Online Personal Branding - Helping Manage Your Career Presented By: Christopher J. Bilotta Resource Development Company, Inc.

Introduction Purpose  Discuss personal branding and its use in career management and job search  Provide tips on how to define and market your online personal brand Presenter Profile  President, RDC, Inc., HR Consulting Firm  15 years executive search & career consulting  CPRW, CPA  Drexel University: BS Business, MBA 

How A Product Differs From A Brand A product is made; a brand is made up of trust and relationships A product is a value delivered; a brand is a personality A product is sold by a merchant; a brand is bought by a customer A product can be easily copied by a competitor; a brand is unique

Product vs. Brand

Personal Branding - The Beginning Coined in 1997 by Tom Peters in a Fast Company article titled “The Brand Called You” Peters wrote, “ Regardless of age, position, or the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies. Our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

Personal Branding Defined Achieving personal and professional goals by differentiating yourself and articulating your unique value through a consistent message. Authored by Allison Tibbs, 7/7/09

Breaking the Definition Down - 1 Achieving personal and professional goals Everyone has or should have goals that they set, whether personal or professional. There is no benefit to setting goals if you don’t strive to reach them. Your Personal Brand can provide the extra step needed to reach those goals.

Breaking the Definition Down - 2 Differentiating yourself by articulating your unique value Your Personal Brand can be the deciding factor on whether you are promoted or hired. If your Personal Brand is not viewed as valuable and unique, you offer no compelling reason to be considered. It is important that your brand stands out from the competition.

Breaking the Definition Down - 3 Through a consistent message A successful personal brand is one that is consistent. If it isn’t, you run the risk of confusing your target audience. Once confusion sets in, your credibility suffers and you will not be taken seriously. If you confuse your audience, you lose your audience.

Your Personal Brand Is Not Artificially created or manufactured Just a logo or tag line Self-centered or self-indulgent Is Intrinsic Authentic Individual

Your Brand – Stand Out in A Crowd “We all have brands worthy of remark.” - Tom Peters

Defining Your Personal Brand Your personal brand is what others think of you strengths skills personal traits passions how you add value

Being Real – A Branding Experiment Poll a select group of 50 people including co-workers, associates, clients, friends, etc. Ask them to write down 3 words that quickly come to mind that they feel best describe you Do the same Match your internal brand to the external brand you have projected Do others perceive your brand as you do? Turn perceptions into strengths

Be Found Would you buy something from a company that doesn’t have a website? What do you do before you buy? Research – probably on Google Employers do too – 75% Google candidates Don’t be a Digital Question Mark You want positive results when someone Googles your name

Your Online Presence Google quotient (GQ) The Digital Scale – Are You Digitally Distinct Dabbling Disastrous Dissed Disguised

Online Personal Branding Brand central Your domain name Your personal website Social networks LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Blogging Conversing/Commenting on other blogs

Marketing Your Brand Everything you do matters Be consistent Pay attention to substance and style Word of mouth marketing is key Nurture your network Give to get

Benefits of Personal Branding Enhances self-awareness Clarifies goals Creates visibility and presence Differentiates you Puts you in control Creates wealth Increases staying power