Toral: Building a personal brand
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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IN our world today, when a lot of information gets posted online, personal branding is now a concern for all of us. In my case, I worked all these years in building that brand not only for my name but also for Digital Filipino. (The title of this column was actually my book title and the name of the website that I started in 1999.)
Here are some insights I would like to share with those eager in establishing their personal brand:
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1. Pick a Niche
Choose the field of expertise where you want to be known and work hard on perfecting your craft. The niche I have focused on is e-commerce. What I like about it is that it is huge enough not to be boring but it is also sustainable since it is dynamic.
2. Share what you know
This helps in establishing your credibility and brand. In my case, I’ve done this through my writing, speaking engagements, DigitalFilipino.com (where a lot of the links point to articles I’ve written for Sun.Star Cebu since 2003) and in my blogs. This later on benefitted my other sites, where professional services are offered.
3. Be different and stand out
This includes having a different point of view on issues and be willing to fight for it. For as long as there is merit on what you are offering, specific segments will be attracted to you.
When I started the DigitalFilipino Club, it wasn’t the typical community that one would expect where there is a fee and more of a support network. However, after nearly seven years, it is still growing.
4. Forge alliances
What I mean by alliances are well known personalities or brands that can lift you as you also provide value. Build a good name and brands will find you.
5. Be featured
An important aspect of personal brand building is when people start talking and writing about you. Each time someone shares a photo or book review, I always end up receiving another book order.
6. Appear in search engine results
Establish your presence online through your site, blog, social networks, and build your personal profile. Be consistent on how you get referred to. Don’t use your full name on one aspect and then your nickname on the other. If somebody will search for my name, it is likely that the result you’ll see will be for most of the sites I’ve created and articles I’ve written.
This insight sharing was also inspired by this blog post sharing the perspective of several brand gurus on how to build a personal brand: http://blogs.bnet.com/career-advice/?p=101 (http://digitalfilipino.com)
