Personal Branding Archives - Page 14 of 41

Shameless Self-Promotion: What Makes It Shameless?

March 7, 2007 by Liz

The Problem

I’ve been thinking self-promotion for months. Wendy, and Jessica, and I discussed it when we went to dinner in January.

Our perceptive, observant sidebar bartender, money guy, JohnFTM has noticed, the same thing I have

you can’t swing a cat in the popular blogosphere without hitting a few clumsy attempts at self-promotion . . .

This situation is not just a problem for those of us who have to listen. It’s a problem for those of us who don’t know what it is about shameless self-promotion that makes it shameless, ineffective, and well, if not outright offensive, then certainly intrusive and unwelcome.

We need to know how to recognize shameless self-promotion so that we can sort it from self-promotion that serves our business. If we can’t tell the two apart, then we’ll always be afraid to talk about what we do. A business that goes undiscussed is a business that has no clients. A business with no clients is either a hobby or it doesn’t exist.

What Makes It Shameless?

Most of us need our businesses to be visible, booked with customers, and making money to pay the rent. With that in mind, we should know the traits of shameless self-promotion — so we can feel safe when we talk about what we do with prospective clients.

Here are some traits and tactics of shameless self promotion.

Shameless self-promoters focus on mentioning the business continuously, as a name dropper might mention famous people.
Every conversational response is a talking point about what the shamelessly self-promoted business can do for the listener.
A shameless self-promoter will sometimes forget to acknowledge that other information has been added to the conversation and will talk right past that information with the features of the business being promoted.
Shameless self-promoters are rarely listening for the purpose of solving the problems or meeting the needs of prospective customers. Their goal is to sell their product or service needed or not.
Shameless self-promoters can turn any topic into a sales pitch.
Shameless self-promoters live to move forward their own agenda. They invest in others only as a last resort to meet their goal.

The shameless part is the total disregard for others. In other words, Shameless Self-Promoters see only the game — not the relationship or the other person’s needs. Shameless self-promoters are focused on getting, not giving. Just now, a friend on the phone said that he had quit hanging around with a guy who became an affiliate marketer, because the guy couldn’t quit selling.

Most folks I know couldn’t shamelessly self-promote, no matter what you paid them. We’re so sensitive to shameless self promotion we don’t ever want to be seen that way. So we always stand as far from that image as we possibly can. Sadly the result is that we often choose instead the other extreme — not to talk about our work at all

I’m planning a post or two in which we can talk about how to talk about what we do without feeling like we’re shamelessly self-promoting.

What do you want me to be sure to include?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Don’t forget to sign up for SOBCon o7 to see the real deal in person, seats are limited.

Related
See the Brand You series on the Successful Series Page

Choosing for Our Readers: A 5 Point Pop Quiz

March 6, 2007 by Liz

It’s a Surprise Quiz!

Content is king. It is the product and the service we offer to our readers. Content is what they come for. So when we look on our front page, our job is to make sure that readers will find what they came for. Our posts are our way of extending ourselves, our thoughts, our business savvy, and our expertise. They are the flag that carries our branding message to the world in every sentence.

Sometimes we can look in the wrong direction. Instead of choosing for our readers we unconsciously choose for ourselves.

I use this 5 Point Pop Quiz to check today’s post.

What was my purpose for writing today’s post?

Who is the audience who will enjoy the post? Are they the core audience of my blog or business?

Is there real content in the post? If it’s a link list, do I personally recommend every link on offer? If I’m passing on information, have I added my own insights, analysis, and value to it?

What will my readers learn or get from reading today’s post? Will they be informed, entertained, or moved to action?

For today’s post, did Ichoose for myself or for my readers?

Now and then we all forget and find we chose ourselves over our readers. Other times we write for each other, rather than for the folks we want as customers. I’ve been writing for years and I know I still get caught there.

I hope your post passed this 5 Point Pop Quiz with flying colors — the flying colors of a brand well focused on your readers. If not, I bet you know just what to do. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Don’t forget to sign up to meet me in Chicago. Seats are, oh so, limited.

Truly Unique and Outstanding Blogs — Recap Week 1

March 5, 2007 by Liz

A Recap of the Facts

On Monday, February 26 I started looking for 200 Unique Blogs. . . . I said that the blogs I am looking for are

are one-of-a kind, stand-out, nothing-like-it, wow-will-you-look-at-that. only-one, wish-I-had-that-idea blogs. Every blog in the bunch will be outstanding in its own way.

Many people came to offer suggestions. Many people came for many reasons.

John Said This Would Be Interesting

John, a wise, money man and bartender at the sidebar, predicted that it would be interesting to watch. John only said that because he knows me.

Part of the fun and intrigue of a project like this is the opportunity to see blogger behavior. I found three kinds of people seemed to show up.

The Authentic Participants These folks saw value in the project and took on the challenge with sincerity. They read the original post; offered blogs they believed in; and contributed to the discussion fully.
The Hopeful Attendees These nice folks brought a blog, often their own blog. Their comments seemed to show that they didn’t fully read the post or perhaps didn’t understand the goal the post had stated. Many of these blogs were almost there, but all of the parts didn’t seem to fit together seamlessly.
The Opportunists I shy from that term, but I couldn’t find another term that seemed to fit. These folks saw an opportunity to promote their blog and in some cases, their product or service. The blogs they left were unremarkable.

It’s also interesting how all who left links seemed to undervalue the impact of design on readers.

Round 2 — Let’s Keep Looking!

Comments have been closed at the old post and this one is open.
I redefine the quest here:

A unique and outstanding blog is one so compelling and remarkable that it sticks with you — days later you still want to tell folks to experience it. A unique and outstaninding blog has an amazing impact on a reader. It is unforgettable to both the adult and the kid in you.

I’m still looking for 200 one-of-a kind, stand-out, nothing-like-it, wow-will-you-look-at-that. only-one, wish-I-had-that-idea blogs. Every blog in the bunch will be outstanding in its own way.

Fifteen Blogs that Stand Out in a Crowd

Each of these blogs is exceptional for one reason and executes well in other facets. That’s why they stand out in a crowd. [The numbers do not represent an order. They only represent a count. Nor does this listing ensure that any blog will remain all the way through to the final 200. Also note: I’m looking for 200 outstanding and unique blogs, NOT a top 200.]

NMC Virtual Worlds a program of the New Media Consortium

http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/

the thinking blog by ilker oldas

http://ilkeryoldas.blogspot.com/

Very Short Novels by David Dale

http://davidbdale.wordpress.com/

Knife Gun Pen by Robert Bruce

http://www.knifegunpen.com/

ha.ckers by Nick and others

http://ha.ckers.org/

From Where I Sit by Michael Hyatt

http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/

Can Google Hear Me [dot] com

http://www.cangooglehearme.com/index.php?

Creating Passionate Users by Kathy Sierra and Dan Russell

http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/

Engaging the Disquiet by Dave Schoof

http: //thedisquiet.com/index.php?

Hungry for Hunger

http://hungryforhunger.blogspot.com/

Logivc+Emotion by David Armano

http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/

bla.st

http://bla.st/site/blog/61/

The Occupational Adventure by Curt Rosengren

http://curtrosengren.typepad.com/occupationaladventure/

The dullest blog in the world

http://www.wibsite.com/wiblog/dull/

Bento Box

http://bentobox.bzzagent.com/

How many more can we find?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

How Many Truly Unique Blogs Can We Find?

February 26, 2007 by Liz

Only One — The Rest Are Imitators

You are the only you. No one can be you better. Once you get you to your best form, no one can knock you off. They can only be a bad facsimile. What folks say is not approval — it’s only opinion.

Each of us is a unique and wonderful individual. That is the key to our personal branding.

I’m Looking for Unique Blogs

I’m looking for truly unique and wonderful blogs. The blogs I am thinking of are one-of-a kind, stand-out, nothing-like-it, wow-will-you-look-at-that. only-one, wish-I-had-that-idea blogs. Every blog in the bunch will be outstanding in its own way. Some might be

outstanding in content.
outstanding in thought leadership.
outstanding in concept and execution.
outstanding in design and production.
outstanding in style.
outstanding for a blog in their category.

You get the idea.

When you see a outstanding blog, you’ll know it because you want to tell other people about it. You really like the idea of going back with them to show them around. It’s a category of one.

My goal is to find 200 of them.

So Many Possible Responses

I have so many questions that could bring so many possible responses, I’ve made a numbered list for you to use in the comments If you use the number and the bold keyword that will help everyone reading along.

If you know a blog like that — here’s your chance to show it off. Leave its link and yours in the comment box below this post. Let us know why you choose it.

What you think my chances are of finding 200 of what I have described right here. If you hold no hope for me, tell me why you think I won’t succeed at this challenge.

What qualities should I be looking for? What is a unique and outstanding blog? What does it take for a blog to be a category of one?

What if I offered resources to work with you to turn your blog into a unique and outstanding blog? Do you think we could make one happen?

Your turn.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

5 Reasons People Don’t Get Hired and the Only 3 Questions that Count

February 20, 2007 by Liz

The Best People

It happened to me more often than I liked.
When I was an Executive Editor, it was another Executive Editor.
When I was a Director, it was another Director.
When I was a Vice President, it was another Vice President.

Not that I think there was a pattern. Here’s the scenario.

I’m in my office, finishing up a meeting. One of the people described above calls and asks whether I have time to talk about something.

I say, “Sure, come on down (or up or over wherever my office happened to be.)”

The person arrives; sits across from me; and explains why he or she wants to hire one of the people on my team.

We discuss the opportunity that is on offer. It’s always a great one for the employee. I support it.

At the end of the discussion, I hear some version of this sentence, “You hire the best people.”

As the person leaves, I think, Yeah, I know. Boy, do I know. I get out the most current job listing for the soon-to-be-vacated position and start editing.

I would hire and train.
They would wait and hire from me.
It happened with freelance and vendor help too.

5 Reasons People Don’t Get Hired

An interview or a client presentation is a test. It’s like an oral exam in which the subject is you. When I put it that way, it seems like folks should do better than some folks seem to do, doesn’t it? What it that gets in the way?

Here are 5 Reasons People Don’t Get Hired for that Job or that Contract

Candidates feel self-conscious about putting forward their skills and talents.
Candidates don’t take the job acquisition process seriously.
Candidates miscalculate their value. This could be monetary, ability to fill the skills required, or how common or rare their skill set might be.
Candidates don’t show knowledge or interest in the specifics of the business hiring.
Candidates are arrogant, rude to the receptionist, have no energy, or are just not likeable.

You might know even more than these.

The Only 3 Questions that Count

In any meeting in which a person is deciding whether to offer work to another, only three questions matter. Though the questions never get stated aloud, all conversation really is about the three quesions. It’s best if both parties know what those three questions are.

The Only Three Questions

Can this person do the job? This question is about the job or project description — expertise, skill set, and industry experience — salary is included here.
Will this person do the job? This question is about motivation, energy, and work ethic.
How will this person fit with the team? This question is about interpersonal skills, stress management, and communication.

Prove you are the correct answer to all three and the offer is yours. It’s great branding. It’s great business practice. It’s a service to yourself and your employer/client to know what you’re really talking about when you’re talking.

It stops being a test when you have the answers.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.

Self-Promotion as Easy as Knowing What You Do

February 15, 2007 by Liz

Self Promotion Made Easy

When people asked me why I quit teaching grade school, one of the reasons I offer is that I found myself at parties answering the famous question, What do you do? like this.

I’m a teacher, but not like any teacher you ever met.

What do you do is an opportunity to sell yourself.

I knew enough to know that I was losing the passion for my job. What I didn’t know then was that I had stumbled onto a key part of self-promotion –understanding what people will think of what I’m about to say.

When someone asks What do you do for a living? How do you answer?

If you say the name of your job, butcher, baker, dancer, writer, web developer . . ., you offer them the chance to attach to you all of the preconceived notions they have about folks with that job. You’re walkng right into their box.

Bob Weiss knows. If your answer is: “I’m a lawyer,” you’ve missed a marketing opportunity.

Bob knows that by saying you’re a lawyer, you’ve turned the conversation to the topic of lawyers and away from what you do. No possible clients will be happening. Instead you’re probably going to be hearing what people think about lawyers for the next while. You’ll be up against proving what you’re not or maybe proving what you’re as good as.

Either way,to name a job is to invite comparison.

Of course, I’m no longer a teacher. I’m an entrepreneur. My job depends on the people knowing what I do and that I do it well. So I’ve learned to answer that question with a little finesse.

When folks ask what I do I say I help individuals and small businesses find their vision, focus their business, and layout a strategy that allows them to do what they love and make money meeting their customers’ unexpressed needs and desires better than their competition does.

Yes, I have a shorter version too, but you see where I’m going. I don’t start by saying I’m the Perfect Virtual Manager. I know that would only get me blank stares.

So think for awhile and then tell me . . . what do you do for a living? If you would like to write in the comment box under a code name, please feel free to do so. If you have trouble getting it the way you want, let’s find the right words together. All of us can probably get you to a lovely description of what drives your passion for the reason you work everyday.

When you can answer the question, it won’t feel like self-promotion. It will be you talking about what you do every day.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like to help with your brand or business,check out the Perfect Virtual Manager on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.