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#AMA Milwaukee Luncheon 03/16: @HajjFlemings – Speaks on ‘Personal Branding in a Digital World.’

Original Blog Post:  AMA Milwaukee Blog

As the world around us continues to change, people-powered brands are impacting the world of business. How important is your personal brand? If you would like to find out and learn steps you can take to manage it, make plans to attend the March16 AMA luncheon.

The interactive program will focus on the importance of developing a strong personal brand that matters in a noisy digital world. Participants will walk away with practical information and learn how to become a voice people trust. Many of us are listening, engaging, connecting, and participating online through social media channels. But are you processing the information gained and using it to develop real-world relationships?

Join the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Marketing Association and Hajj E. Flemings, founder of Brand Camp University, and get tips to help define your personal brand and leverage your off-line relationships. In addition to a great lunch and opportunity to network, you will gain insight from a noted author and educator and learn how to…

  • INTEGRATE your passion into your personal brand
  • POSITION and balance your brand in corporate culture
  • RE-THINK your corporate job as a proving ground
  • MANAGE your online brand reputation and build equity
  • LEARN to project your personal brand off-line
  • BUILD a strong personal network before you need it

A strong personal brand can help ignite the growth of your business and inspire your personal life. Register now to ensure you are armed with tactics to grow your personal and professional identity and help ensure you stand out from the crowd.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Hajj E. Flemings is the founder of Brand Camp University and author of The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are through Personal Brand Management, one of Fast Company Magazine’s 2008 Readers’ Choice Business Books of the year. He is also one of the authors featured in Age of Conversation 3, a collaborative book that brought together over 200 of the world’s best marketing, social media and brand thinkers. Flemings is a former collegiate athlete turned adjunct lecturer at his alma mater, Michigan Technological University, where he wrote the personal branding curriculum. He has been featured on ESPN.com, BusinessWeek.com, BlackEnterprise.com, various blogs and speaks across the nation. His clients include NFL athletes, Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear, U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division) and numerous U.S. colleges and universities.

You can learn more about Flemings by visiting his blog, following him on Twitter or reviewing his information on LinkedIn.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
The luncheon is open to AMA-Milwaukee members and interested individuals and is designed to benefit marketers of all levels – from seasoned professionals to students – and is ideal for job seekers and those interested in strengthening their networks.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 16, 2010          11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 10499 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa

PARKING: Complimentary parking is available in a private, surface lot.

FEE: $25 for AMA members
$45 for non-members
$20 for students or individuals in transition

RSVP: Register no later than Thursday, March 11, 2010.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A REGISTRATION FORM A

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Personal Branding with Skype

Skype Social Media Workshop with Hajj E. FlemingsOn Saturday, February 27th I had the opportunity to teach a social media session, “Closing the Digital Divide” for @PowerOrgMATH who conducted an on-site workshop for students and parents in the Columbus Ohio area. One of the best parts of this session is that I was able to participate from Michigan via Skype . Based upon my positive experience I thought I would post a blog about ‘Personal Branding with Skype’.

Historically I haven’t been a heavy Skype user.  My recent usage of this tool has exposed me to the significant personal branding opportunities. The power of this tool is not that it gives you that cool Jetson type feel, but its ability to connect people in different locations while providing a face-to-face interaction real-time.

Understand it is a free tool  and you are only as good as your internet connection and hardware.

Skype Basic Set-Up
To get started download the free-of-charge Skype software.  You will need to set-up a profile, have access to an internet connection and some basic hardware:  laptop/desktop computer/mobile device, web cam, headset, and recording software (the recording software is only required for recording audio and/or video).

Skype Profile

Hajj E. Flemings Skype Profile
•    Skype Handle - I recommend establishing a Skype handle (which is your number or contact) using a name that is consistent with your other social network profiles.  (My Skype handle is ‘HajjFlemings’ which is my real name).
•    Avatar – Use the consistent avatar that you used across all of your social networks (actual photo).
•    Bio – Brief bio that should be consistent with your other social networks.

If you are a high profile person, celebrity, or have stalker concerns use a Skype handle and profile that is appropriate and safe for you.

Hardware/Software

Web Cams –  Only required if video is being enabled.  One of the best web cams is the  Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000.

Headset –The headset is strongly recommended for recording purposes.  The biggest  factor that will go into the type of headset you will need is the type of device you will using (desktop computer, laptop, or smartphone).  I would recommend you doing some research.  I personally have a Plantronics.

Recording Software – The personal branding value is maximized when the video functionally is ultiized.  To record you have to download a third party application.
I have listed a few different options.

•    Vodburner (PC Only)
•    Call Recorder for Macs
•    Screenflow – Screenflow is a screencasting software that can be used to capture the video is a cool application that a friend of mind Henry Balanon swears by.

Personal Branding Value:

In the example I used I was able to extend my reach to a group of educators that were outside of  my network with no cost to me except my time.

Products that can be produced from Skype
•    Audio Podcasts
•    Video Podcasts
•    Video Interviews
•    Workshop Presentations

Value Provided By Using Skype
•    Extend your network
•    Extend your reach
•    Reinforces your relevance in the new media space.
•    Its FREE!!! It saves you money and time.
•    Sharable content if recorded, uploaded and linked to.

I hope this short blog post opened up your eyes to the possibilities of using Skype as a personal branding tool.  Please share your thoughts in the comments section about how you have used Skype as a personal branding tool.

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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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Downloading your Own Personal Branding Map (Part I)

We live in a me two world of imitators and copiers. The explosion of the internet and social media has made it easier than ever to be a duplicate versus living life as an original. Most people settle for being a cheap devalued imitation, a figure head of their own personal brand or a mindless avatar because they think following someone else’s map is easier than downloading their own.

What is a Map?

Wikipedia defines map as a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes.

As a personal brand each person is wired a certain way and understanding how you are wired positions you for greater impact in the space you desire to dominate. We are not designed to live life by default, allowing life to automatically make decisions for us in the absence of a choice being made by you and I as individuals.

Personal Branding Map – It is your plan or a visual representation of you that you develop that will get you to your end goal of implementing your personal brand (operating in your Genius)

Developing your Own Map (This post will only cover three points.)
• Identify Virtual Mentors – Identifying success examples online. (ref. list below)
• Online Research – Twitter Search, Google Readers (Feeds), etc.
• Read Books – Recommended readings Linchpin, Outliners, and The Brand YU Life to name a few.
The deliverable or outcome is to identify your personal brand DNA.

Other Personal Branding Maps
• Seth Godin – Entrepreneur (Marketing)
• Gary Vaynerchuk – Entrepreneur (Businessman, Speaker, and Author)
• Lynn D. Johnson – Corporate – SVP, Social Media at the Advertising Research Foundation
• Tristan Walker – Corporate – Business Developer at Foursquare
• Rohit Bhargava – Corporate (Author and Speaker) – SVP, Strategy & Marketing at Ogilvy 360
• Scott Monty – Corporate – Global Digital and Communications Manager at Ford

Note: Examples listed above are to be used for benchmarking exact duplication of someone else’s map doesn’t guarantee you their results or success.

Closing Thoughts
Most people live life by default and live a life according to the directions of someone else’s map. This leads to frustration and puts them on a road that doesn’t lead them too operating in their Genius. Downloading your specific personal branding map is critical to fully unlocking your genius. This blog post is the first in a series on “Downloading your Own Personal Branding Map.”

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Valuation of your Personal Brand

Real Or Fake?, originally uploaded by Sam Knox.
During recessions, market prices can fall on anything with a dollar amount attached to it. I like to look at mostly everything in regard to value. How much value am I getting? I think when we go through these tough times; this concept should be applied heavily. Which has helped me raise this question to you – how do you value your personal brand?

There are many schools of thought on the value of money. When asked, “What is the value of a dollar?” some people would say the value of a dollar bill is 100 pennies or would be confused by the question. Technically the face value of a dollar is 100 pennies, but the true value of a dollar is what you can get with it or what goods can be exchanged for it. Establishing value is a comparative analysis against what the market says something is worth. When valuing a brand, how do you do the math? Is associating a dollar figure the only way to value a personal brand?

It would be difficult and morally questionable if someone put a dollar value on a human life, however, some would say that your employer places a monetary value on you every day. Your employer pays you a salary based on your skills sets and performance, but I believe your salary also represents much more. A good employer would base your salary on your brand, in which I think represents the true value of a person. Let me give you an example on what I mean. When Coca Cola purchased Glaceau (maker of Vitaminwater) in 2007, they paid $4.2 billion dollars for the company. However in 2006, according to reports , Glaceau had only grossed $350 million in revenue. Why would Coke pay so much more for Vitaminwater when they could only garner 8% of what Coke offered them in revenue? The answer, BRAND. Now I am sure there were other proprietary reasons why Coke valued Glaceau at that price, but their brand had a huge part of it. Coke bought into the current equity and potential of that brand. These are things that do not have an absolute value (or dollar value) but a perceived value. When you apply that example to your personal brand, know that the value or your brand is being placed on your potential and current brand equity mixed with perceived value. Your employer not only looks at your current performance and skills but also evaluates your potential input into the company.

So you want to know how to value your brand? I truly believe it boils down to this equation:

Current brand equity + Potential x perceived value = Brand Value

Here is what that equation means:

Current Brand Equity
What are your current skill sets? What are your current successes and accomplishments? What do you have in progress that is setting you up for the future? Do you have a good reputation now? Do you have solid connections and a good network of people that are loyal to your brand?

Potential
There is no absolute way to define potential, but there are some really good indicators.

What is your personal capacity? Have you completed levels of higher education? What are you doing to continually to learn and expand? This is a knowledge economy; you have to be constantly learning and expanding your horizons.

Do you have expertise in certain areas that could open up the doors to other things?

Do you have a track record of following through on potential success? (HUGE)

Perceived Value
This is where the rubber meets the road. How do people perceive you? Do they hold you in high regard? Reputation is a huge factor into your brand. Just think about how many times you have told someone about a product or service, good or bad. This same concept applies to your brand. Perceived value is in the eye of the beholder, however the challenge for us each day, is to control how we are perceived. This does not mean we should try to manipulate how we are perceived. Managing public perception is starting to show that it does not work anymore as we talked about with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods’ brand prior to his recent woes, had a high value. However the perceived value in his brand by the public and sponsors declined at a rapid rate once his scandal evolved.

Very honorable mentions to this equation
Some other good indicators to stay on top of are the areas of integrity, attitude, and morality. People will evaluate your brand heavily based on these areas. Sometimes your brands worth or value could be based solely on those key areas. Always keep those top of mind.

So in closing, I wanted to present this perspective to get you to see a different side on how value could be placed on your brand. Businesses deal with dollar figures everyday when valuing brands, but we have to remember it’s the qualitative data that makes the numbers work. The market as a whole will dictate price, however we as individuals dictate the value. Most of the time those are synonymous, but not always.

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