Personal Branding Archives - Page 27 of 41

Always Choose for Your Readers, Right?

June 21, 2006 by Liz

It Just Happened Again

I got a link to a fresh, vibrant article on how to make my business more fun. I wanted to leave a word, start a conversation, be a part of the discussion. Then I saw those words.

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Why put a barrier to making a connection?

What I heard was I could talk, but only on the writer’s terms. I guess that’s okay. It’s his blog. but it didn’t feel very inviting. It didn’t seem like he cared much that I had anything to say.

I wondered what was going on. There was an About page, but there was no way to contact him. Maybe he’s new and left the login thing on by mistake. . . .

I left without him ever knowing.

I’ll tell the guy who had the link, maybe he knows.

I’m Still Hoping

I’m still hoping it’s accidental. I don’t want to think this fresh, vibrant writer has a secret club. That would blow my whole image of what he has going — friendly blog, fresh ideas, energy. He’s gotta know that you always choose for your readers . . . . always. Right?

Brand You and Me. Isn’t that how it goes?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
See the Customer Think Series on the SUCCESSFUL SERIES PAGE

6 Steps to a Branded Business Blog in Record Time

June 21, 2006 by Liz

Branding IS Who We Are

It’s enough to say that a person’s perception is that person’s reality. What a person believes is what that person knows. Most folks don’t think about a difference between the two. Why should they? That’s philosophy. Life works out just fine without having to stop to think about such things, doesn’t it?

What did I just say?

In my own way, I said that customers decide who we are by what they perceive. They are the folks who define a brand. So the best plan is to make sure their perception matches what we want our brand to be, because in their eyes our brand is who we are.
[Read more…]

7 Steps to Being Recognized as an Expert

June 20, 2006 by Liz

The Catch 22 of Being an Expert

One of the hardest parts of business blogging is finding a niche where you know you can write successfully. Once you find that niche, naturally you’ll looking to find readers. Those readers that you’re looking for are looking too. They’re looking for a writer they have time for — someone they can trust and rely on — an expert.

Becoming an expert seems to be a Catch 22.
You have to know your stuff to be an expert. But . . .
It seems that “expertness” starts out as not what you know, but what you’re known as.

You have be an expert, before folks will see you as one.
A Ph.D. helps, but it doesn’t automatically translate to expert. Testimonials from other experts help too, but they aren’t a magic entry to the world of experts either.

The problem for the most of us is . . . if no one will look at what I know, how will I ever be recognized as an expert?

7 Steps to Being Recognized as an Expert

There’s no question that to be an expert, you have to be knowledgeable, authentic, and hardworking at what you do. Everyone pays dues to get to the top, but knowing what to work at helps a lot too.

To be recognized as a expert, someone has to see your work and know its quality, see its value, find it relevant and worth coming back to.

These are the 7 Steps to being recognized as an expert when someone comes to look.

Be the expert you are, not the expert someone else is. You are the only you the world has. That differentiates what you offer from the start. Know your strengths and play to them.
Be an expert in ONE thing. Find ONE niche that fits your strenghs. People like a “go to” person for a specific need. Once they come they can find out about the other wonderful things you know about.
Write expert content. Readers want top-notch, quality, relevant content — information, answers, AND analysis. They can get news anywhere. Add your expert opinion, analysis, evaluation, synthesis, or predictions.
Be an expert at keeping track of your niche. Don’t overwhelm yourself with feeds, but have an aggregator. Follow popurls to get the latest on the social bookmarking services. Read the magazines and the blogs that talk about the topics you cover.
Be an expert at specialized searches. Make finding interesting content tidbits your expert quest. Get to be friends with Google Alerts and similar services. Follow terms around the Internet.
Be an expert at getting the word out. Get to know the other experts in your niche. Talk with them. Visit and comment on their blogs. Ask them for an interview. Volunteer to guest post now and then.
Be an expert at going deeper into your niche. Saturate yourself in the trends, but go deep too. Find out what researchers are thinking so that you can offer your readers the highest quality and most relevant information and analysis.
Plus one: Be an expert at having fun. Nothing is more appealing than an expert who loves what he or she is doing. Share the joy of your niche with the folks who come to see you. They’ll want to know more about what it is that you do.

Striving to be an expert in your niche lets your readers know who you are and why they should keep coming back to see you. It’s a key centerpiece of your brand — quality, knowledge, and credibility as promotion. If you’re ready when that person comes to look, the rest will happen. Just keep counting to seven — seven key steps to being an expert that is.

What better way to promote your brand and your business than to have everyone see you as the expert? How can I help you do that?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

6+1: Writing Voice the Sound of Your Brand

June 19, 2006 by Liz

Yeah, I Hear You

Ever notice when you read some writers’ work, that you can almost hear them? I don’t just mean that they write conversationally. I mean that, well, you can almost hear the pitch of a voice, a twinkle in an eye.

How do some writers do that? How do they become real in your mind while you read? [Read more…]

Seth Godin, Seminars, & What I Almost Missed

June 17, 2006 by Liz

Choosing to Go Isn’t Easy

They say that when the learner is ready the teacher appears.

I had the privilege of attending a Seth Godin seminarthis week. My closest friends can’t believe I managed to get there.

Getting to a seminar is a problem for me. There are so many seminars, and there’s so little time. I have a problem choosing. I don’t really like to commit my time. I really like learning, but I’m leery of things that look like school.

Learning is task that I do by myself. A seminar is a BIG DEAL — It’s an investment of time and money. I have a whole speech that talks me out of such things. I can call that speech up in a second.

“NO WAY! Can’t afford it. No time. Too much to do. Need to be working, not spending. That would be fun. That would slacking. . . . taking the easy way. Can’t buy folks’ wisdom just ’cause I feel like it.”

What a crock!

It’s a great speech. It’s not a valid argument . . . but it works when want to talk myself out of something. It’s not about time or about slacking. NO WAY, No time is my back door to avoiding something that I feel is risky.

Attending a seminar is saying out loud that I want to learn something.

What if I go and it’s not what I thought? What if I don’t learn anything? What if I fall off my bike?

The answer’s the same to all three questions. But you knew that. I had to learn the hard way. I skipped the seminar on the value of seminars. If had skipped the Seth Godin seminar, I would have missed so much more.

[Read more…]

SOB Business Cafe 06-16-2006

June 16, 2006 by Liz

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Mike Sigers at Simplenomics shares a seven-day plan to build a brand and customer relationships, to improve the blogosphere, and to make the world a better place. This one I printed out, put over my desk, on my bathroom mirror, inside my front door, next to my bed, and on my kitchen cabinet.

Ariane Benefit at Neat Living explains how clearing the clutter from our workspace not only pays off in productivity, it makes room for important new business to enter our work days.

Ben Yoskovitz is holding a Father’s Day Special at IGotNewsforYou. This might be news for you and for your dad too.

Rob at Jamdo has a great post outlining four crucial steps to making our blogs more attractive to readers — stickier.

Related ala carte selections include

Sidharja Qhaum at Jamloceng offers gamers a treat called “Alky,” a tool that converts a Windows EXE to MacOS or GNU/Linux.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss