age verification state­ment that needs to be completed in order to enter their respective sites,” explains Roseann Sessa, VP of marketing and public relations for inde­pendent spirits supplier Castle Brands.
Castle Brands includes a social responsibility message on every piece of marketing and promotional material, as does Brazilian rum importer Leblon USA. “The most important thing a marketer can do is ensure they are talking to adult audiences,” says Steve Luttman, CEO of Leblon, who adds that marketers should be “careful about anything that appeals to college students.”
But age restrictions cannot guar­antee that minors are not viewing a site. “It's impossible to ensure that no one under 21 views alcohol-related product placements,” explains John Glover, SVP of marketing at Castle Brands, who points out that billboards, subway advertising and radio are accessible media to those under 21.
Not all alcoholic beverage marketers are affected heavily by underage consumers. For example, younger people are typically uninterested in K&L Wine Merchants, which specializes in rare and little-known wines. However, the company doesn't take chances. “We do have an age restric­tion element and an adult signature is required upon delivery,” says Brian Zucker, co-owner of K&L, which works with StrongMail on e-mail marketing campaigns that introduce boutique-style wines to an opt-in list.
An even larger issue in the spirits sector, say experts, is how to stand out in an overcrowded market. “The real key is to create consumer communication on the Internet, because nobody really wants to log on to a liquor site unless it's for a good reason,” Glover explains.
Fortunately, says Luttman, there are many consumers to market to in wine and spirits. “There are a lot of different brands and categories out there, but the market is very large,” he says, adding that consumers look for more variety and less duplication. “A [new] category will have a greater chance of finding a place vs. another vodka, tequila or gin,” he explains.
As marketing continues to move toward the Internet, it will be critical for the spirits sector to find a way to create compelling sites that go beyond pure purchase while maintaining a social responsibility. “Creating fun and out-of-the-box marketing content does not indicate that we're targeting those below the legal drinking age,” says Glover.
Luttman emphasizes that, espe­cially online, traditional marketing tools do not work.
“You need to be truthful and authentic,” he explains. “If we use our old marketing CPG skill set online, it doesn't work — especially with sophisticated spirits where con­sumer involvement with the brand is greater.”


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Article posted from and courtesy of: DMnews.com

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