You vs You the Brand on Twitter

Below is the transcript from a twitter conversation I had with a good colleague of mine about a day ago about You vs You the Brand:

:I know someone who makes a LOT of money who wants to use a very talented videographer but won't because of the mess they tweet. #TooBadSoSad

Me: part of the reason I have two twitter accounts. Ones for business and the other is for everything else.

Me: however if YOU are your brand there is a fine line of professionalism and realism that you have to maintain At all times on here

Me: but people don't look at twitter as a business tool. They solely see it as a "social media" mechanism when in truth it's more.

:You're preaching SOA!

Me: and it's a simple thing to see. Don't you think celebrities, CEOs, politicians, etc have multiple accounts? Because depending on what your role is in society and how you want others to see you you do what you do for others. If you didn't it wouldn't matter but it does. So you have to either separate your professional self &everyday self or learn to tone down your everyday self at least until you make the type of money where it doesn't really matter or THAT becomes society's view of you, ie @kanyewest

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But it's true. If you believe that your employers, peers, etc. aren't paying attention to your tweets, you've got another thing coming. With it being so easy for people to follow you, unless of course your page is private, you really have to watch what you repeatedly say on Twitter. It's one thing to every once in a while let a cuss word slip or tweet your heart felt feelings about a matter, but when you continuously use foul language, talk about people, disrespect people that shines down on your character. Maybe you aren't like that in real life...but who would know? Certainly, I've fallen victim to TMItweets a time or two on my personal page, but you'll NEVER see my professional page get out of line.

The difference between You and You the Brand when it comes to social media lies in the image you portray and the image everyone else sees. If you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, how easy is it to create a page strictly for networking, jobs/ clients, and professional purposes and a separate page for everything else? As a student, when you are gearing up to step into the corporate world, keeping the chatter and inappropriateness to a minimum is a must. Your tweets about who you were with last night could be the difference between working at Hooters Corporate or Hooters down the street [think about it].

If you are your brand, ie student, notable figure, or employee at a corporate office, you have to be your own filter. It's easy to want to put everything on your twitter but when the stakes are high, you're better off keeping a diary if you don't want to make a decoy page.

Unless you just plain don't care, your name is Kanye West or you've finally reached the ultimate status in life...keep the inappropriate Twitter chatter to a minimum. And even then, keep THAT to a minimum.

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur

The Thank You Note

I was recently talking to a friend of mine about making yourself stand out when you are given the opportunity to interview for a once in a life time opportunity...any opportunity really. We talked about how people are slowly forgetting the art of the follow up and most importantly the thank you note.

Any guru of employment will tell you how important it is to thank your interviewer but it's all a matter of HOW you do it. It's not enough to simply say "Thank you" to them...that doesn't help you to stand out from the crowd of unemployed applicants. Emails are nice, and they help you stand out, and in some ways they are absolutely unexpected. But you know what is even more unexpected?

A HANDWRITTEN NOTE!
My friend is the Queen of hand written notes. She has created her own to maintain her brand identity and has created a system on how to personalize them. I won't give up her secrets, but I can give you tips on writing and branding your own thank you notes.

Tip #1: Do your research. Before you can even think about writing a thank you note, do you know where you plan on sending it? Some companies can mislead you into thinking that the person you are looking for is headquartered in one location, but in reality they are some where else. With a little research, some know how, and a "psycho" investigative mentality you can find anything you want to know.

Tip #2: Get some stationary. Not all of us are artistically talented like my friend or myself, but they have so much stationary on the market that you can fake it really well. Even better, there are websites that allow you to customize and brand your own stationary. Having stationary is the foundation upon which you build your personal marketing brand with.

Tip #3: Personalization. Personalization. Personalization. Sure you may have purchased some generic stationary from Wal-mart, but honestly it's not all about what's on the front of the card. It's about what's on the inside of it. If you are writing a thank you letter to just say thank you...you're missing the point. The purpose of the thank you is not only to say "thank you for the interview and the time," but it's also a way to say HEY LOOK AT ME! You want to personalize your thank you note so that the receiver will have a frame of reference of who you are as well as to why they should remember you.

Tip #4: Branding. In this day and age it's all about building a brand. Whether you are trying to build an empire or your portfolio, branding yourself is the number one way to get yourself noticed and thus get you to where you are trying to be. Not only do you want to write a thank you note and personalize it, but you want to be sure to drop your business card in that thank you note. You might be thinking to yourself, "is that subtle? will I look desperate?" Think about it, the fact that the hiring manager or vice president of a company has not only your well positioned and quirky thank you note but they now have your business card. They might not always hire you for the position they are looking for, but they could hire you for something else. It's all about creating opportunities.

You've done the research about the company and who you are sending a thank you note to. You've created or bought the perfect stationary for your personality and brand. You took the time to personalize the note so that they can remember who you are. You've branded yourself by adding a business card so that they can continue to keep you in mind. With the amount of effort you put into the thank you note, you are positioning yourself to receive opportunities. So TAKE IT! Take that opportunity like it's yours and when it is...don't forget the thank you note!

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur

Personal Branding

I just started reading this book entitled: Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. Already this book is very informative. As a business owner we feel as though our "personal brand" is what we put into our tangible brand, our business. But in reality the business is a representation of our personal brand. As the unemployed or a student, how are you representing your personal brand to potential employers,networks, and clients?

The following except really spoke to me because so many people are in careers they don't like or don't know what they want to do and fail to realize how powerful it is to cultivate your personal brand no matter what path your life or career takes you.

"Many people may view personal branding as a form of self-promotion and selfishness. In some ways it is, but this doesn't mean it's a bad thing! Developing your brand makes you a more valuable asset, whether to the company you work for, a potential employer, or your own enterprise."               -Me 2.0

There is a difference between promotion and branding when you think about it in terms of the above statement. Promotions is a quick way to advertise or market a person, place, or thing. When used with other practices it can create a great buzz for that person, place, or thing. Where as branding is the long term plan you create to make your name, product, or cause a household name. Promotional practices are used in branding, but you can't expect to use only promotions to create a brand. For example, Ciroc Nation is a brand created by P. Diddy. Ciroc nation on twitter is a promotion. P. Diddy is a personal brand. Another example, The Trump Realty Properties are a part of a brand created by Donald Trump. The Apprentice is a promotion. Donald Trump is a personal brand.

When it comes to personal branding, what are you doing to make your name top of mind awareness to your clients, potential clients, employers, and teachers? In what way have you promoted yourself as part of your personal branding plan? What can you do now to better your branding plan?

With everyone self-promoting themselves and the amount of noise that it creates, setting yourself apart from others through your personal branding plan is the difference between a "yes, we'll work with you" and "we'll keep you in mind if something comes up."

Be smart, proactive, and savvy about your personal branding plan whether it's for a job, class, or your own business!

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur