Are you Googleable? Is your personal brand up there?

“If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.”-- Zig Zagler. Why Personal Branding? Your company’s brand is one of the most important for its eventual success. It’s the combination of your company’s image and identity packaged and presented in a way that’s pleasing, familiar and attractive to your customers and clients. However, companies aren’t the only ones in the hunt for solid branding. Personal branding, the art of building a unique brand around yourself, is just as important.

Whether you use your personal brand to consult, freelance, or drive more traffic and trust to your company, it's vitally important to establish one to stay competitive. Personal branding is to showcase your expertise. We have many experts in just about each and every field. Steps in Personal Branding: So if you want to be effective in your Personal Branding, it isn’t enough to choose a general field like "marketing" or "human resources." Instead, it's best to focus and develop yourself in a very specific niche. But before, choose a niche determine your area of expertise, show your pedigree, your specialized skills, like an evangelist or a thought leader in areas say, Innovation, motivation, or leadership etc and strive towards excelling it. And your audience might want to get more focused insights and help, rather expecting generic content from you. Be more Authoritative If content is king, context is god.

Eventually after choosing your niche topic, work towards building your personal brand. There are various ways of doing it. And the best way to do is to start writing, start commenting, showcase your expertise through articles, invest your time in writing, invest in a proper content management system, be more resourceful and helpful to your audience, don’t be overtly promotional. Make sure your effort to help your audience is genuine. If it’s an act, people will notice it, and the credibility factor goes down. Share your views via interviews, try writing in industry trade journals, contribute to blogs, and register in websites related to your trade and commerce or any monitoring, authoritative, governing body websites. Make friends and network with your peers in your/related areas, by doing so, a mutual respect and support might strike up and there’s a definitive chance for a better promotion for your personal brand from the other end.

Google yourself, and if you don’t see your details in Google search results it’s time to do some, SEO, make your content viral in social networks and some promotion. And now that you’ve build your personal brand and the best way to promote (make it more Google-able) is mostly by going social. If your content is helpful and insights are resourceful, social media is such a platform that it provides an immediate audience without even asking for it. When writing articles, makes sure they are search engine friendly, meaning, first do a little bit of research as to what topics are being most searched for by the audience, thereby start writing content surrounding the issues and concerns that your potential audience has. Ensure your content headline, body copy is properly optimized, a lot of writers, especially from traditional journalistic background tend to ignore this fact. Perform a smart link building activity, ask for referrals, you can review other websites too and inturn they’ll review yours. Make friends with press. Participate in trade events and seminars, show your pedigree, and provide yourself as an expert. On the contrary, it works best when you show your human side of your personality like, working with charity, and fight for a genuine social cause, people will notice that too.

 Social platforms: Although there are lots of social media platforms that can give you much needed traction in Google pages. We’ll take a look at some of the prominent ones wherein you can do your personal branding to the best. Twitter: Best for effective short business communication. Twitter is a great place showcasing your talent. YouTube: Try making some simple videos, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Keep your audience in mind, showcase your expertise, you can provide insights on topics ranging from basic, intermediate to advance depending on your audience’s knowledge level.

LinkedIn: If your audience is more into B2B, then this is the place. LinkedIn audience by and large is much matured, so keep in mind, and develop content considering your audience. Show your resolve, post articles and join groups and discuss in forms, contribute and help to the group’s objective.

Slideshare: Though it’s a LinkedIn’s product, Slideshare has its own unique voice. Just bundle up useful and some nice content and present it as a pdf, word, or ppt in Slideshare. Flickr: This is the only photo site that gets traction in SEO. Profiles include all the basic information, such as a profile picture, location, bio and link.

Storify: If you’re a writer, this is a great tool. It lets you do that story telling effectively. Just go to Storify, search for your choice of topic that you’re planning to write, it’ll throw away all related info in the form of video, image and content and all you have to do is just drag and drop apart the ones you need, of course apart from adding your own content and build up a nice story for your audience.

Facebook: Facebook ranks high. Although your Facebook profile may not be relevant to your job, make your primary profile picture is professional. Depending on your privacy settings, a lot of people may see it. Also, claim your vanity URL. Overall, personal branding requires an expert to be more resourceful in his niche, and making his presence felt, and being more vibrant in social networks, related trade forums and blogs and ultimately if you’re authoritative in your subject, share your content via social platforms automatically you’ll reach your audience better and they inturn talk about you, and it all spirals up to your personal brand topping the Google search results.

How YouTube video content is being consumed by the young.

YouTube's statistics never cease to amaze: More than 1 billion unique users per month, over 6 billion hours of video watched per month, 100 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. Fine, but what’s more with young crowd religiously spends countless time watching videos in video sites such as Youtube, Vimeo, dailymotion etc., and much of its time watching video, and to watch besides expletive-laced game commentary and twerking videos.

The world is getting smaller according to Youtube:

One of the most amazing things about YouTube is its ability to make the world smaller, meaning; YouTube has given us the power to travel round the world with a single click providing entertainment. It has just about everything for everyone. Truly user generated content rules. And the best part, most of the content is being converted into and consumed in video format.

It’s so amazing with a single click we can watch some vintage video of an Amazon tribe, or a rare to film video of an extinct Tasmanian tiger, watch your favorite old R&B song video, or let it be learning the nuts and bolts of genome sequencing. Expect the unexpected with YouTube videos. Youtube offers content for every mood and occasion and content for all ages.

And for marketers, video marketing is continuously proving to be the best medium to reach its potential audience, especially the young, Gen Y, young millennilas. Without exception, each and every person of all ages these days watches videos.  Previously it was watched purely looking for fun and entertainment, like watching your favorite music band, movie, song renditions, etc., but now lot many things are happening over Youtube, one can watch and learn  educational tutorial videos streaming in YouTube that are taught by the industry’s experts and thought leaders--classroom at your doorstep.

The best part of learning a subject via video, unlike reading it in a book, is that it is engaging, interesting and exciting.  This is the reason why most of the youth learn just about anything and everything in YouTube. Don’t mean to undermine the importance of learning that comes through reading books but, considering the short attention span that today’s youth has, learning a subject or topic by watching a video has proven ‘the’ best way.

Youngsters have

many reasons to spend most of the time watching videos, they follow up with their music icons, tracking the trending artists, listening up to their favorite artists, tweaking, reading the comments, reviewing keeping them up to date with fashion trends, looking as to what’s cool, what’s not. What’s hip and what’s new. Literally, it’s like the whole world is unfolding itself in front of you in the form of a videos.

YouTube discovers new artists

And what’s more YouTube helps discover upcoming artists round the world. Attenuating to the fact good music knows no home, and the language of music is universal. YouTube has become audience’s, and record label company’s favorite choice to identify new music artists, be it Hip Hop, Rock, alternative rock, classic rock etc.,

For instance, when Justin’s mom uploaded some videos of her son singing to YouTube to share with family and close friends she had no idea that the videos would be seen by music manager Scooter Braun and that he would have the opportunity to meet Usher and become a pop icon.

Before YouTube, singers had to perform to small audiences in bar gigs and small performances, hoping that the right person would be there. YouTube offers an audience of millions. Of course, uploading a video to YouTube does not guarantee your ticket to fame, but it does increase the chances of someone with real, genuine talent and originality getting discovered. Innumerable instances of  people coming to lime light  and instant fame; remember the ‘Gangnam style’ it was big hit and thereafter many renditions were created world over, and similarly India’s own Dhanush who created the massive hit 'kolaveri di.'

YouTube has given people around the globe a platform through which they can showcase their talent, by posting their music videos to show the world, first-hand. Also in regional  news as to what is going on in their countries; to show the world the real picture that may not be otherwise broad casted in the biased news networks or may be filtered by the government.  It helps people let know of the different issues that they may not have heard about and getting further help motivate viewers to show their empathy, solidarity or to take action.

YouTube has become a go-to source for users looking for new music, and in turn, has made the video-sharing website a viable way for a new artist to get discovered. YouTube has been a starting point for countless successful young musicians, comedians, and actors over the last several years. Though the niches and talents vary, the general story seems to be the same: producing high quality content–whether a stand-up act or a cover of a popular song–can lead to fame and fortune for some.

Unique dynamics of B2B Online marketing: Forces that shape a B2B success.

The most seasonal marketers feel B2B Online marketing is a lot complicated and tough to understand when compared to B2C. Moving on, some are wary as to ‘how to lay in-roads to their B2B marketing success?’ And some even find it very elusive.

Business to Business online marketing may be one of the least understood disciplines in business. Let’s try unlocking the B2B marketing mysteries and let’s study the elements that need our better understanding and our much needed focus.

“Persuasion is often more effectual than force.”
--Aesop.

The persuasion architecture: To a larger extent, in B2B market it’s the ‘persuasive copy’ that one uses in their website is what defines a website’s success or failure for a company. ‘Persuasion’ is the key. Especially, it’s when your website/blog undeniably becomes a prima-facie of communication for the outside world. Persuasive copy has an explosive effect on conversion. If visitors come to your website and don’t read what you’ve written and don’t take the intended action you desire to take them, all your marketing dollars goes to drain.

Most companies pay very little attention improving their copy. Little things can help, choose actionable verbs in your body copy and try writing in a simple style without resorting to too much of stiff corporate jargon. Find interesting, unusual ways to say what might otherwise be dull. Use ‘customer-focused language.’ Narrate your client success stories in a subtle way but sparsely use strong statements. The content that we write should help to form a positive image in a reader’s mind and should only help in connecting and deepening a relation with an online reader over a period of time. Remember, we are addressing real people here when it comes to writing, your company comes next.

Become industry’s top knowledge resource: Customers apart from looking at your product/service offerings check for your market credibility, your online presence and they’ll see how rich have you contributed to the industry—be the industry’s best resource when it comes to sharing and helping in terms of knowledge, that’s when other companies/prospects will start noticing you. Over a period of time you’ll be their trusted resource for information and which will naturally lead to more business. So, do whatever it takes to become just that—collect, share, provide information to your community. Talk on your industry’s most pressing problems and make an effort; try giving solutions through your articles. Be more insightful, helpful than promotional in social networks. Showcase your company’s different facets at times required—especially, the human side of your company.

Interacting through blogs: Blogging shouldn’t be about you—it’s about them, your prospect customers. Try writing something that would interest your target customers. A blog is just not meant for pumping out articles or is not necessarily seen as a source for driving traffic to your website, but rather should work in conjunction with/complementing your website’s service offerings.

A blog throws away a great opportunity to showcase your product/service offerings on a relatively different; community level, it gives you a means to interact with the outside communities, learn their problems in a more meaningful way, address them in a proper way and contribute to a much bigger cause—being supportive and helpful online, thereby earn trust and help improve your corporate image. So don’t blow away the opportunity, make the most of it.

‘Content is king’ they say! Mere providing product information does no good for a company website; it’s all in creating an ‘impact’ through your writing, we are in a ‘performance’ and a ‘make an impact’ kind of business. A content which is attractive, simple, compelling, persuasive enough and most importantly helpful generates wider audience. It gives other websites a reason to link with you, it attracts prospects, helps form a positive image in the industry and it leaves a greater impact on a reader’s mind- be it through your articles, white papers, press releases, case studies or blog posts etc.

Overall, your website/blog should be enticing, product detailing, a website copy that answers all your prospects questions in a persuasive way; it should act rich as an industry’s best resource. Adopting these methods and nurturing this kind of culture in an organization on a continual basis, can actually elevate a company’s B2B online marketing efforts from a ‘stealth’ mode to a more ‘open’ ‘active’ and ‘competitive’ mode. And thereby giving positive marketing results-- generate more leads and better sales for your company.

Marketing your website Effectively:Basics

Marketing your website:

You are done with designing your website. Ok! Now what do you do? How do people find your website or how do they know there exists one? First and foremost, register your website in directories like DMOZ it helps place your business in a relevant category. Then imagine what keywords or key phrases customers would search for your business—be specific--for instance, you have a furniture business in Nebraska, Arizona, and then the probable search keyword would be ‘Furniture store Nebraska, Arizona.’ Rather than giving a narrow keyword like ‘Furniture store’ or Furniture store in U.S.’ which actually leads to a much broader search results, a search result-- not directly helping to point out your hometown business, its not precise and moreover, the problem is, shorter the keywords; the more expensive they are, in a paid search. Ask your close associates or friends as to what key search terms or key search phrases they would use to search for your business and make a list of it, it helps! Use them to the best of your advantage. It doesn’t mean you should overuse keywords or key phrases—‘stuffing keywords’ (Google considers it ‘spamming.’)

Take a look at your website, at some point of time; you’ll feel ‘there’s scope for improvement.’ Or may be few things should have been fixed, be it the navigation feature, tone, usability, or maybe the overall look and feel of your website. It is an ongoing process, a constant pursuit for perfection, a process of continuous refinement to see your website reach up to a certain level, or be it simply that you’re just trying to weather the change— technically speaking its called ‘Website Optimization.’

First study your competitor’s website (it is the easy way!), do a research as to what factors or features made your competitor so popular. Pick those best features/ideas from your competitors’ website. While you can always ‘copy and improvise’ those features to your advantage and trust me sometimes the best of ideas come from cross-industry; may not come from your relevant industry. But on the converse, Online business reputation, credibility, and customer trust can only be built over a period of time—there’s no duplicating/ mimicking your competitor in this matter, especially when he is on top. There’s no short cut to success when it comes to earning trust or building reputation, but it has to be done through hard work, and proper customer-oriented approach.

Most important question one needs to ask when thinking of having a website-- why do I need a website? Who is my audience? What is that I want to communicate through my website? -- Have your answers figured out for those above questions. It gives you a great relief, like ‘clear clouds appearing’, ‘landscape will start looking better and promising for you.’ It may look silly but at least it’ll leave you with a satisfaction of having a clear goal and you’re fulfilled that you’re heading in a right direction after having those basing questions answered and the best part you really don’t have to look back at your past.

How to use Social Media for Marketing:

Using Social media as an overall Online marketing strategy:

Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Optimization (SMO) is an important – perhaps even critical – Internet marketing strategy. Internet marketers are pretty unsure as to how to use social media as a marketing strategy or even if they should use it at all.

Social media needs a Multi throng approach: To start with SMM make way into social media, make a slow but steady approach in impressing your users-- initially go in a 'stealth' mode. Attenuating to the fact 'social media' has transformed the total internet landscape forever (and it’ll continue to do so) and the way it works, by and large. It's probably because of the seamless, magnanimous ‘influence’ factor that it brings within itself for its users. Helping users to make a better choice through vote of opinion, ratings and discussions related to products or services or it could be just about anything. Truly ‘Word-of-mouth marketing’ rules, in all forms of marketing- be it traditional or Online marketing and it benefits marketers and users as well. And that is where all advertisers, media buyers and all the top brands are busy creating a buzz! making themselves more visible to users-- entering into social media--finding effective ways to reach and vie up for every possible attention of its users; capitalize on your target/prospect customers-- pushing every little step (but cautiously) in getting closer to their customers--to know, understand them better and to deliver better.

Funneling down the right prospects: Identify the most buzzing places in social media-- the popular blogs, forums, and social networks related to your subject area and slowly start introducing yourself by contributing your voice and surely but steadily make it a habit to consistently post your views or solutions in those social networks. Become more kind of an opinion leader for others in your area I am sure it'll reap benefits in the long run.

Eventually over a period of time people tend to notice you and bear your Online presence--good! if they feel you're contributing to the Online cause and growing into something big, sooner or later they start listening to you and probably trust you and that's where your conversion point starts--make your first move--put your business proposal softly, but most importantly win their confidence first--that is the gateway--an entry point where you'll really start conversing with your audience effectively with vigor and intent.

Things are transforming fast in Online. Hard sell doesn't work in Internet marketing--Internet users don't simply sit and meditate in front of the internet and see as to what internet marketers are trying to say, the message should be simple, direct and expressive enough to convey your message ; ‘at their own terms’; the pushy kind of tone : that typical sales pitch...is a strict no!...no!. Internet users have a short attention span so keeping them engaged through your website, proposing the right product to the right person and finally converting them is a very tough task.

I always felt ‘share information selflessly' for free(Google did a class act, for that matter) and it'll payoff big one day ! How many times have you heard people saying 'I've got this thing for free Online!' People always love carrying home some free stuff! It pays to provide some free stuff. It might not bring you a fortune, in a shorter period of time but it'll sure help you in attaining your long term goals and one day you'll see yourself doing consistently pretty good job. Believe me! the very feeling of doing well--it motivates you to do better (considering the kind of tough competition you have Online) and I am sure it'll give you a great deal of satisfaction and it'll leave you with a sense of fulfillment and joy.

Last, but not least, please be very passionate about whatever you do Online--Online marketing demands specialization else, chances are you're soon forgotten and you discover yourself being part of history and it's not easy to make a comeback once gone.

To conclude Online marketing with context to social media though initially may look tough and complicated, but can be made easy by rigorous and careful study. Remember Delivering work at the highest level always becomes an art form. I am sure one day, like a steady mountain goat you’ll see yourself reaching the summit. Bye the way it just remembered me of the quote below. Good Luck!

It's not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it.
-- Gustav Mahler (mountaineer)