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Brand YOU–What’s the BIG IDEA?

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What’s Your Big Idea?

Personal Branding logo

Now that you know how to capitalize on your strengths and make your weaknesses irrelevant, you can work on the big idea of your personal brand.
What’s the big idea? People talk about the big idea of someone’s personal brand quite often really. You’ve probably even made big idea statements yourself. They sound like these.

  • Call Mario. He can do anything.
  • That Vanessa, she’s so sweet.
  • If you want it organized, Anne’s the one.
  • Martin’s a whiz. He’ll have this figured out in minutes.
  • I don’t know about Cat. She can’t find anything. Look at her desk.

There’s no question that folks who make such statements have a big idea about the people they’re describing. The descriptions might be accurate, or they might not be. The point is that the people talking believe them. The people being described have communicated those traits strongly over time.

The big idea of your personal brand is the most powerful point of your unique value. It’s the one sentence that folks can believe in it and can share with others easily. As I said earlier

Everything about you contributes to your personal brand–everything you say or don’t say, what you wear, your tone of voice, the look of your space, the look on your face, the way you shake hands. The quality of your work is an immense part of your brand, but not, by any means, all of it. Even there it matters whether it’s on time, done with friendliness, with teamwork, with innovation and flexibility.

I Promise

Now is the time to decide the answer to this question

If you were known for one attribute, skill, or competency what would you want it to be?

It’s a tough question, I know. However once you decide, you will have found your big idea–the focus of your personal brand. That will be what everyone sees when they see you, your work, your signature. It’s the promise that you stand for. Think of your big idea as a promise that you know you will always keep.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Eye-Deas 3-Photo Content Checklist

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Seeing your Work

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Images–photos and artwork–can be used in two ways: as illustration–to extend or explain the content–or as decoration–to bring readers in and add interest to the page. Either way, choice of images reflects your personality, your thoughts, your brand, and your business.

Decorative Images Versus Illustration

If you’re using images solely for decoration, you can wander outside the box fairly far and folks usually will call what you do “art.” Even if your readers don’t like your choices, they will most often glance over and then continue reading, unless your choice is something that makes readers uncomfortable–say, a giant eyeball that seems to be watching them. It’s possible that a choice such as that will make them stop reading and move on.

Images used as illustration might show how to do something or how something looks. Readers rely on illustrative visuals to get more meaning from the words. Visuals can bring an idea home, by making it clearer or stop the reader cold by being a distraction. Placement is important here. The image should be close to the words that talk about it, so that readers don’t have to work to make the connection. A caption helps readers in the same way.

Photo Content Checklist

Content is king and images have content too. It’s not hard to underscore the impact images can have on your writing. They can kick up a notch and be the added value that brings readers back to you. Here are some rules about what you might consider when choosing an image to support your words.

  • When showing people, look for a diversity that reflects the culture around you. People are used to a certain level of diversity. Straying too far from what folks are used to can lead them to subconsciously discount your message as biased, or to see it as less than authentic.
  • Stereotypes just aren’t cool. It’s true that Mom often cooks dinner, but lots of Dads do it too. This is not being politically correct. It is choosing to show the exception, rather than always showing the rule. The folks who are the exception will thank you.
  • Keep in mind your readers are not you. They’ve had different experiences; might use different currency;, could be in a different season of the year. Making room for the differences without making a big deal of them can show you are inclusive–rather stuck in your own world view. Opening your view helps them feel comfortable. People everywhere like to see positive images of people who do what they do–who wouldn’t?
  • Watch for other unconscious bias in your choices. As humans we are drawn to the things we like and away from those things that we don’t. This could be happening in the images you choose. For example, a gardener may too often choose gardening photos. Go back through your blog and check the photos you’ve used. Is there a particular bias–beyond that required by the content you write about–that shows in images you use?
  • Look for “photo no-nos”–unbecoming details within photos that could be distractions, particularly if you are using photos taken by an amateur. Some examples might include hands with dirty fingernails, any animal’s posterior right in the camera, animal sex organs, action in the background that is unwanted or distracting. Read the words in every photo. Sometimes they say something rude.
  • Take care when cropping. It’s easy to crop out the interest. Any object by itself is rarely of interest. When cropping, try to put the main idea forward and just a hair off-center. A well-composed photo takes the eye from the upper-right corner area in a c-shaped counterclockwise spiral into the center.
  • Size the photo to fit the piece that you’re writing. Use the “Goldilocks Rule”–not too large, not too small, but just right. Look at your favorite websites, blogs, and print materials to get a sense of what works for you. Keep in mind if you have a huge splotch of color or a photo in your blog header, you already have a large image on the page.

Keep those in mind when using photos to illustrate and decorate your writing. Readers might not be able to explain what has changed, but they’ll notice it just the same. You’ll probably hear more comments about how wonderful your writing is.

See what I mean?

Photos are the fastest ways you change the look and feel of your blog. You can change your blog daily and signal your readers what’s in store right now. With great photos, you add depth to your readers’ understanding that your brand stands for quality in every way.

I’m sure you check photos for other “photo no-nos.” What are they?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Eye-Deas 1: Have You Started Seeing Things?
Eye-Deas 2: Test Ideas with Photo Searches
Great Photo Resources to Support Readers
Turning Reluctant Readers into Loyal Fans

Introducing LiewCF

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SOB Directory Entry: LiewCF.com by Liew Cheon Fong

A Problogger on Technology

LiewCF.com is a personal tech site on the latest technology, gadgets, softwares, computing tips and tricks, product reviews and some interesting stuff. The author, Liew Cheon Fong, is a full time blogger, one of the first few Malaysians who blog for a living .

Notes from Liz: SOB Liew Cheon Fong has been blogging since 2004 and has a degree in Systems Engineering. He’s worked as a programmer and developed eLearning sites. Liew is the first and one of a rare few Malaysian probloggers. As such he provides consultation services on blogging and other tech issues. His blog has a loyal audience who visit regularly for the straight talk and frequent downloads he offers. I enjoy his product reviews, which are quick, to-the-point, but still packed with the information I want to know.

Welcome, Liew!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool

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Strength and Weakness Assessment

Personal Branding logo

Here’s a tool to help you assess what you have to work with.

Capitalizing on My Strengths

  • What am I asked to teach others?

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  • What responsibilities are delegated to me?

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  • What kinds of meetings and tasks am I asked to lead?

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  • What special skills do I have that others rely on?

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  • What parts of my job would be hardest to fill?

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  • What traits make me a valuable member of the team?

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  • What are the things that only I can do?

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How does each strength meet a need in the marketplace?

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

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Strength _________________________________________________________

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Strength _________________________________________________________

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Making My Weaknesses Irrelevant

  • What weaknesses do I have that correspond to my strengths?

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  • Who might I talk to that has a strength where I have a weakness?

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  • When might I do the following?

    • Volunteer for jobs that play to my strengths.

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    Find opportunities to learn about shoring up my weaknesses.

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    Find people to work with who have strengths that balance my weaknesses.

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    Remind myself to check tasks for what strengths and weaknesses I’ll be using.

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My Personal Brand

With what I already know about capitalizing on my strengths and weaknesses, I can say this about my personal brand.

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This is one kind of assessment tool you might use to get ideas from your head onto the page where you can look at them to make decisions about what to keep and what goes away.

Like any great city builder, you want your personal brand set on a foundation of concrete, not on sand. You can’t promote yourself, your brand, or your business, until you know who you are. If you take the time to think through these questions you’ll be farther than most folks are.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Building a Personal Brand–YOU
Brand YOU–Capitalize on Your Strengths
Brand YOU–Making Your Weaknesses Irrelevant

Eye-Deas 2: Test Ideas with Photo Searches

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You Know It’s a Winner When . . .

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Sometimes when I’m using a photo site to find ideas, I’ll just randomly put words into the photo search box–much the same as I randomly Google topics–to see what comes up. One picture might cue another word in my mind, which leads to trigger another search. I might pull a photo or two from each set of search results. Those I chose go into my Photo Ideas Directory.

Occasionally I’ll land on a real winner. As with text entries, you know an idea that’s a winner when there’s a wealth of photos under the keyword you searched for. I might look through all of the photos and use them to help me form an idea from them. Then start my factual research after I’ve done that. That’s what you call reverse engineering of the thinking kind.

I digress———>

Ever notice how every one seems to be writing about the same thing? Doesn’t it seem like they might be looking for something new? Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, “WRONG.” For years in publishing we would offer ideas beyond what was already available and mix them together in a list with the old classic topics. Inevitably the top winners were the topics there seemed to be too much information for anyone to consume. But that was what readers wanted. Our job is to serve the readers, and what the readers want is more about the key topics that interest them.

<---------digression over That means to hedge my bets I want to know where the readers already are.

Using Photo Availability to Test an Idea

I use photo search to get ideas,. I also use them to test whether an idea is worth pursuing. You can also use photos to test whether your concept is one people are aware of and interested in.

Here’s an example of how I did that, I knew I was going to do this series on Thinking Outside of the Box. Still it came with it’s questions. What would I use for a logo that communicates in an image what I was trying to say? Was the phrase still in vogue or had I fallen woefully behind the times?

I found what I needed to know with a photo search at one site, using the WebPlaces.com ClipartSearcher. That search did the work of a mini-focus group on my two questions.

In a mere .22 seconds, I found 18,700 images illustrating the idea of thinking outside the box. This is only the first page. The concept was obviously still on people’s minds, if so many people are making images to portray that idea.

Images of "Outside the Box"

As you can see from the logo, I didn’t use any of the photos I found. Still I moved forward with confidence that I was on the right track. When you think outside of the box it’s crucial that you touch the ground every now and then to be sure that your readers won’t find your ideas are too high in the clouds. People don’t like to strain their necks to see and understand what we’re talking about.

I See Photos in Your Future

Photos are a great connecting factor. Even if a reader doesn’t quite get what you mean, a photo can seal the difference and carry your message home.

Your eyes can lead you to ideas in photos, art, and objects in the environment. They can inspire what you write and sometimes they can illustrate it after it has been written. Doing a photo search can help you check the validity of the idea and serve as a grounding point, to let you know that what you write is something your readers are still interested in. Choose your images to fit the broad category that folks still want more of.

Then look inside the individual photo for an unanswered question.. Let the questions lead you to a story. Photos are just waiting for you to tell the world a story. If you look past what’s literally in the photo, you’ll find a story that is all your own–a unique idea on something that folks still want more of. That’s why there is always room, no matter how many articles people have written, your question, your version isn’t there yet.

Let the photos inspire you to find what’s missing–waiting for you to write it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles:
Eye-Deas 1: Have You Started Seeing Things
Great Photo Resources to Support Readers
Turning Reluctant Readers into Loyal Fans

Introducing Symplebyte

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SOB Directory Entry: Simplebyte by David Canfield

Easy as Easy

There are plenty of places on the web to get detailed, highly-technical information on how to use a computer and software. What’s really hard to find is simple information for users who are not experts. David’s blog, Symplebyte.com, is designed for them. His goal is to provide easy-to-use information about computers in a format that is easy to understand.

Notes from Liz: SOB David Canfield’s blog not only lives up to its name–easy to use and understand–it’s also easy on the easy. Every post offers a simple byte of information, in the way a good newsletter on a specific topic might. You could call this the Lifehacker of computer basics–quick snippets on how to use your computer or your software to get more out of them. Though Symplebyte is written in plain language, for beginners, it’s a wealth of those bits of information that, we miss or forget as we leave our beginner status behind. Check out David’s blog, if you don’t need it, some day in the future you will know someone who will, and David is a man worth getting to know.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Blog Promotion: May I Introduce You?