Using LinkedIn For Branding

LinkedIn is one of the largest professional networks on the web. With more than 75 million registered users that span more than 200 countries, LinkedIn has quickly become one of the leading social media sites for connecting with business colleagues. What you might not know is that LinkedIn is also an excellent site for building up your brand. Here are a handful of branding tips to help you maximize your profile and establish a bolder presence.
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Branding With Your URL

Good branding should be a top to bottom effort. From designing a website to planning your unique selling proposition, branding encompasses an entire strategy beyond just a pretty logo. An often overlooked component of branding is deciding what your site’s or blog’s URL address should be. This is a branding are that shouldn’t be taken lightly and we’ll explain why below.

Create a URL name that reflects what your business does or if you’re creating a blog, who the person is behind the blog. For instance, if you have a business that provides shoes for older women then you’d want to create a URL that reflect this, like shoesforseniorwomen.com. Same thing goes for developing a blog URL. The person behind the blog should use their name as the URL address, like LeiliMcKinley.com.

There are two schools of thought on URL branding. The first believes that you should use your company name in the URL since there are some folks who will search by the business name. This makes sense for larger, more established brands like Nike, Starbucks or McDonalds. It wouldn’t make sense for them to create a URL that says sportshoes,com, coffeestores.com or cheeseburgerandfries.com.

For smaller brands, which applies to most everyone else, the second approach to crafting a URL would be to write one that shows of what your business does through keywords. Using the larger brand examples from above, sportshoes.com would be an excellent way to appeal to large groups of people who are searching specifically for that item. Make sense?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what a branded URL is here are some other things to consider:

Hyphenated names. The pro is that search engine easily identify each keyword and will normally return better search results for people seeking what you offer. The con is that hyphenated URLs are easy to forget when people are sharing or recommending them.

Articles and plurals. If you’ve decided on a specific branded URL like childrensauthor.com, but discover it’s taken, you could add ‘the’ to the URL (thechildrensauthor.com). Downside is that unless people aware of the addition, you’ll lose traffic to your competitor. This is the same thing for plural URLs like, cat.com versus cats.com.

Choose carefully and spend some time planning. Try searching for something on the web and look at how the URLs have been set-up.

Facebook Privacy and Branding

Social media giant Facebook has seen its own fair-share of challenges this year in the privacy arena. Millions of Facebook users were extremely upset when they learned that Facebook had allowed their personal data to be made available beyond friends, fans and family. As the media continued to inquire what Facebook intended to do to remedy the situation some people began to plan and stage quit Facebook rallies. Soon enough Facebook recognized the seriousness of the situation and recently implemented new updates and changes to its privacy settings in an effort to restore the faith of its users.

Facebook’s new privacy settings make it much easier for users to navigate and manage. For your brand this means that you’ll have a simpler time controlling what type of content your fans engage with. Another new feature is that you can view what your brands profile looks like to others. This is a big improvement because now web trollers can’t pull personal information from your page and add it to their spam banks or start a tidal wave of solicitation.

Additionally, you can also opt out of sharing personal data with third-party applications. This means that if you want to use the features of an application, but you don’t want to have your phone number, email address and other details shared with software developers abroad it won’t be. Brands will still be able to enhance their pages and interact with fans without sacrificing personal data in order to do so.

Because limited information will be made available through public views people will have to ‘like’ your Page if they want to learn more. This is great for brands because now truly interested fans will jump on board to support your brand and interact with you. In contrast, many people would surface scan your Page and move on instead of taking the time to listen to your conversations.

Overall, Facebook has done a decent job of empowering brands to police and monitor their own information. Choosing what details someone wants to share is a more appropriate way to engage with one of the most recognized social media tools available.

Twitter for Branding: follow the leaders

If you’re thumbs are getting sore from tweeting and searching for good tweeters, give ‘em a break. There are more than 75 million Twitter users according to data published by RJMetrics in January 2010. If you’re trying to find tweeters in a particular niche it can be a tad overwhelming. So we’ve sifted through the millions to uncover the best branding tweeters and thought we’d share them with you.

The tweeters below represent a small portion of branding focused Twitter users available, but what sets this group apart is their influence, ranking and follower base. Make sure to add them to follow them for excellent 140 character snippits to help you build your brand.

@pramitjnathan

Pramit J. Nathan has summarized himself as a marketing consultant, author and speaker that specializes in branding and perception management. With an astonishing 123,836 followers (growing daily), he’s the leader of the branding pack on Twitter.

Following Pramit will connect you to great strategies, suggestions and tips that are brand and marketing related. Definitely one of few tweeters with a ‘pure’ tweet stream, meaning you won’t find random pontification on abstract subjects (i.e. what type of coffee he likes to drink each a.m. or what he purchased for his brother’s birthday last year).

@thebrandbuilder

Olivier Blanchard is author of the Brand Builder Blog and a Frenchman with a penchant for cooking and good food. Not only does Olivier tweet about relevant branding topics, but his blog and website have an amazing arsenal of well-organized links to other helpful business strategists and influential branders.

Absolutely a resource worth following, plus his blog posts and tweets are highly original and entertaining. Don’t know too many people that can connect social media and Bette Davis together for a good read.

@danschawbel

If you’re not following Dan Schawbel, well, you’re just plain missing out. He’s the bestselling author of Me 2.0 and publisher of Personal Branding Magazine. Dan is a personal branding guru and if you’re seeking advice on how to start, where to start and what to do with branding, this is the go-to-guy.

@simonmainwaring

A native Australian, Simon Mainwaring has a fresh and creative approach to branding, which makes him an excellent follow and a fun one too. He specializes in brand triage, or a blend of creative and strategic solutions across traditional, digital and social media. Join the masses and follow to learn how Simon can help maximize your brand.

@landor_dot_com

True, this last tweeter appears to be a bit random and doesn’t have tens of thousands of followers like the others, but it is currently ranked as the number one most influential branding tweeter by a Twitter search directory. Landor Associates is one of those hidden gems in the branding mine. A continual stream of branding’s impact and branding tips can be found. All are encouraged to follow.

Best Branding Podcasts

Podcasts are an excellent way to receive syndicated information in an audio format. Whether you choose to download and listen on your computer or portably through your MP3 player, podcasts can deliver content right directly through a web feed in less than a minute.

Competition in the podcast arena is pretty fierce these days, but there are always a few stand outs that deserve a thumbs up or a pat on the back for producing consistent and relevant topics. Take a moment (or five or ten) and listen, or subscribe, to some of these popular branding podcasts. You might be surprised by what you hear.

Brand Fast Trackers. This is a weekly podcast that focuses on helping listeners build their brands and ultimately sell more product. Each week host Brian Martin interviews marketing VPs and CMOs to get their advice and insight on how to help others market themselves.

The BeanCast. Bob Knorpp moderates roundtable-style discussions with a panel of key leaders within the marketing, advertising, public relations and interactive industries. There’s always a great tip or suggestion that can be gleaned from the conversations.

Marketing Over Coffee. This 20 minute podcast is recorded in a local coffee shop each week. Hosts John Wall and Chris Penn cover a variety of topics such as making sense of Facebook, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. Past guest interviews include:  Seth Godin, David Meerman Scott and Mitch Joel.

Marketing Voices. Created in 2006 by host Jennifer Jones, the podcast focuses on how social media is impacting marketing. This is a great place to learn how to fine tune your current branding initiatives and get ahead of the curve with trends and forecasts.

Six Pixels of Separation. Social media expert Mitch Joel developed this Canadian podcast to unravel the complex world of new marketing. Additionally, The Montreal Business Book Club is also featured and offers regular updates on the books that will help you build your brand and market yourself in the online marketing arena.

Inbound Marketing – HubSpot TV. If Internet marketing seems overwhelming then tune in to Karen Rubin’s and Mike Volpe’s podcast. They’ll help you transform your brand from an idea to actuality. They cover recent marketing news and useful online tips regarding SEO, landing pages, lead generation and more.

The mentions referenced above only represent a tiny portion of the countless branding and marketing podcasts available. Hit the Internet and access some of the online podcast directories to find more great podcast resources.

How To Write Different Types of Author Biographies

Just like there are many different types of writing, such as academic, creative and business, there are also different types of author’s bios. Depending on what medium is being used, the bio will reflect certain elements and bits of information. What makes them differ from one another is the amount of detail included and the overall tone and style.

When you consider a book jacket bio, think about how it will be used and about the space that is available. A book jacket bio should be a short paragraph or two that gives a brief overview about about the author. If the book is non-fiction, the bio should talk about qualifications and what inspired the writing and initiated its perspective. For a fictional book, mention what prompted you to become a writer or how many books you’ve published previously.

What’s most important about a book jacket bio is that it’s often used to serve many different purposes. As previously mentioned, there’s a limited amount of room so the bio should be kept relatively short. Additionally, this bio has multiple functions and will be used for publicity material, such as flyers, and to accompany photos for book tours. For the most part, a book jacket bio is permanent, meaning once it’s printed it’s not easily edited without cost for reprint. For this reason, keeping the book jacket bio professional and succinct should be your ultimate goal.

On the other hand, an online bio has quite a bit more flexibility. It doesn’t have spacial constraints, which allows for more detailed information to be shared, and it can be updated and changed freely without incurring any costs. An online bio is exposed to a wider audience and a more conversational approach should be incorporated into the bio’s overall language. The accessibility of the bio gives it global exposure to people from different nationalities, different educational backgrounds and different social sectors. Therefore, a simple online bio will allow more readers to connect with the author because they can easily read and relate to the author.

So when you’re getting ready to begin writing your bio think about where it will be used, how it will be used and who will be reading it. Think like a member of your audience and write a bio that will appeal to him/her. Take a step back from what you’ve created and revisit it to see if it satisfies the basic criteria of an online or book jacket version. The time invested to develop an audience appropriate bio will pay off moving forward.

Want more help? See my video tutorial HELP REWRITE MY BORING BIO

How To Write A Bio With Branding In Mind

Writing your own bio can be challenging, but making it a true branding piece that showcases your talents can be downright intimidating. It’s tough to talk about yourself and make it marketable at the same time. Being a gifted writer doesn’t necessarily make the task any more simple. A successful bio that doubles as a branding tool doesn’t have to be hard to compose. Incorporating a few essentials will make the difference between ho-hum and home run.

First and foremost, always write a bio in the third person. Not only does it appear more professional, but it gives credibility to what’s being shared because it reads as if it were coming from an outside source. So pack up the first person voice and send it on vacation. If creating a bio in third person is too taxing, consider having a friend or colleague write the first draft. It just might be the push needed to get things moving in the right direction.

Second, practice enforcing the KISS principle for this branding project. An acronym that means ‘keep it simple silly’, KISS will help maintain focus and keep your bio on track. In other words, sharing too much detail and you’ll end up derailing. The difference between a bio and a biography boils down to length. Bios are succinct, small pieces on a single page, whereas a biography has the potential to shame Tolstoy’s famed work.

The third bio branding tip relates to overall content. For starters, create a hook to draw in readers. You want them craving for more, not thinking you’re such a bore. Give your bio a marketing edge by incorporating an endorsement from a colleague, celebrity or industry expert. Avoid fancy, flowery language. Instead, convey a sense of personality through words and simple English. Tell a story about the brand You using action words and anecdotes.

Your bio can be a powerful tool if it’s built correctly. Make it work to your advantage. Keep the tone upbeat, fresh and interesting. A bio doesn’t have to be boring, but it does need to verbally present your brand identity. Save jargon and clichés for a rainy day and start marketing yourself as the expert that you are.

Want more help? See my video tutorial HELP REWRITE MY BORING BIO

Obama and social media: an integrated approach

President Obama understands what needs to happen after the sale. He’s already elected. Yet he is using social media in order to continue the brand experience.

Look at two recent emails that his transition team used to generate conversation and commitment on the part of his “customers” – We The People. The approach of the first email is to ask the receiver to Take A Look. The language is specific and pushes the known hot buttons important to maintaining his brand.

Take a look…

“to execute the most efficient, organized, and transparent transfer of power in American history. As a co-Chair for the Transition, I want to tell you about a few steps we’ve already taken to achieve this goal.”

Transparency…

Transparency is crucial to his success. Americans are starving for a credible leader to trust and transparency is the key element. You can make mistakes, but you can’t cover them up. If you want to continue to strengthen the relationship, your customer must believe that you know who they are, what they want and that you won’t pull any punches.

“that begins with shifting influence away from special interests and restoring it to the everyday Americans who are passionate about fixing the problems facing our country.”

Aren’t we all passionate about fixing the problems facing our country? Even if we aren’t, don’t we want to be? We want to belong. We want to be part of the tribe on the inside. Nobody wants to be outside with their nose pressed against the window. So, of course you are going to want to identify yourself as a passionate American.

“Opening up the Transition means listening to your ideas and stories and providing a window into how the process works.”

Change…

Taking control of the process lets the user participate in an empowered way. It allows the Warrior in us all to champion the cause. We can take action on our own behalf with the blessing of Obama the Ruler. The Warrior and the Ruler are classic archetypes that hold a heartfelt place in our psyche. We can identify with them, act on our role immediately and thus carry forth the brand that we voted for: change.

That change is facilitated by his use of social interaction on the web in his website http://change.gov. Obama knows that social media alone won’t build his brand. But, so far, as he takes his first steps since being elected – he shows us that he knows the value of social media marketing to dominate Internet Branding. Copyright 2008 Leili McKinley

Creating Brand Evangelists

Customers now judge a company on experiential interaction, not just the simple benefits of a product or service. It’s not just an extension of the brand. The experience is the brand.

Dell Computers has been thrashed many times for subpar customer service. If you promise one benefit and deliver another, your brand loses value. If you project one set of values, and act on another, your brand is lost.

The experience leaves the customer confused. Unable to align with a set of values promised, the customer feels betrayed. The customer loses faith in the brand.

On the other hand, fostering the faithful with positive brand interaction produces evangelists.

The “evangelizing moment” of a customer is when they touch the soul of the company. They become “branded” aligning with the meaning of the company’s true purpose. Think of Apple providing Seekers (those in search of new adventure or experience) the ability to “Think Different”. It connects to the Seekers core value – to be unique and nonconforming.

That connection between the core values – the soul of the company and the soul of the customer – is why they evangelize. They have found a temple of core value at which to worship. It’s mythic. It’s epic. The brand becomes icon because it connects to the subconscious yearnings of the customer, imprinting on the brain. The pictured emotional experience becomes a conduit through which the customer can again be touched by those core values.

Those pictures and emotions then become language in the brain of the customer. And it’s the language of evangelism.

It’s simple. No soul, no brand.  So create your SoulBrand. Copyright 2008 Leili McKinley

Personal Branding and Corporate Leadership: can they co-exist?

Company leaders often have strong personalities. They may even have an established personal brand. But how does their personal brand effect the strategies of the company, and the management style to implement them? Is there a conflict? Can a CEO take a company down with ineffective personal brand management?

If the foundation of brand functionality resides in consistent, effective, and convincing communication about the goals, intentions, and objectives of the company, then a leader whose brand value is at odds with these foundational elements will certainly negatively impact any company, large or small. To create a sense of cohesion between both personal and corporate brand, the leader must understand the “soul” of the company and their own “spirit of leadership.” Buy in will only occur if these two are in alignment.

Take the case of Anne Mulcahey.

What would you do if the company you work for were 18 billion dollars in debt facing imminent bankruptcy with debtors dragging you to court and your boss quits?

Well you might choose to run from the obvious train-wreck. But, Anne Mulcahey is different. Anne chose to step up. She became CEO of Xerox and faced doubters, debtors and critics head on. In a few years she cut the debt in half, raised revenue, and inspired her company’s employees, customers and vendors.

How?

In the words of Bill George, Harvard Business School Professor, she is an authentic leader. She leads from her own “true north”. She understands the purpose of her leadership. She is also conscious of the “true north” of the company, it’s soul, so to speak. She understands the entelechy of the company. She knows where the two intersect and where she can add value.

Authentic leaders lead with very consistent values, from the heart as well as the head. They exemplify courage, compassion and empathy. They focus on building long-term relationships. Her brand is consistently reinforced through those relationships, pushing messages of co-operation and cohesion. She adds value to the company brand.

Authentic leaders know they must empower those around them. Their job is to inspire. They KNOW that the personal brand value they add must be in alignment with the corporate brand of the company. CEO’s and the leaders of companies today must make an effort to “consciously brand” their company. Because adding value is more than just adding ideas, personality, and motivation, it’s about creating something people can believe in, something with a “soul.”