What’s Your Personal Brand?

What’s Your Personal Brand?

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
Think of your favorite movie star, rockstar or superstar athlete. What comes to mind? What's your impression of them? That's their reputation. That's their personal brand. After all, your brand is not what YOU say it is, it's what OTHER people say it is. What do people say about YOUR personal brand? Well, to even be thinking of you, they have to be hearing from you and seeing you on a regular basis, either here on social media, or on TV, on a streaming service, on the radio, on stage, wherever. That's step one. That's implied. Then, of course, everything that comes to mind, everything they are thinking and saying about you is, ideally, positive, is, yes, ridiculously awesome. So, what comes to mind when people hear YOUR name? That's…
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A Great Sign for Lyrik Back Bay in Boston

A Great Sign for Lyrik Back Bay in Boston

Advertising, Boston, Branding, Business, Marketing
I have no idea how many new commercial developments are built in Boston every year, and I hardly know the names of any of them, but I know quite a bit about this big, new office, hotel and retail development. Lyrik Back Bay. Sure, it's situated on Massachusetts Avenue between Boylston and Newbury Streets over the Mass Pike in the Back Bay neighborhood, so it's hard to ignore. But it's some of the street-level signage that really caught my eye, not necessarily the unique location punctuated by two tall buildings that will house a citizenM hotel, the LEGO Group's new US headquarters and CarGurus. Seeing a line - er, a lyric, I should say - from the Led Zeppelin classic, Stairway to Heaven, especially caught my attention, admittedly because I'm…
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Nike’s Great, New Ad, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”

Nike’s Great, New Ad, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”

Advertising, Branding, Marketing
Am I a bad person? That's the question that Willem Dafoe, as narrator, asks in the great, new Nike ad entitled, "Winning Isn't for Everyone." Am I a bad person? In this ad, he's asking that question on behalf of a team of superstar athletes, incredible, iconic personal brands in the world of sports like LeBron James, Serena Williams and others. This is a great ad because of its storytelling and filmmaking, because it is both inspirational and motivational. This ad is an example, if you ask me, of advertising without advertising, of commanding your attention before you even realize it's all about Nike, not the athletes. "Winning Isn't for Everyone," of course, but it is for those who are willing and able to make that commitment to excellence. And…
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You Are A Rock Star

You Are A Rock Star

Boston, Branding, Inspiration, Marketing, Motivation
Students and colleagues, family and friends, neighbors and even complete strangers, everyone should know what it feels like to be a rock star, and that includes you. To feel like a rock star is to feel that you are invincible. It is to understand what it must mean to have all the fame and glory in the world. It is to do everything you do with a lot more confidence and determination and a lot less fear and trepidation. It is to imagine people looking up to you and cheering for you, shouting out your name at the top of their lungs. That's why I tell anyone within earshot that they are a rock star. I want them to be smiling. I want them to be happy. I want them…
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Don’t Get Lost in the Social Media Shuffle

Don’t Get Lost in the Social Media Shuffle

Branding, Content, Marketing, Social Media
On social media, you want to achieve a high degree of quality with the content you share there. That should go without saying. But without sharing a relatively large quantity of content on a regular basis, the quality of it won't matter much because it will likely be getting lost in the shuffle, the social media shuffle. Yup, unfortunately, algorithms on social media almost always guarantee - unless you're paying to promote it - that your content will only be seen by a small percentage of your audience. So the more content you share, the better - as long as that content is quality content that is relevant to your audience and timely. The more of that content you share, the better your chances of being noticed by others. Whether…
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Personal Branding: Encourage People to Take Pictures of You

Personal Branding: Encourage People to Take Pictures of You

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
A great way of getting the word out about what you have to offer your community is to have someone else do it for you. That's one reason why it's so easy for celebrities to grow their personal brands. Everywhere they go, their pictures are taken and shared with the world. They have no privacy. And in most cases that's okay with them. That's life in the public eye. That's free publicity. In rare instances, however - certain live performances such as the two I saw recently, by Dane Cook, the comedian, and Jethro Tull, the rock band - photographs and video recordings are forbidden. They don't like the distraction, for one thing. They also want complete control of their intellectual property. Not to mention...they're so ridiculously successful, they can…
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Are You a Social Media Double Threat?

Are You a Social Media Double Threat?

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
It's one thing to have the skills to navigate your way around the digital world, to utilize social media effectively behind the scenes. It's another thing - and it's a big thing, too - to be able to be in front of the camera, behind the microphone, to be a content creator as a personal brand, either representing yourself as an individual or on behalf of your employer, a brand, business, etc. That's a double threat. Yes, if you can do both, if you can be both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, you would be considered a double threat, an invaluable asset to the organization for which you work. So I encourage all my students, all my clients to have both the skills to manage social…
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How Your Personal Brand Benefits Your Employer

How Your Personal Brand Benefits Your Employer

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
Having a strong personal brand as an employee can benefit your employer in more ways than one. For starters, the fact that you are so active on social media means that you have the digital skills necessary to successfully navigate your way around the online world. You understand the technologies and tools, but you are also able to create content that has the potential to go viral, that certainly can serve as a positive reflection on the organization where you work. You are a renowned thought leader and influencer, someone your colleagues can count on to leverage your vast network of information and resources on their behalf. Your words alone can help amplify a brand's messages far and wide, going a long way towards helping them grow their business not…
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Why College Students Should Focus on Personal Branding

Why College Students Should Focus on Personal Branding

Branding, Education, Marketing, Social Media
I tell the students in my college classrooms that they are all going to graduate with similar grades, degrees, credentials, honors, etc. So how are they going to stand out among the competition for jobs? How are they going to differentiate themselves when a prospective employer is looking at them versus those who are angling for the same role within their company? My answer is personal branding. Ideally, students - and, of course, anyone else who is looking for a new job, no matter where they are in their own career journey - should have a steady, strong presence on social media, sharing content, showing off their expertise and engaging with others here, there and everywhere online. That's how they can appear conspicuously among the crowd of recent college graduates…
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