Who am I? Well, let me show you!

Branding is no longer about just developing your business but also about developing your personal brand. 

With the ever growing social media and internet, it is important to claim and your brand. There are now tons of resources available to help you build your person brand. NameChk.com will help you check to see if your name is available on all social media sites. When claiming your social space, it is best to use the same name across all social media sites. I for example always use “sarahmewer” as my social handle. I had already claimed my name on most spaces before I got married so after marriage I continued to use it. This makes it easier on me to log into social media sites and makes it easier to share my direct social media presence. I also bought my own domain URL. While I haven’t used it, I have it in case I need it. 

When establishing your own personal brand it is important to tell people who you are. This is your time to shine. This is your time to tell people who you are and what you do, or want to do. Some sites give you more information than others, for example Twitter only allows you to write a 140 character count bio whereas LinkedIn gives you unlimited space to write your bio. It is important to keep your information relevant and professional, but it is also ok to show some personality. These are a few key points to include when writing about yourself: 

    Who you are – are you a professional, student, job seeker, hobbyist

    What you’re involved with – talk about your profession, volunteer work, hobbies

    If you’re looking for something right now – are you job seeking, new volunteer group, clients

    How people can get in touch – professional email, other social media sites, phone number

When writing content for your brand, always make sure you are writing professional content that puts you in the brightest of light. Even if you are writing for personal sites, that you think are private, double think before posting it. Perfect example is the senator aid who blasted the Obama girls on her personal Facebook page. While she retracted the statement later, it had already gone viral and she was later removed from her position. While she said what some people were thinking, there are just certain topics that you must tiptoe around. Once you are more established in your career it is ok to open the thought process up a little more but if you professionally represent another brand or public figure you must be more cautious about what you say. When I recruited for Troy University, I had to be careful about the groups I associated with and where I represented TROY because it was such a blurred line between personal and professional. 

When publishing content, make sure that it is always relevant. You don’t want to write about science on a fashion blog or about a political issue on a music blog. Keep your content relevant to your audience. Knowing your target audience is always key. 

Also know which social media platform is appropriate for what content also. Twitter is great for connecting professionals together. It allows you to follow and gain information and tips from industry professionals. Twitter also helps keep things short and sweet and is also a great way to direct people to your blog or website. LinkedIn is great for building a network of contacts and finding industry professionals. LinkedIn is where other professionals go to talk business, congratulate each other on promotions and new positions, and to share industry news. Rarely will you find personal information on LinkedIn. Facebook is where you can share all of your personal information. If you are going to have a public Facebook, it is vastly important to ensure that you are not posting pictures of your heavily drinking, that you are not talking about your wild nights, and are keeping things under wraps. Facebook is for connecting with friends and family. Use Facebook cautiously when you are starting out as a young professional. Employers want to see responsible adults on Facebook not drunken college students. 

Be consistent with your brand. Use the same profile picture and same profile information when possible. Also use the same color scheme throughout your social media. As I found once I was married that there are multiple Sarah Butler’s in the world, including one indie actor. While this helps me personally hide from those who choose to Google me, it does not serve me well when I actually want people to find me. By keeping a consistent look and feel, it reinforces my brand and separates me from the other Sarah Butler’s of the world. 

Be consistent with your postings. If you know you are not disciplined enough to blog at least once a week, do not start and promote a blog. The last thing anyone wants to see is an outdated blog with irrelevant content, especially if they are looking for you to fill a job as a content writer or social media manager. If you are going to take a hiatus from maintaining your social media sites, please state that. Maybe it was for personal or professional reasons but it is ok to say you are stepping away. This takes the guess work out of your abandoned social media. I have seen several professional photographers step away from Facebook due to their limited timeline visibility. These photographers still have an active Facebook that drives their viewers to Instagram, which is more image focused with no restrictions on content within the newsfeed. These photographers have stated why they are moving away from Facebook and why Instagram has become their tool of choice. Now potential clients know that the photographer is in fact still in business and where to find their most recent work. 

By telling people who you are, keeping your brand consistent, and writing quality content you are sure to develop your own little space of real estate within the social media world. So get out there and start telling people who you are!

What a Crowdsource!

Crowd sourcing is all the new rage. Anywhere from gaining user developed content to having users spread awareness to the ever popular fundraising – getting people involved in your cause, organization, or business is the best way to gain free publicity. 

Marketing groups have been using crowdsourcing for years, way before the popularity of internet – think back to refer a friend programs – but with the ever growing availability of the internet and accessibility to different types of people from all over the world crowdsourcing is more popular than ever. 

I worked in the tourism industry for years and crowdsourcing ideas were a very popular way to gain content without paying for it. 

The State of Georgia tourism council had a great marketing plan to have people “Twist and Shake” throughout the state of Georgia and video tape themselves doing it. The idea was that tourist and locals alike could show them twisting and shouting at their favorite location or area in Georgia, send their video into the state tourism office who would in turn promote the video on their social media sites, developing free content. This could also get local businesses and other Georgia tourism councils involved and promoting their organization as well. 

Tourism groups also use hashtags to encourage users to tag their destination in their travels. Savannah has signs all over the city and on printed promotional material to use the hashtag #VisitSavannah when on Twitter or Instagram. They then take user generated content and share promoting both the content developer but also selling the idea of visiting Savannah through real-life experiences. When people see their peers doing things and having fun it inspires them to also join in. 

Crowdsourcing has also gone from just information to also crowdfunding also. The idea started as raising money for small-business\start up’s and has evolved into crowdfunding for almost anything. On February 1, 2015 Evan Leedy started a “Go Fund Me” campaign in hopes to raise $25,000 for a Detroit man who walked 21 miles one way to his job at a neighboring factory. The campaign was called “Help James Robertson Get a Car”. James Robertson was a factory worker who for the last 10 years has been walking daily to work. Leedy wanted to help him purchase a car to help him safely travel to and from work in the Detroit elements. Within 14 days, 13,248 people have helped raised $350,001 to go towards the purchase of a new car, help provide gas, and insurance. Over 24,000 people shared this story via social media to help raise the funds. Not only did Robertson receive a new car but a local Detroit dealership gave him a brand new Ford for free. This campaign is just one example of the power of social sharing and crowdsourcing in movement. 

Not only can you use crowdsourcing to develop and share content or raise funds but you can also use crowdsourcing to share skilled workers. Sites such as Fiverr or Creative Market allow people with skills to sell their skillset for a profit. 

Fiverr is a website that allows people to purchase products or skills for a mere $5. Anything that can be done via the internet is offered on this website. Do you need a poem written for your love? Do you need someone to interact with your Facebook account? Do you need a proofreader? All of this can be purchased for $5 through Fiver. There are also people who draw pictures, develop logos, voiceover, translations – you name it, you will find it. Creative Market is similar but instead you purchase premade digital items that are ready for download. This includes fonts, photographs, logos, invitations, posters, HTML code. 

Companies are even jumping on board with the crowdsourcing. Companies are starting to use fan developed content in their marketing campaigns. I had a college friend who wrote and directed an ad for a Sprite Films contest. She was a top 5 contestant and was awarded “Fan Favorite”. Her “See Your Dreams Sprite” ad was viewed at the American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2014 in Los Angeles, California. This was a two way crowdsourcing contest. Sprite received great advertisement content and publicity while Olivia was able to promote her cause and gain followers to help promote her dream. Which resulted her in a win. 

Crowdsourcing is an amazing way to promote products, destinations, needs, events, people, causes, organizations, companies, and more. By getting people involved within the cause you can create a full viral effect. 

Sources: 

 

http://www.gofundme.com/l7girc

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2015/01/31/detroit-commuting-troy-rochester-hills-smart-ddot-ubs-banker-woodward-buses-transit/22660785/

https://www.fiverr.com/

https://creativemarket.com/

http://patch.com/georgia/dacula/scad-student-from-dacula-earns-fan-favorite-in-sprite-films-competition

http://www.sprite.com/2014studentfilms/

I have something to say - Listen to me!!

I have always carried a blog. It started out as a paper journal from high school and in college it transitioned into a Xanga and then into Blogger and now onto Tumblr. 

Blogging for me isn’t about expanding my career or writing about what I know. Blogging for me is personal. I enjoy blogging on world events, fashion, home décor, and personal events. Blogging has always allowed me the opportunity to freely express my thoughts without verbally translating them to someone. It was a way to place thoughts out of my head on into a space where I was free from judgment of others and was able to just be me. I never write blog postings to gain followers or to expect people to interact with it. It was a private matter for me that I allowed the world to view if someone just happened to stumble into the little online space I had created. 

I love reading blogs as much as I enjoy writing. I love that freedom of speech has transitioned from opinion columns in the newspaper and published journalists to online blogs and forums. I enjoy reading various opinions on topics and seeing the world around me be created by individuals.

The freedom to blog ranges from more than just the formally trained and read experts and stretches to enthusiasts, passions, hobbyists, and just interest. 

Blogging gives the opportunity for those who have experience or interest in an area to expand their reach into more than just their circle on influences and allows them to reach hundreds or thousands of readers. 

Just as the old saying goes, “You can’t believe everything you hear” the same holds true for blogs. You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. With the availability of reflowing information on the internet one must be cautious of what they read and choose to believe from the internet. It is up to the reader to do their own research and make their own judgments on the validity of information. Readers must also understand the difference between opinion and fact and must be able to distinguish between the two. 

These days you can find a blog on just about every subject imaginable and there are always multiple views to each side. This is the beauty of citizen blogging. People have the ability to freely express their views and opinions.

I have a friend who is a Georgia Tech Graduate who is a guest blogger for several Atlanta Braves baseball blogs. While Kai is not a professional baseball player and has no experience with the players or professional baseball his knowledge of baseball and connections in the blogging world have placed him in a position to be considered an expert on the subject. Kai is a leader in the field of using statistics to determine baseball outcome and player positioning within the sport. Kai uses his knowledge in statistics and baseball to give valuable insight into this new way of thinking about baseball. 

Blogging gives the ability for your average person to tell their story. It is important to not smoother the freedom and creativity of the independent blogger. Without bloggers, we are saying that the opinions of others don’t matter. 

Bloggers and journalists are not that very different. Many people believe that journalists always tell the truth but as we have experienced with recent events such as Ferguson and Brian Williams coming to light, we are learning that just because a journalist says it doesn’t make it true. It took several months for the truth of Ferguson to come out and it took years for journalist Brian Williams to come to light that he wasn’t really shot down in the helicopter. Journalists have a unique way of twisting the story to hold validity without exposing the entire truth. The only difference in bloggers and journalists is their title. People believe journalists are always right because someone has to approve their story. Newspapers just like online editorials want readers and viewers. If the story is going to attract attention so what if the whole truth is not always there, so what if we stretch things a little, or omit things sometimes. It’s ok. 

At least with citizen bloggers, you have the understanding that this is one person expressing their views on a subject. The notion that this may not be truthful is always there. 

So listen to me – I have something to say! And what I have to say is just as important to me as what you have to say. Value the opinions of bloggers but understand that opinions are just that opinions. And as much as you want your voice heard, I also want mine heard.