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4-Ways Foursquare Impacts your Personal Brand

Is Foursquare a silly game? Is Foursquare just another cool iPhone app? Or is it just another social network? From a personal branding perspective I would like to add a different angle.

Foursquare has the potential to be a great personal branding lifestyle social network (with the integration of Twitter at this point). Personal branding is a lifestyle not just a career choice. It is something that is lived 24/7 not just from 9-to-5. Foursquare naturally integrates your DNA, your brand associations, and your habits into its social networking game with each check-in.

4-Ways Your Personal Brand is Impacted

1. Lifestyle: Your habits and choices are stamped with each check-in. For example I workout at Lifetime Fitness and after becoming the Mayor it encouraged me to continue working out more frequently. Whether I get unseated as Mayor is not the issue, it communicates commitment and that being physically fit is critical to my personal brand. Can I tweet that I am going to the gym? Absolutely. A stronger message is sent however when you physically check-in at the gym?
2. Brand Associations: It connects you with establishments or brands you want to be associated with, whether it is a food establishment that provides healthy food or a eco friendly store that you purchased furniture from.
3. Money Trail: To truly identify what is important to a person follow how they spend their money, there isn’t a clearer indicator of values.
4. Local Market Branding: Adding tips can be a great personal branding tool it connects you with desired establishments/brands in local markets. It can also create opportunities especially as you frequent specific locations more often. In local markets it can add name recognition and adds a virtual presence even when you are not physically at the location.

Optional #5: Work Time Stamp: Work habits are reinforced since check-ins can only be done with mobile devices when you are in the physical area.

Two Basic Tips for Using Foursquare

• Tips: Create unique tips that people will find value when they visit or are near the establishment.
• Shouts: Brand your choices, each check-in provides you an opportunity to reinforce why you have selected the establishment or brand you are visiting.

There is a noise factor that has to be managed with Foursquare I will admit. Broadcasting every move you make might not be the digital footprint that you are trying to create. Below is an example @Nolascratch tweets about going to the bathroom. I am not taking a shoot at this person but I just wanted to show an example. This tweet is about going to the bathroom which we all at some point have to go. You must determine for yourself what reinforces your personal brand message with this tool like you do with the other social networks.

Foursquare is a social network that will continue to evolve much like Twitter and Facebook as time progresses. see a great opportunity to reinforce your personal branding lifestyle through Foursquare.

Other Articles on Foursquare
5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World
Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Location-Based Throwdown

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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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Side Projects are Bigger than Resumes



Are you focused on building a better resume? Then my first question is why?

This is a rhetorical question and your answer probably goes something like this. To get my dream job I was taught to go to college, get an education and work that job for 30 plus years.

Part of that process is to put your experience and education on a 8.5 x 11 inch rectangle and tell the world how great you are. What if I told you not to forget about your resume, but to change your focus and focus on creating something that matters? i.e. A Project

Evan Williams talk at TED centered around side projects, which is how Twitter was birthed.

The Building a Better Mousetrap Mentality

We have all heard the saying, “Build a Better Mousetrap.” William C. Hooker invented the spring-loaded mousetrap in 1894. Since its creation there have many different versions: electric, live-catching, glue, inert gas and the list goes on. What has the outcome been of these upgraded mousetraps? Better materials?? Bragging rights?? You feel cooler about using them??

How do you build a better resume? The same way you build a better mousetrap right? You create an online resume with links right? You use social channels right? As a practitioner in the personal branding it is easy to force-feed this mindset down peoples throats. (Note: I am not saying go drink the Kool-Aid and throw away your resume, but re-think what you are focused on.)

Game Changers and their Projects

Listed below are four people who are working on some cool personal projects who won’t need a resume to get their next gig. Guaranteed. These projects are creating major opportunities for these individuals and I guarantee you they are not tweaking their resume to death. They are working on projects that people care about that they have a passion for.

• Noah Brier – Creator of BrandTags.net - Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business (2009)
• Evan Williams - Founder of Twitter (Enough said)
• Gina McCauley – Founder of Blogging While Brown - Essence Magazine 25 Most Influential African- Americans (2007)
• Noah Everett – Founder of Twitpics - Twitter’s most popular photo sharing site. Valued at $10 Million?

What is your side project?

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Facebook Cost Me My Career!

Facebook Types - The Drunk, originally uploaded by TheGrossUncle.

While Facebook may not be one of the networks or tools that you use in your career search, employers and recruiters are certainly using it in their search for the top candidates.

Take a few minutes to review your profile and consider these tips so you don’t ever have to say that Facebook cost you your career!

Clean up your act. Before you add anything, screen your profile for anything that could be questionable in the eyes of the employer and consider removing it. While Facebook is a social network where you and your friends should be allowed to express yourselves and your personalities, you don’t want any pictures, videos, wall posts or any other content on your profile to taint how you’re perceived by someone new, especially if that someone might be considering you for an opportunity. - Chris Perry, CareerRocketeer.com

Add more depth than a regular resume. A public Facebook profile allows the candidate to provide a media-rich introduction to him or herself before a phone or face-to-face interview ever takes place. Photos and even videos can introduce the hiring manager to the candidate and subtly suggest why the candidate is qualified and the best for the job. Images of the candidate in professional clothing and professional settings, videos of the candidate giving a talk or performing a professional service, etc. can all help to convince a hiring manager that the candidate is one who should be considered seriously as a future employee. - Heather Huhman, ComeRecommended.com

Plan your status updates. Most people just put random thoughts or events on their updates. But by carefully crafting your updates, you can paint a picture of who you are for that prospective boss or buyer.

Don’t get caught up in the games. Facebook has lots of fun features like Mafia Wars and surveys, but you can look like you are a kid without any sense of discretion by blending that with your more professional side in such a public forum. - Drew McLellan, The McLellan Group

Keep professional and personal as separate as possible. Facebook makes this easy by allowing you to set up a Fan page. You can always use your profile as your personal page (be sure to restrict what non-friends can see). Set up a Fan page that clearly states who you are and what you do, and use that to build your personal brand. - David Mathison, BetheMedia.com

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this wealth of career search insight!

Chris Perry, MBA is a Gen Y brand and marketing “generator,” a career search and personal branding expert and the founder of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad.

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Personal Branding: Would your Personal Brand exist without social networks?

Would your personal brand exist without social networks like Facebook and Twitter? Most people would say no.

Let’s take a look at where personal branding started? The roots of personal branding are recognized to have started in 1995 and Tom Peters is known as the father of personal branding which is appropriate. However the historical roots of personal branding go much deeper. Actually we need to go back to the 18th century to look at a few of the pioneers.

  • Borden Milk Co. – Founded by Gail Borden
  • Sears and Roebuck – Founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck.
  • Ford Motor Co. – Founded by Henry Ford

Do any of these names look familiar? People didn’t create names for businesses like Google and Yahoo back in the day they used their names. There was no separation between the person and the business; businesses were birthed out of the DNA of the person.

Personal Branding

In a nutshell your personal brand is your personal DNA it what makes you who you are.

  • Unique Value Proposition: I believe this is birthed out of your passion. It is what makes you different it is the value that you are able to deliver on.
  • Platform: Every person has an arena or space that they will operate. It is where you will make their mark.
  • Character: The real you, who you are when nobody is watching (not sure if that happens anymore), what you believe and your value system.

Personal branding is a process of exposing yourself to a large community in which today social media is one of the main channels. Every personal brand has the ability to develop a digital personality.

  • Digital Personality – It is the digital component of your personal brand that exist online in your various social networks and includes your online activity. It is the authentic you translated into the digital world it is the stream that runs through your tweets, your avatar, and your online content.

I believe Personal branding 2.0 in the future will not separate you from your competitor because it will be the norm. We are creating a mass army where everybody will march to the beat of the same drummer to be relevant. After everybody is on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin (and whatever the new social network is of the day), setting up a blog, tweets 15-20 times a day, engages their community, and produces relevant content that will be captured in social search what is next? I am not condemning personal branding 2.0 I believe it is vital, I would not be relevant without it.

Personal Branding 1.0 will be more important in the future than Personal Branding 2.0, guaranteed. Nailing the 2.0 component is critical in the day and age we live in especially to be relevant. The true separation will be Personal Branding 1.0 who you are and your values that people will be reading about and spreading to others. Remember social media and personal branding doesn’t make you a better person it amplifies your voice and exposes you to a larger network of people.

I would love to hear your thoughts?

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