Personal Branding Archives

25Feb 2024 by Bob Cargill

Personal Branding: Encourage People to Take Pictures of You

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…

29Jan 2024 by Bob Cargill

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…

26Dec 2023 by Bob Cargill

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…

08Dec 2023 by Bob Cargill

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…

28Sep 2023 by Bob Cargill

Coach Prime – A Great Football Coach, A Great Personal Brand

Branding, Leadership, Marketing

Coach Prime. Great football player and baseball player back in the day. And now he's a great head college football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. He's a great personal brand, too. He's not afraid to speak freely and frequently. He's always in the headlines, always on social media, always in the news, always on our minds. And because he's such a strong personal brand, his words carry weight. He has a huge impact on all of those around him. Me, you, all of us can be like Coach Prime. We just have to speak up, put ourselves in front of the camera, share our knowledge and expertise with our followers and fans, and be conspicuous in our presence whatever we do, wherever we go. That's how to be…

28Aug 2023 by Bob Cargill

The Importance of Having a Strong Personal Brand

Boston, Branding, Marketing, Social Media

My wife, Barbara, asked me recently why it was so important to have a strong personal brand on social media. Among other things, I told her that you can't be in front of people in real life, IRL, all the time, but you can be in front of them and heard by them almost all the time on #socialmedia. So you want to share content online on a steady, continuous basis that is a positive, accurate reflection of who you are as both a professional and a human being. I had a lot more to say about the topic, of course. Here's my answer to Barbara's question in its entirety...

20Feb 2022 by Bob Cargill

The More Personal Branding, the Better

Branding, Business, Mark Schaefer, Marketing, Social Media

In a recent blog post, Mark Schaefer wrote about Five Things I Would Do Differently If I Were Starting Over, one of those things being to place "more intent on the personal brand." That's saying a lot, coming from someone who has such an extraordinarily strong personal brand. Mark is renowned far and wide for his marketing expertise and knowledge, his teaching and public speaking, his books and blog. If someone as conspicuous in their presence online as Mark is thinks he could place more emphasis on his personal brand, what about you and me? That's saying all of us could benefit from even more personal branding. Thanks, Mark, as always, for the words of wisdom.

05May 2021 by Bob Cargill

The Social in Social Media

Branding, Marketing, Social Media

Don’t automate everything you share on social media. Don’t be all business, either. Be all human. Share your feelings and opinions, not just news and information. Show what’s going on in your life and the lives of your colleagues, not just what you have to market and sell. Be there for your audience, those who are following you and supporting you. Give them as much attention as they give you, even more. Listen to them and engage with them. Praise them and thank them. Help them as much as possible. Don’t overlook the importance of the social in social media.

24Jun 2020 by Bob Cargill

Senior-Level Executives and Social Media

Business, Leadership, Social Media

You already have a platform. You already have a following. You already have a fan base. Why not take advantage of it? Why not jump on social media? I’m talking to you, if you are a senior-level business executive, you who are invariably the least likely in your organization to use social media to communicate with your constituency, even though your words carry so much weight. The times are changing rapidly, however, and in 2020, your audience expects to hear from you on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the like. They want to get to know you not just as a professional, but as someone just like them. They want to know what you think about the important issues of the day. They want to hear how you feel about what’s…