If you're free from whatever you're doing next week on Wednesday, February 8, from 1:00-2:30 Pacific (4:00-5:30 EST), Scott Allen, co-author of "The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors And Closing Deals Online" will be doing a free teleseminar with Steven Van Yoder, author of "Get Slightly Famous (review), on how to use blogs, social networking sites and online communities to increase your exposure and position yourself as a thought leader in your field.

The teleseminar is free, but seats are limited, so you will need to register in advance.

Technorati Tags: get slightly famous, virtual handshake

Introverts may excel at promoting others but not themselves. In a world that seems to reward horn-tooters, an introvert explains how she's used her natural tendencies to gain visibility. Check out this article from the Wall Street Career Journal

A few tips from the article...

• You don't need to brag to promote yourself.


• Enlist event organizers to introduce you, especially to the speaker, who may be an important contact for you.


• Use visualization techniques to avoid being overwhelmed by large group events.


• You don't have to respond quickly. If you're asked questions that feel invasive or demand an immediate response, simply say that you need time to think about them and will follow up with answers.


• Don't apologize for what you don't know.


• Keep track of details. At the end of a social event, find a private place to make notes on the backs of business cards of people you've met.


• Stay in touch with existing contacts. For introverts, this is easier than making new contacts.


• Take advantage of your writing skills.


• Use the telephone. In general, introverts like to be well-prepared, rather than speaking extemporaneously.

I don't know if Nick Wreden is writing from a recent experience, or is just posting this cautionary note, but there is a distinct danger in not minding the company you keep online as your personal brand morphs into the 'Brand Called We.'

John Ingrisano, a Algoma, Wisconsin-based marketing consultant talks about one of the most basic ways to get you or your business noticed - doing well by doing good.

Some ideas that I pulled from John's article

• Get involved with your industry associations - do work for them - have them give you a free mention
  
• Make local community involvement part of your business and PR/Marketing strategy
  
• Volunteer: Join your local Lions Club or Chamber of Commerce and get involved in community service. Work for the organization and forget about business. However, every member with whom you serve is a potential customer, and people in the community will remember that you are taking the time to get involved in a good cause. (And don’t forget the press release.)
  
• Commit your business to fund-raising. Donate a certain percent of sales for a week to cancer research or your favorite cause.
  
• Be creative. Look for opportunities. Make a list of ideas and then try one or two. It won’t be long before you find one that clicks … and you may be surprised how your prestige and profits grow.

Yvonne Divita thinks I'm smart today. Have a look at her recent interview with me posted on her weblog.

I had a conversation recently with a friend who was having a tough time getting a new gig, despite his many, many years of varied experience in sales, marketing and media. It turns out that this is not such an acute problem, but rather a major issue with career professionals who don't see themselves fitting into a specific box, likely because of their rich and varied careers, and their lack of familiarity with the concepts of personal branding and marketing yourself.

Here are a few ideas from a recent WSJ (sub) article on how to highlight your unique skills based on the career move you're angling for.

Robin Good led me to this terrific piece on shameless self promotion published today. This is one of my favorite topics, and it's one of the things that I constantly tell other professionals and college students to do more of to set themselves apart. Robin did a a great adaptation of the main points of the article, which I've hightlighted below.

"In the new world of work, you are a brand. And to stand out and prosper, you must leverage your experience, way of thinking, ideas, skills and braggables to create a perception that there is no one in the marketplace quite like you. I call this process "branding your brilliance". In the traditional sense, a brand is a word, usually a proper noun. Brand building is the process of creating a perception in the mind that there is no product or service on the market quite like yours."

Here are the adaptations of some of Ramon's & Robin's personal branding ideas.

1. Think like a free agent. - Not in the "free agent nation" sense of things, per se, but consider "what do I as a unique professional bring to the table, wherever I'm at?" Differentiation is key here!
   
2. Discover what sets you apart and market it shamelessly. - Everyone has a niche. Get very comfortable with saying no to clients and projects and find your greatest potential area of impact
   
3. Get visible. - I've talked about this a lot. Write, speak, volunteer, give, share and all that stuff. Trust me. You need to give to get, but always keep an eye on your visibility index through whatever you do (hey, this is shameless self promotion, remember...)
   
4. Stop networking, and build a network. - Networking events are usually very stupid. Go your own way. Make a list, have lunch with someone each week, find out WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PEOPLE before you ask of something from them. Remember, this is a long-term, going concern. Participate in on-line communities. Start introducing (connecting) everyone to everyone else. When you do, you'll get connected, gain access and move ahead very fast.
   
5. Add value - and then some. - Back to the "give then get" scenario.
   
6. Accelerate your brand power by getting in sync with a major trend in your field and moving to the head of it. " - What's a big trend in your field? Read everything about it. Participate in conferences. Take a position. Become known as a specialist. Focusing on what you can be best at is a powerful way to upgrade and accelerate the perceived value of your brand in the marketplace.
   
7. Marry an important, ethical cause as a complement to what you like to do - This speaks about the volunteering element, but it positions you beside a worthwhile initiative and says volumes about your character. Every non-profit needs board members, leaders, doers, and great idea people. Pick your passion and go after it with vigor.
   
8. Share before looking for profit
   
9. Help others become as successful as you
   
10. Question yourself and your approach systematically - get forever curious

Ramon Williamson - UGMC - How To Brand Your Brilliance & Stand Out?
[via Robin Good]

Another post from the shameless self promotion category, this time from the Wall St. Career Journal.

The key, in short, is to garner good "press" while not giving the impression that you're getting that press because you're trying too hard. Got that?

Here are some ways to raise your professional profile without branding yourself as an opportunist:

1. Be very good at what you do. - this goes without saying. It's even more fun when you have measurements & metrics in place to gauge your success (some companies don't have these...so there's an opportunity for you to bring data discipline in and help yourself to boot)
   
2. Stick your neck out. - To find a huge opportunity, look for a huge problem, then go after it.
   
3. Volunteer for small but valuable tasks. - Don't spread yourself thin, but strive for ubiquity within & around the organization so that people within your sphere of influence can't swing a dead cat without encountering something that you've made a difference in.
   
4. Don't be insular. - Sometimes, it's what you do outside the company that really matters, but don't sell yourself short inside either. The key is the 3-pronged approach of speaking, writing and networking." These activities help you become known on the outside. In some professions, such as in scientific fields, external recognition is more important than internal acclaim, and joining professional groups is essential to your career.
   
5. Switch Job functions. - This is also sometimes an organizational habit. Smart leaders take their staff and rotate them among functional roles to make them better managers & more aware business people. If your company doesn't do that, set up your own rotation and move around the company.
   
6. Limit yourself. - Chances are, if you're doing any of these things, you have very, very high standards. DON'T take on a project/job/task if you can't complete it to your standards and wouldn't be proud to put your name on it. Pulling back from extended efforts & making a deeper impact in your current projects will pay greater dividends than a trail of corpses. Ambition without a trail of results is a bad track record. Seek to maximize in each area.
   

I've been a big fan of reading Curt's insights since I found his blog about a year ago. He's got great ideas, runs a great "job networking email service" for people in the Seattle area, and has all around good things to say. Curt's sumarized his lessons learned in his 3 years in business as a professional Passion Catalyst (sm) on his site, and they're worth a quick read.

You can see the entire post, with Curt's narrative at http://www.passioncatalyst.com/lessonslearned.htm, but here are the main points:

* Keep your feet moving
* Surround yourself with support
* Give! Give! Give!
* Baby steps!
* Talk to people who've done it
* Seek out inspiration
* Do it YOUR way
* Network / build relationships
* Do events and/or speak
* Write
* Start a blog
* "This too shall pass"
* Be realistic
* Journal
* Don't just pitch the media - build relationships
* Patience is your best friend

MarketingSherpa has opened voting for its Reader's Choice Blog Awards.

Click here to vote, and please see the B-to-B marketing blogs section to vote for Dana's Blog!

If you're a chronic ego-surfer like me, you Google yourself weekly. If this topic is new to you, William Arruda, a personal branding guru, just wrote a piece for MarketingProfs on how to affect your Google profile, and some questions your should ask yourself about your existence in Google.

Just how important is getting your name in print and your ideas noticed for an executive career?

Plenty important, say headhunters, career coaches and management-development professionals. "You have to arrange your own discovery," one executive search professional explains. But short of establishing your own vanity press and putting out books on topics you know something about -- assuming, of course, you have a book's worth of hot ideas in you -- just how can you get the visibility in your field that will lead headhunters and other talent scouts to your door?

Steven Van Yoder: Virtual Marketing Newsletter

One morning, you open your inbox and find several e-mails that will boost your business. There is an invitation to speak at a local group comprised of your best prospects. Several emails have arrived from people who've "heard of you" and inquire about your services.

There is a message from a potential joint venture partner who has invited you to be a guest on a teleconference that will reach 500 people, all of them prospects. Later that day, a journalist calls. She wants to write a story about your business, which she heard about on a radio interview you gave weeks earlier.

Is this a fantasy? No. This could be a typical day in your life as a published author.

More and more business people are realizing the power of writing a book to catapult their businesses to a higher level. Speakers, consultants, coaches, therapists and other small business owners are learning that publishing a book is one of the most powerful marketing strategies available.

[Monster Management] Most likely, none of the following marketing tips will generate immediate employment interviews. But they can be vital tools in propelling your job search and improving your long-term career management efforts.

I'm trying to compile a list of all of viable "Internet & Technology Industry" sites to which one could submit articles for publication, for the purpose of knowledge sharing, and, of course, business building & development. From what I've been able to gather, many consultants or people who run smaller 'agency type' firms could directly benefit from this type of publicity and credibility boosting. (please correct me if I'm wrong)

Also, does anyone's opinion differ greatly? Do you feel that this the 'publishing exercise' is a complete waste and provides no benefit? I'm very curious.

So far, I've put together the list you see below:

1. Marketing Profs
2. Line 56
3. CIO Insight
4. ClickZ

I'm always a fan of shameless self promotion for your business. I'm happy to have run across this little article by Judy Cullins on why you should be writing and publishing articles as one tactic to help promote and build your business.

Judy outlines the benefits of giving a little to gain a lot in return.

1. Writing articles brings free publicity.
2. Publishing articles is an effective means of positiong you as an expert.
3. You receive global attention when articles are web-based.
4. The more exposure your articles get, the more you are perceived as an expert.

There are a couple more...check out the article.

The only problem I have with this, is that I have yet to directly correlate my publishing with business. Granted, I was only doing a little freelance, but still, I see how they matter from a positioning perspective, but I'm not 100% convinced that publications actually drive business upward.

Oddly enough, Bonnie Jo Davis has a similar article titled Reaping The Amazing Benefits Of Writing E-Zine Articles, which has a few more reasons why you should be doing all of the above.

Steve Kayser, of Cicncom, wrote a super article for Cincom's Expert Access newsletter on self promotion and getting "Slightly Famous".

Being a self proclaimed, self promotion maven, this is one of the more detailed and insightful pieces on self promo that I've seen in a while. Here are a few salient, paraphrased points.

1. Maintaining Your Visibility - Visibility is a cornerstone of every slightly famous business strategy, and it begins by placing your core marketing message in front of as many of your target customers as possible, as often as possible.

2. Enhancing Your Credibility - Visibility is nothing without the credibility to back it up. The surest way to make a credible name for yourself is by becoming a "recognized" expert. (If you're an author, speaker, consultant, business owner, manager and professional, you may qualify)

3. Establish Your Brand and Reputation - Visibility + Credibility + Word-of-Mouth = REPUTATION

Check out the whole article here.

Thanks to the fine folks at Balance Studios here in Green Bay, WI, the new danavan.net site is live and ready. Done in record time too!

Thanks guys!

This today from the WebAdvantage.net eMarketing Newsletter.

All of us know the value of PR for our companies. Blah. However, put this article in the context of promoting yourself and it takes on a whole new light!

A Dozen Reasons to Send Out a News Release:

1. Have there been any personnel changes, promotions or additions in your life?
2. Are you conducting educational seminars or speaking at an upcoming event?
3. Have you received an award or been recognized publicly in your industry?
4. Have you just elected your board of directors or been elected/appointed to any board of any local organization?
5. Have you or your company sponsored a charitable fundraising event in the community?
6. Do you offer an award or prize to your employees - mention the kudos, mention yourself, mention your company?
7. Have you started a new business?
8. Have you developed a new or improved product?
9. Have you purchased any unique new equipment or technology?
10. Have you increased something about your company over last year (sales, # of plants outside, etc.)?
11. Is there something unusual about your company or yourself?
12. Do you have a strong opinion on a local situation or community problem - with a solution!?

Check out the full article by Lois Carter Fay, APR here.

Here's my shameless self-promotion for the day:
Link to my Press Relase on the Seybold San Francisco 2003 Conference.

I really have to kick myself when I've been brewing an idea for a while, and then someone beats me to it! This usually happens with any ideas for articles that I want to publish, but just can't get around to writing.

Most recently, I've been mulling over my own 'marketing and publicity strategy', and considering how I've been applying the same tactics since before graduating from college. I also preach the same stuff to graduating students every year when I speak in the marketing classes and work with the SIFE group. The strategy is really simple. It basically amounts to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Ok, maybe not that simple. Allow me to qualify...

The Volokh Conspiracy

As a adamant supporter of the "Brand You" and shameless self promotion movement, I belive that Eugene Volokh is really on to something with his recent post on "PROMOTING ONE'S BLOG". We're all out here, writing away, gathering ideas and opinions, and for what? Our own self satisfaction? Hardly. We want to get noticed!

Eugene's comments offer some straightforward, blog-world specific ideas to get your blog noticed and into the mainstream. Truth be told, it all starts with good content. Nothing happens without good content.

Read the rest...

I just got through reading an article on the recent job cuts at America West airlines. 250 managers and several from the executive ranks were told to hit the road. Wow! No line workers, no pilots, no mechanics...just managers.

In the 80's & 90's, if my memory serves me, there was a stigma around 'mid-level managers'. They were overhead, dead weight, bureaucratic, and expendable. While I haven't felt that way about myself for a while, the America West incident brings back some of those feelings.

Like those managers, many managers and directors, all with unique ideas and attributes, work away until one day.... Then what? What have you done to differentiate yourself? I say the same thing to college students when I give my yearly talks to graduating seniors and eager juniors. What makes you so damn special that an employer would want to hire you?

Enter: shameless self-promotion. HOW Design magazine has a perenial piece on self promotion. As most creative firms have noticed, the faucet that once delivered a steady flow of projects has now been turned back to a mere drip for all but the most aggressive. As an employee, what have you done to grab your share of the limelight?

Here are some ideas from both HOW Design, and a recent article in MarketingProfs called Marketer: Market Thyself. The bottom line is this: Do something to differentiate yourself, express your passion for your craft, and show how you can add unique value to a potential client's or employer's situation. Answer the question: What is your unique value proposition?