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7 Ways to Build a Mobile Personal Brand

“Personal branding” and “mobile” are two terms trending off the charts in 2010.  It only makes sense that the combination, building a personal brand via mobile, is the next evolutionary step.

I realize not everyone owns a smartphone.  Unfortunately, without an iPhone, Blackberry, or similar device, mobile personal branding will be extremely difficult.  In today’s fast-paced environment, a smartphone is a near necessity for those looking to stay connected and build a personal brand from the road.  If you aren’t yet convinced that a smartphone is right for you, hopefully this post will do the trick!

Here are 7 ways to build your personal brand via mobile, at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world.

1.  Social Networking

Staying connected to your network from the road is easier today than ever before.  In fact, social networking via mobile applications is often simpler than from a desktop computer! Facebook and Linkedin offer their own powerful mobile apps, and Twitter has more 3rd-party apps than you can count. My favorite is Tweetie 2 for iPhone, which is a steal at only $2.99, providing all the Twitter functionality you could ever dream of.

2. Location-Based Networking

Location-based networks such as Foursquare and Gowalla have recently become hugely popular.  In short, these applications allow you to broadcast your exact location to the world.  Truth be told, location-based networking might be too intrusive for some.  But for others, this new functionality provides an interesting opportunity to further your brand.

3. Mobile RSS Feed

A huge part of personal branding is remaining knowledgeable on your given niche.  I read many different blogs pertaining to my field everyday, and 90% of them I read from the road.  MobileRSS is a free iPhone app that syncs with your Google Reader feed, and delivers all the latest news to your mobile doorstep in real-time.

4.  Business Cards

Wait a minute, business cards aren’t high-tech!  True, business cards might seem like an ancient relic, but they still serve their purpose better than any imitator.  Need to deliver your information to someone you meet on the road?  No better way than to hand them a business card that contains all the details you wish to convey (including where to find you on the web).

5. Google Docs

In the land before Google, you carried your documents with you on a floppy disk, or worse…you e-mailed files to yourself to be opened later!  Today, Google Docs has solved the previously perplexing dilemma of how to access files from the road.  You can open and save any type of file to Google Docs, and view the files from any computer or phone with a network connection.

6.  Mobile Blog Theme

One aspect of building a brand around mobile technology is recognizing that others will be viewing your work via mobile as well.  If you write a blog, you’ll want to consider installing a mobile theme for easy viewing from any smartphone. My blog Personal Branding 101 utilizes WPtouch iPhone theme, which aims to format the site perfectly for smartphone readers.  (Also note that via Wordpress you can publish blog posts from a mobile phone as well.)

7.  Your Own Smartphone App

Want to take #6 a step further? With MotherApp you can create your own iPhone app that displays your blog posts and tweets.  The service is free if you allow ads and share revenue 50/50, or you can pay a one-time fee of $99 to avoid ads.  Yes, your app would actually appear in the iTunes Store – incredible, right?  Check out Guy Kawasaki’s iPhone app for an interesting example.

Building a personal brand from the road once would have seemed like an impossible task.  But today, the tools and technologies available have changed the game significantly.  What do you think?  Do you know of any other great ways to build your brand via mobile?

Ryan Rancatore can be found discussing the latest topics and trends related to building a brand at Personal Branding 101.  Connect with Ryan on Twitter at @RyanRancatore, or on Linkedin or Facebook.

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The Super Bowl Guide to Building Brand Buzz

Wouldn’t it be incredible to air your own Super Bowl commercial, and be able to broadcast your unique message to hundreds of millions of viewers? Of course it would!  But, unless you have $3 million in your couch cushions, you will likely need to find a more reasonable way to promote your personal brand.  Here are 5 unique ways to create your own buzz, observed from Super Bowl XLIV brand advertisers.

1.  Collaborate, don’t compete.

This CBS commercial for “The Late Show” featured David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and even late-night competitor Jay Leno.  Why would CBS want to showcase these stars from competing networks?  Two reasons, really – to create interest, and to gain brand value by association.

How can you put this principle to play while building your own brand?  One way is to interview a respected authority in your field, and publish the interview on your blog.  Mohammed Al-Taee did just that in this interview with branding legend Seth Godin.  Another option is to write guest articles for “competing” blogs in your niche.

2.  Continue the story.

The GoDaddy commercials are infamously racy in nature – and I don’t suggest that the particular theme of their spots is right for everyone.  But, what GoDaddy does better than any other advertiser is “continue the story”.  The call-to-action is always to view even more on their website.  Their :30 seconds of fame turns into far more than :30 seconds.

What about you?  When you meet peers at conferences or seminars, do you continue the story?  Does your business card list your blog URL, your Twitter handle, and your Linkedin profile?  Follow the GoDaddy formula, and turn your offline connections into online connections, and vice versa.

3.  Provide sneak peaks to insiders.

Google’s “Parisian Love” spot was brilliant on multiple levels, but I will focus on one in particular.  The day before the Big Game, Google’s CEO tweeted this somewhat cryptic message, signaling that Google might be running a spot.  On several tech blogs, the spot itself was leaked early (accidental?).  I saw the spot the night before the Super Bowl, and was excited to have “inside info” that others didn’t.  Who doesn’t love to feel like an insider?

How can you replicate this same feeling around your personal brand?  You might e-mail your blog subscribers in advance to describe an upcoming series of posts.  Or, you could produce and provide a special video just for your Twitter followers.  Problogger takes similar steps quite often, and each time I enjoy the “insider” feeling.

4.  Evoke emotions.

Budweiser ran several silly commercials with typical juvenile punchlines, and none of them really stuck with me.  But, the Budweiser Clydesdale spot that featured the pony and young steer succesfully tugged at the heartstrings.  The spot was an instant hit because it evoked an emotional reaction from all who watched it.

You can replicate this very concept by occasionally weaving ”truly personal” elements into your personal brand.  The two most powerful articles I’ve read recently were from Copyblogger.com, and both were deeply personal in nature.  Read both this Men With Pens post, and this Jonathan Morrow post, and remember the feelings evoked by these personal tales.

5.  Provide an offer nobody can refuse.

I’ll admit, I thought the Denny’s “Chickens” ads were just plain horrible.  Yet, they managed to create a buzz around their brand by offering a free Grand Slam breakfast to anyone in the country.  The compelling offer was the star, not the ludicrous TV spots.

Just think – if the nation is thrown into a frenzy over scrambled eggs and a sausage link, what could you provide to inspire the same fervor?  Maybe that college paper you wrote can be redesigned and turned into an E-Book?  Promote the book as “Usually $15, but FREE to all blog subscribers by March 1, 2010″.  With a little viral luck, you might just have a brand buzz gold rush on your hands.

The ideas above are just a few of the lessons personal brands can learn from large business brands.  While our individual budgets can never compete – we can apply the very same principles to build buzz around our own brands.

What do you think?  Do you have any other ideas on how individuals might create excitement around their own brands?  Leave a comment below, “continue the story” with me on Personal Branding 101, or say hello on Twitter.

Ryan is the advertising creative coordinator for a Fortune 500 financial services firm on the West Coast.  His experience building the brand of a globally respected firm helps provide a unique perspective on the world of personal branding.  Read more from Ryan at Personal Branding 101 .

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Putting the reader benefit into your Personal Brand

If you read the bios of some pretty successful people, you’ll see why truly effective personal branding during job search can be such a bear. Here’s how it often sounds:

“Bob Smith is the Vice President of Really Important, Co., leading five divisions nationwide.”

“Jennifer is the author of Business Book.”

“Marc holds a Bachelors degree from Columbia and a MBA from Harvard University.”

Ooh, we think. Impressive.

And so as we go out to find our new jobs, oftentimes our resumes start to smack of hyped-up corporate bio.

We list titles, awards, education. In short, it’s all about credentials. “See where I’ve been before? Isn’t it great?”

When what the recruiter is looking for is less where you’ve been and much more what you’ve done, and what you can do for them.

Let’s take an example. Imagine you need a sales pro and you need them to be able to run on their own with little guidance. You get two resumes:

“Terri has sold B2B technology solutions for 10 years.”

or…

“John has delivered 20%+ sales growth for each of the past five years.”

Which would you call?

The fundamental difference here is that Terri’s bio plugs a credential, while John focuses on the reader benefit. John makes his statement about the benefit that his employer received. And if it’s a benefit that the new employer wants, they’ll be interested.

So here are some examples of mini-makeovers to focus on reader benefit in our branding and job search messages:

Before: “Allison has five years experience in insurance brokerage, with three years supervisory experience.”

After: “Allison has successfully landed five new clients in the past two years, doubling her book of business.”

Before: “Jamie is a driven, competent communications professional, with strong skills in direct marketing, writing for web, and multimedia content development.”

After: “Jamie has written, edited and produced print and online campaigns totaling $1 million revenue annually.”

Or…

“Jamie has successfully maintained key client relationships for years through her excellent work and relationship building skills.”

So, look over your branding messages. Are you speaking in credentials? Or are you connecting with what the reader really wants?

Kristi Daeda shows mid- to senior-level professionals how to get better jobs faster. Her blog, Career Adventure, shares advice on job search, management skills, leadership, personal branding and more to help savvy career adventurers make it to the top. She invites you to find new opportunities through her ebook, 51 Places to Find a Job.

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Write your own Manifesto: Letting your passion kick up your Personal Brand

dg8w2x5s_123g7xq2398_bIf I asked you if you’re doing work that you’re passionate about every day, what would you say?

Would you ask me why it mattered?

There are jobs, and then there are callings. There’s a career, and there’s a natural path. And they feel very different.

A job: You show up, you do what’s expected of you, you head home. You have good days and bad days. Sometimes you win, sometimes not.

A calling: You’re excited to get to it. You think about work a lot when you’re not there — not because you’re stressed, but because you have new ideas. You excel at the core parts of your job almost without trying, because it comes naturally to you.

See the difference?

When your work is your calling, you will naturally excel. You will deliver great results, and be happy while you’re doing.

So I ask you… is there anything else that could be as good for your personal brand?

Sure, it may seem unrealistic to think that you can choose to bring passion into your work. But if you make it a priority to actively seek out roles that play to your natural talents and motivators, you’re far more likely to find yourself in a job that aligns with your passion.

Wanna get started? Write a manifesto.

manifesto ( \ˌma-nə-ˈfes-(ˌ)tō\) – a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

The definition is a beautiful thing, because it spells out two incredibly simple but key techniques for bringing passion into your life.

1.  A manifesto is written

The process of writing can help you clarify your thoughts, brainstorm concepts you hadn’t thought of before, and serve as an ongoing remonder. So take some time to write down what motivates you, what you’re best at, and what you want from your future employment.

2.   A manifesto is publicly declared

This is where your manifesto links to your personal brand — in the communication. As you develop your manifesto — your statement of purpose, mission, values, etc. — you can start effectively communicating it, in your resume, cover letters, online profiles, elevator pitches and more.

So go out and write your manifesto

Get really clear on what makes you tick and what would make the world work.  Write enough for a tweet or a treatise.  And find one person or a hundred to tell about it.

What’s your manifesto?  Who have you shared it with?  What has it given you?

Kristi Daeda is a career coach and writer who blogs on creating an inspiring career, job search, leadership and more at Career Adventure. Be sure to check out her free report on 51 Places to Find a Job.

photo via flickr – credit: altemark

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Brand to the Beat of a Different Drummer

3002687604_081a257ee5_oIn today’s job market, job seekers inevitably want to get hired and are constantly seeking new and unique ways to brand themselves so to stand out from the crowd. However, with so many professionals trying to establish their personal brands off and online, it may seem that it is becoming increasingly challenging to stand out and get noticed in one’s industry or area of expertise and interest.

I reached out to fellow job seekers and career experts for effective personal branding tips that could help you distinguish yourself to your chosen and targeted audience of employers, and here are some top tips that I compiled to share with you today:

Learn or Master a Skill

Focus on your area of expertise that you want to be known for. Stick to what you’re good at, and then make it even better it. How? For starters, don’t do what everyone else is doing. Don’t go to the local non-profit organization and volunteer your time, joining its marketing team to end up doing whatever task comes your way. Take control of the direction of your marketing project. Go online, research, and commit to learning one new focused skill; pick a skill that increases your value in your expertise. This is your new job for now. Really commit to it, and spend the time it takes to learn it. Master it. Then, go to someone in your target audience, and offer that skill to them to solve a problem. Show them how you can help them; offer them your solution. Make it the best. Wow them with it. - Maren Finzer, www.marenfinzer.com

Write a Book

I’ve been lecturing and writing about careers for quite a while now and the best branding advice I can give is this: write a book. Or, an e-book at least. Choose a unique title to enhance your branding efforts. Include the e-book when job-applying online. Ideally, you can afford to have an actual book printed and can include it with your resume when you’re being interviewed in person.  Don’t let the idea a writing a book deter you–books nowadays don’t fit the traditional definition. They can be a collection of blog articles. Or, short manuscripts. (I’ve been some that have fewer than 30 pages, some of which contain a simple quotation.) You could even outline the knowledge/expertise that brands you and hire a ghostwriter. - Marlene Caroselli, www.caroselli.biz

Plan an Event

Plan a local event for your industry. Sounds crazy, right? With the popularity of “un-conferences” growing, it’s possible for anyone to plan an event for their industry.  Local project manager Jason Brett planned ProductCamp Atlanta. He recruited sponsors to pay for the food and facility. He invited everyone he knows in the industry. 200 people RSVPed for the free event and 185 people attended. It was held on the Georgia tech campus, which provided ample parking and free wireless access. Jason used consistent branding for himself and for the event – so that his name became well-known throughout the community. Jason received a job offer within 30 days of the event. - Brandy Nagel

Use Video

Because personal branding is just that –personal– one of the most effective tools we teach our clients is to allow potential employers (or customers) that “VIP-Access to get to know you” via use of video.  We encourage our clients, for example, to produce a 6-part series of 60 second videos sharing relevant information to not only show their expertise, but also to allow others the chance to understand their personality and build a following.  Potential employers start to like you before you’ve even met face to face.  Suddenly, you are walking into an interview where everyone has already watched your carefully built You Tube channel and vlog posts (they watched it while you slept) and they feel like they know you.  You are a friend on their doorstep, while the other candidates are strangers they’ve never met.  And you know the rule about that.  Never talk to strangers. - Aly & Andrea, www.AlyandAndrea.com

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this wealth of personal branding insight!

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

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