Don’t tell the RIGHT story, Tell the REAL story.
Modern Warrior Magazine 2021
December 01, 2021
Whether we realize this or not, we all come here, on this earth, to find “Love.” Sometimes we spend years or perhaps all our lives searching
for this one “True Love.” The one true love that would make us happy and complete. The one true love that would give us wings so we could fly.
We keep looking for the perfect match, but we often fail to realize that the love we came here to find is “Love for Ourselves.”
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Public Relations
Episode 372: Olesija Saue | How to build visibility and credibility online to grow influence and profits
Yeukai business show
October 05, 2021
In this episode, Olesija Saue and Trevor discuss about helping successful business professionals and senior executives to build visibility and credibility online to grow influence and profits.
So, if you want to know the 7 question framework for putting together and authentic personal branding strategy, tune in now!
In this episode, you'll discover:
· Personal Branding Strategy
· Personal Brand management
· Executive coaching
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Tags: Marketing, Sales, Personal Branding
Learn the Key to Social Media for Medical Practices, with Olesija Saue
The FM Shift
July 14, 2021
Using social media for medical practices is one of the best ways for patients to build the know, like, and trust-factor and drive patients to your practice. Guest speaker Olesija Saue joins us to teach functional medicine practitioners creative strategies to build a strong brand and use social media to their advantage. She shares:
Why social media for medical practices is critical
How to build the know, like, and trust-factor
The importance of your ‘why’
What marketing strategies no longer work
What marketing strategies you should be using
Why Branding Matters
Olesija Saue is a leading expert on branding and social media marketing. With over 20 years of experience in leadership roles, Olesija has had her share of successes and failures. In 2008, Olesija was working in the steel industry in Estonia when the market crashed, leading her to find creative ways to market her business.
Everything Olesija teaches are strategies that she has researched and used for her own business as well as for her clients.
Now, on the latest episode of the FM Shift, Olesija is joining us to share how functional medicine practitioners can use social media marketing not just to grow their practices but how great marketing can build a strong connection to their patients.
Social Media for Medical Practices
As functional medicine practitioners, building our medical practices can be a challenge. But one way to help our business get attention is by using social media. But, social media, when not used properly can do more harm than good for any brand.
As we create content, it’s important to keep in mind that social media is a place where our audience wants to see real people, sharing their values. It’s not a place where people want to see a shiny corporate brand.
People react to people, so companies that make people feel connected do better in the long-run. On social media today, it’s all about getting people to know, like, and trust you. That know, like, and trust-factor comes from building a great brand that connects.
Stories People Want to Hear
People don’t want to hear about how amazing and awesome you are. In life, as well as in marketing, it’s easy to want to only talk about your successes. But there is research that proves audiences connect with brands faster when they hear the full story.
By sharing stories of struggle or failure, audiences can connect with the human side of your functional medical practice. When audiences feel your brand is human, they feel more connected and are able to trust that your brand has something special to offer.
What used to work in business doesn’t work anymore. People need a connection, and the more they connect with you the more they’re going to know, like, and trust you. Audiences want to know, like, and trust you before buying.
With social media, you really have to know yourself. You have to know your strengths, your weaknesses, your values, and most importantly your ‘why.’ When you know these four elements, you can build a brand that really speaks to your audience and sells your services almost without any sales tactics.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Public Relations, Sales
Personal Branding and Social Selling - Strategy Discussion
Harbourtime Strategy Talks By Collin Harbour
March 09, 2021
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Tags: Marketing, Sales, Personal Branding
Your Unique Sales Advantage that no one can copy
The Fearless and Successful Podcast by Dijana Llugolli
January 26, 2021
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Tags: Marketing, Public Relations, Sales
Heels on fire: The Importance Of Creating A Personal Brand w/ Olesija Saue
Heels on fire
January 21, 2021
Olesija Saue is a Personal Branding Strategist and Executive Coach. Olesija Saue is also Social Media Strategist and Partner at Goal Social Media Marketing. Olesija Saue is a serial entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience in Sales and Marketing. As a former CEO of Forbes Estonia, she helped to bring the world's most trusted business media brand to the business audience in Baltics. Today she helps corporate clients as well as aspiring start-ups and small-to-medium sized businesses to stand out from the competition and achieve their business goals through the strategic use of social media and personal branding of the CEO's and employees. Olesija & I discuss why now, more than ever, it’s important to have a personal brand. You don’t need to be the next Oprah to have a great personal brand. It’s a matter of continually crafting and curating your online presence and most importantly, being yourself! Your honesty, transparency, and authenticity are what will differentiate you in the long-run. Connect with Olesija here: www.olesijasaue.com Ways To Connect With Me: Instagram: @twoweeknoticesociety https://www.instagram.com/twoweeknoticesociety/ Facebook: www.twoweeknoticesociety.com/community Website: www.twoweeknoticesociety.com
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Tags: Marketing, Sales, Personal Branding
Featured Interview
Inspire Zone
December 20, 2020
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Tags: Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Public Relations
Tell the real story, not the right story
LinkedIn
May 25, 2023
People connect with stories rather than sales pitches—known fact. But quite often, I see many people (myself included) waiting for a happy ending to feel they can start sharing their stories. I learned on my journey that for people to resonate with your story, you don't have to tell a perfect story. You have to tell the real story.
Narrate your journey, the highs and lows, the failures and successes, the learning, and the growth. There's no "perfect" ending required to start sharing your story. It's ongoing, evolving, as you are.
So don't waste time waiting for a perfect happy ending, and start sharing your real story right now. Because until you do that, you would never know who needed to hear your story exactly at this very moment. And once you start sharing your story, YOUR people will come to you because of you.
Some sources of stories you can start looking for in your daily life :
1. Your Story:
️Passion: Share what ignited your passion for your industry and/or company and what makes your eyes sparkle today
️Values: Highlight the values that drive your work and how they align with your audience's values.
️Why: Communicate the purpose behind what you do & the impact you strive to make.
️First Day: Recall your initial experiences, the excitement, and the challenges you faced.
️Lessons Learned: Share pivotal moments that taught you valuable lessons & shaped your journey.
️Behind the Scenes: Offer a glimpse into your day-to-day life, projects, and processes.
️Daily Adventures: Share interesting anecdotes, learnings, encounters, or discoveries from your work life.
️Challenges: Discuss obstacles you've overcome
️Dreams: Paint a picture of your vision for the future & the aspirations you're working towards.
️Achievements: Celebrate milestones & successes that reflect your growth and expertise.
️Hobbies: Connect with your audience by sharing your interests outside of work and how they contribute to your overall success.
2. Your Customer's Story:
️Customer Experiences: Share success stories and testimonials that showcase what has positively impacted your clients.
️Customer Challenges: Discuss common pain points and how you have addressed them.
️Customer Dreams: Connect with your audience's aspirations and demonstrate how you can help them achieve their goals.
3. The Story of the Product/Service/Team:
️History: Trace the origins and evolution of your product, service, or team, emphasizing key milestones.
️Behind the Stage: Offer insights into the development process, highlighting the dedication and expertise behind your offerings.
️Challenges: Discuss the obstacles faced while creating or implementing your product or service.
️Lessons: Share valuable lessons learned while building and refining your offerings.
️Fun Facts: Inject some personality by sharing exciting or quirky facts about your product, service, or team.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding, Sales
Is personal branding the same thing as publicity?
LinkedIn
May 23, 2023
There is often a common misconception between personal branding and publicity. While they're intertwined, they're not the same. Publicity is a potent tool that amplifies your personal brand, but it's just a fragment of the larger personal branding spectrum.
Personal branding is a comprehensive process that involves understanding your unique brand DNA, effectively packaging your superpowers, and strategically presenting them to resonate with your target audience. It's not about becoming a household name but ensuring your target audience recognizes and values your unique offer.
On the other hand, publicity tends to cast a wider net. But when leveraged within the context of your personal branding, it becomes a conduit for reaching the right people with the right message and at the right time.
So, how can you build an effective personal branding strategy and use publicity to your advantage?
️Discover Your Brand DNA: Understand what makes you unique - your skills, experiences, strengths, style values, and passions. This is the foundation of your personal brand.
️Identify Your Target Audience: Identity who will benefit from what you offer, including decision-makers in your field. These are the people who need to know about you.
️Develop Your Personal Branding Strategy: Plan how you'll communicate your personal brand, including the platforms and types of content you'll use. Consider how you'll consistently represent yourself to maintain your brand image.
️Publicize Your Brand Strategically: Use the power of publicity - through articles, talks, social media engagement, networking, or media opportunities - to amplify your personal brand. Remember, your goal is to impact your target audience, not everyone.
️Continuously Refine Your Brand and Strategy: Your personal brand should evolve as you do. Regularly reassess and adjust your branding strategy to stay relevant and impactful.
If you want measurable results, please set up a solid personal branding strategy before leveraging publicity.
It's not about being known by everyone; it's about being remembered by the ones who matter.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding, Sales
Can you be too honest with your personal branding?
LinkedIn
May 18, 2023
When it comes to personal branding, authenticity is a fundamental pillar. Authenticity is a term thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean in the context of personal branding?
At its core, authenticity is about being true to who you are. It means being genuine, real, and not pretending to be someone or something you're not. It's about accepting yourself just the way you are, with all your strengths & peculiarities. It's about sharing your true personality, values, beliefs, and experiences. However, authenticity in personal branding isn't just about revealing your true self; it's about doing so in a way that resonates with your audience and adds value to them.
However, the question that often arises is - can one be too honest with personal branding?
Authenticity doesn't equate to baring all on social media. It's about aligning what's important to you with what's significant for your audience and finding that sweet spot. It's about revealing your expertise and your human side in a way that resonates with your audience.
So, how can we balance authenticity and honesty in our personal branding? Here are some actionable steps:
Self-Awareness: Identify your values, strengths, and passions. They form the core of your personal brand.
Audience Understanding: Who is your audience? What do they value? Understanding them allows you to align your authenticity with their needs.
Consistent Messaging: Your brand message should consistently reflect your authenticity. It's not about being overly honest but about sharing relevant aspects of yourself that align with your audience.
Professional and Personal Balance: While displaying your professional expertise is essential, showing your human side is equally important. Find a balance that fits your comfort level.
Avoid Extremes: Authenticity is neither about overexposure nor being overly secretive. Strive for a genuine and comfortable balance for you and your audience.
Personal branding is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It's a journey of self-discovery and audience connection.
So, keep it real, keep it you, and keep it relevant.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding
Why should companies be investing in the personal brands of their employee?
LinkedIn
May 04, 2023
In the previous videos, we've been discussing the maximizer effect of strong personal brands on the company's message on the visibility and credibility of the brand. But let's add one crucial point to the discussion.
Your employees, who have strong personal brands and understand their personal brand DNA, live their values, know their why, follow their passion, expand on their topics of interest, and their operate from their strengths can become not only your loyal brand ambassadors but grow into authentic influencers & industry thought leaders.
If personal brands are integrated into employer branding, your people's message will be aligned with your company's values and your company story. Your people will amplify and spread your company's message. And each of them will bring a unique perspective, unique angles, and unique expertise & make your company's message truly diverse and relatable to various audiences.
In addition, different researches show that people involved in brand ambassador programs would stay with the company through difficult times. And they would be more satisfied with their life and their work.
Why? Because they would have personal meaning, and they would also work ( and share) with passion from their zone of genius. And this is an excellent resource to change the equation, where, according to Gallup research, 85% of people nowadays hate their job.
So if you want happy and productive employees working for your company, invest in them in their personal brands.
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Tags: Leadership, Personal Branding, Sales
Want to be successful on social media and have a real impact in your industry?
LinkedIn
February 20, 2023
Then stop corporate self-promotion, and start focusing on building your employees' thought leadership. Because your influence and your impact as a brand would grow when you have strong personal brands, and strong thought-leaders, speaking in their unique, authentic, diverse voices about the things they are knowledgeable and passionate about.
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Tags: Leadership, Marketing, Sales
Help your employees to help you
LinkedIn
December 12, 2022
How do you distribute content to amplify the message, knowledge, and brand presence?
In the context of brand ambassador programs, companies often expect people to start creating their own unique content from scratch.
Although some of your brand ambassadors may become thought leaders who will start to create their own content, it all takes time. Most people need inspiration, ideas, and technical support to keep momentum and consistency.
So, your role as a company is to provide that. Some of the things to consider:
Ideas & resources database
For example, you could easily monitor company news, industry news, and important trends that would provide value to the audience and share it with your employees. In this way, each of your employees could get this information quickly, find the topics that truly resonate with them, and put the message into their words.
Help with copywriting
Technical help with posting
Bi-weekly/monthly meetings for ideas generation
One of the important things is to keep your employees on track so that they will get constant reminders of the importance of the topic and also will get ideas of how and what to post on social media.
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Tags: HR, Marketing, Sales
How to start with brand ambassador programs?
LinkedIn
October 24, 2022
Employee advocacy/brand ambassador programs are becoming more and more popular. This makes me super happy because I firmly believe that only real people can humanize the brand.
Today, we can say that a strong corporate brand consists of two things -strong personal brand of the founder or CEO of the company and strong personal brands of the employees.
The stronger the company's personal brands, the stronger, more visible, and more credible the corporate brand. But quite often, I hear one question, what are the things to consider once you're just starting?
Let's look at the 4 Steps to start- 4 P.
1. PERSPECTIVE.
You have to understand what strong personal brands the employees would give to your company, where you want to arrive, what is the goal of the program? And what would it give to your people?
2. PEOPLE
Try to involve them in the process from the start because this will help them understand why they're doing their job and why they're passionate about the company or the product or service you provide. They will have a lot of different ideas, and they will feel involved and committed to the process.
3. PLANNING
Plan all the steps of the program, what you would be doing, how you would launch the pilot program, what would you do next, how you would train your employees, how you would help them along the process.
4. PROGRAM
And last but not least, put together a training program, because your employees, even if they're passionate about their job, really need support, both technical and emotional.
And they would need it on a regular basis, so make sure that this is an enjoyable marathon, not an exhausting sprint.
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Tags: HR, Marketing, Sales
Why are your people the best ambassadors for your company?
LinkedIn
October 17, 2022
To answer this question, let's revisit the definition of a brand and the origins of modern brands. All corporate brands are built around different brand archetypes, which should appeal to a certain type of people. And the people who don't resonate with this brand would also have strong but negative feelings.
But let's be honest, brands are artificial, and they will never be real, they will never be human.
But you have your people, and if they truly believe in the mission and why of your company, they will spread this message with authenticity and passion. They will humanize your brand and build deep relations with the audience. Integration of employer branding & personal branding would work miracles, both for your company brand and your people's careers.
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Tags: HR, Marketing, Sales
What is the biggest employee advocacy mistake of all?
LinkedIn
October 03, 2022
Employee advocacy programs have been around for quite some time. Now, this topic is becoming more and more important, and more and more companies pay attention to this important topic.
Some programs are successful, and some programs fail. So if you're thinking about launching your own brand ambassador program, then there is one thing that you have to remember. Stop putting your corporate brand first and focus on your employees' personal brands.
Because often, even when employer branding is great, there is one missing point. People don't want to share the corporate message. Not because they don't like the company but because they are missing their why- what is in it for me? If you focus on helping them build their own personal brand first, they will understand what is in this for them and find their why, a deeper meaning to their job & better alignment with the corporate values.
And once they do, they will also find their authentic voice and true authentic style. That would help them to connect with their audience and will also help to amplify your corporate brand and maximize everything that you are doing on social media.
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Tags: HR, Marketing, Sales
So, what do we actually post?
LinkedIn
September 20, 2022
This is the most popular question I get, both from my personal branding customers and companies who have started to realize that social media is extremely important nowadays. So I thought that I would give you 11 ideas, and you could use this video as a cheat sheet, and believe me, you'd never have a problem with content ideas ever again. So here we go.
1. Industry news/trends. And to share this type of content, you don't need to create anything; you need to monitor your industry and the keywords that you want those other people to associate with your personal brand or your company brand. Just don't forget to add your opinion about it, because this is what adds value to your audience.
2. Your company news. People are interested in your company. They are interested in your small and big accomplishments.
So think about different things that you can share in your company's context and how your customers would perceive it.
3. Your product and especially product innovations. People want to know and learn about new trends, and this could be a perfect topic for posting on social media as well.
4. Thought leadership of your employees.
Think about different areas of importance to you and find truly knowledgeable and passionate people about this topic and build recurring content around thought leadership. Help your people find the topics, that interest them enough to learn about and share their findings.
5. Coffee Corner. Think about different things your employees are talking to each other about and what could be of interest to your target audience on social media. A lot of good findings in this category!
6.Job offerings. Your employees would be happy to share authentic and interesting job descriptions to help them attract good future colleagues.
7. Use hashtag #lifeatourcompany for your people and bring some behind the scenes and your people. Show the human side of your company.
8. Leadership. Think about how you can inspire, not inform.
10. You can always use your partner's content in your content strategy. So think about your partners. Think about people and companies with the same zone of influence and target audience, and try to pick the topics you can use.
11. Show your people and create different topics to make up a series of posts. Perhaps it can be a hobby, passion, or favorite book. However, there are various topics that you can integrate into your content creation to humanize your brand and provide value to your target audience.
And last but not least, even here on LinkedIn, don't forget to have fun and try to find things that can be funny, inspiring, and would resonate with your target audience.
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Tags: Coaching, Marketing, Personal Branding
Do you inform or inspire?
LinkedIn
September 13, 2022
Don't inform, show, educate and inspire.
If you really want to maximize your personal brand, think about your brand promise. What keywords do you want people to associate with your name and your personal brand?
For example, for me, professional and passionate are two keywords
that have true importance. And once I'm building my own content strategy, I'm always thinking about those two words, how I can show, not inform, and how I can educate and help people to take small inspired actions towards their goals.
And once we shift our focus on the value that we provide to our customers, then, and only then, we can truly create content that helps us to achieve our goals.
What could be your small step today to inspire people around you?
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Personal Branding
What is the value of your employer's brand on social media?
LinkedIn
September 06, 2022
The number of your truly engaged and passionate employees is the answer. Your employer brand would start truly living only when your people start sharing their passions, their why, and stand art sharing their real stories because a corporate brand and employer brand can never become human. People buy people, and today more than ever, they want to see real people behind the companies and brands.
Engaged employees can easily connect with future colleagues and customers by being them and "sell without selling." This is why I firmly believe that employer branding can't be done efficiently without incorporating the personal brands of both the CEO and the employees.
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Tags: HR, Leadership, Personal Branding
How do you get employees active on social media?
LinkedIn
May 03, 2022
For your people to be active communicators of your brand message and your brand promise, you need to think about three things.
Your people need to be inspired.
Your people need to be prepared.
Your people need to have the right tools and resources to represent our brand on social media would be easy for them.
Don't forget to notice, appreciate people who are already visible on social media, and celebrate even small successes because your people's visibility on social media would attract people from outside and inspire people in your company.
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Tags: Business Strategy, HR, Sales
What is the most common mistake on social media?
LinkedIn
April 26, 2022
Check the short video below, and let me know if you agree with me or can point out other important ones!
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding
What's the one thing that can guarantee the success of your personal brand?
LinkedIn
April 19, 2022
Have you ever wondered what strong personal brands have in common and whether there is one thing that can almost 100% guarantee the success of your personal brand?
We have talked to over 100 people successful in different industries. And irrespective of whether they are managing their personal brand strategically and consciously, or they don't, they all have one thing in common. This is their passion.
Because passion, as Oprah Winfrey has said, is energy. Energy, which moves the brand, helps you connect with your target audience.
Once you build your personal brand around your passion, you will become unstoppable.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding, Sales
What did Jeff Bezos get wrong about personal branding?
LinkedIn
April 12, 2022
In 2012, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon & one of the most iconic personal brands, gave his definition of a personal brand. He said that personal brand is what people say about you after you have left the room. This has been the most widely used definition of the personal brand ever since. Although this definition is still valid, now there is a new dimension to it, which we all have to consider. After many things have gone digital since the beginning of the pandemic and a lot of though-leadership is happening online, we all have two personal brands- a physical one and a digital one.
So today, your personal brand is what people know about you BEFORE you enter the room. A strong digital personal brand can open many doors for you and create numerous opportunities or work against you. Today it is not only about whom do you know, but more about WHO KNOWS YOU. Expanding your reach, expanding your circle of influence, and building your visibility and credibility before physically meeting people is becoming vital for professionals across all industries who take their careers seriously.
We don’t have to wait until we enter the room to get people to know us and learn what we stand for. Instead, we have to take strategic action and ensure that our digital personal brand works for us right now.
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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales
Personal branding vs executive branding?
LinkedIn
April 05, 2022
Let’s discuss what is the difference between personal branding and executive branding. As the word personal suggests, personal branding is more than just your professional life. It is about who you are, not only as a business leader but also as a person. Executive branding normally would focus just on your professional side but if you want to really connect with your audience on a much personal level to build authentic relationships then personal branding would be the best possible solution.
Why is it important?
Here are some important statistics from Edelman Trust Barometer 2022:
CEOS are expected to be the face of change and embody employer values
81% believes, that CEOs should be personally visible when discussing public policy with external stakeholders or work their company has done
to benefit society
60% of the employees when considering a job, expect the CEO to speak publicly about controversial social and political issues that I care about
58% Buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values
60% Choose a place to work based on their beliefs and values
64% Invest based on their beliefs and values
How to integrate your personality into your leadership and communication?
1. Identify Your Values
2. Articulate Your Mission and take a stand for what you truly care about
3. Find Your Voice
4. Share your passion
5. Be visible and approachable to the target audience
6. Maximize your impact through social media.
Just a little bit of your personality will make a huge difference and make your executive branding on social media successful.
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Tags: Coaching, Leadership, Personal Branding
What is the best platform for personal branding?
LinkedIn
March 29, 2022
This is the question that I get asked the most. While there is no one solution that fits all because once you are choosing a platform between hundreds of different social media possibilities, you have to consider two things.
First, what is the goal of your personal branding and secondly, who is your target audience? And what platform are they using?
Every social media platform has its advantages and disadvantages and each platform has its own philosophy, format and rules of the game. However, all of them have one thing in common-other people on another side of the screen, so irrespective of what platform you choose, building relations with your audience, staying human and authentic as well consistently being present is the key.
It is also important to have a clear strategy in place and understand, whether the selected platform is serving as your passive virtual business card or an active communication platform. You don't have to be on every possible platform 24/7 to achieve your goals. You just need to be there, where your customers are and build your circle of influence strategically.
I would say if you are a professional in B2B, most probably the best possible channel to concentrate on is here on LinkedIn. Once you have one channel working well, you can add other channels into the mix, if this would add additional value.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding
How to promote employer branding on social media?
LinkedIn
March 29, 2022
Nowadays, simple job offerings are not working on social. So if they don't work, what does?
The topic of Employer Branding has gained massive importance and that’s exactly why building a strong Employer Brand online is now more important than ever. We live in the era of real-time communication, and Social media makes it quick and accessible for EVERY company to build a strong Employer Brand online.
Your company is awesome. Your people are awesome. You know it. Your employees know it. So why not let the rest of the world see your real people?
If you want your employer brand to start truly leading, give your employees a voice, and use authentic people in your job offerings. Don't talk about how great your company is- show it.
Let your people share their experience and why they work for your company.
Let your people share their stories.
Help them find their passion, their why and topics, that resonate with them personally and make their eyes shine.
Give them the platform, so that they can become conversation-starters, true industry influencers and thought-leaders.
Let them shine because people who would want to work for your company resonate with your real people as their future colleagues much better than with any polished corporate message.
Your people are a critical key to your employer brand's success, both on social and in the physical world. Don't ignore it!
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Tags: Business Strategy, HR, Leadership
I hate social media! How can I use it in personal branding?
LinkedIn
March 22, 2022
It is impossible to ignore social media and its impact on businesses. Social media today is a free platform to be visible and build credibility for every company and every person.
Being socially active is already programmed into our human nature. Some of us are more active communicators, others less active, but people have always been looking for ways to connect with each other and create communities. The modern era of digitalisation with numerous communication platforms and applications has given us new ways to be socially active without leaving home. Nowadays, personal and professional relationships often start, develop and sometimes also end on social media. People no longer need a personal handshake or a face-to-face meeting, virtual likes and comments do the job.
But building a strong digital personal brand doesn’t mean that you have to use all social media channels and do it 24/7.
The most important and critical part is that you get your personal branding strategy in place. You must have absolute clarity about the goal of your personal branding and your circle of influence and only then pick the right channels.
Once you have a very clear strategy, you can create a content plan, choose the suitable format and plan your posts ahead (for example, once a week or once a month).
You can also always outsource contact creation as well as content management. It doesn’t mean you will not be controlling your personal brand because the goals of content creators and copywriters will be to extract all the knowledge and ideas that you have and put them into a format, that is suitable for the selected social media platform.
You don't have to fall in love with social media. You just have to remember that nowadays if you are not present on social media, you simply do not exist. And now more than ever you can not afford this anymore because a lot of your competitors, especially younger digital-savvy ones, are doing an excellent job on social media and you have to be there, where your customers are.
So don’t be afraid of social media. Just make sure that it starts working for you.
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding
How to combine your corporate message with your personal brand?
LinkedIn
March 15, 2022
People buy from people and sharing useful content via employees networks helps you to reach a sufficient number of potential customers easier so that your salespeople do not have to “get on their nerves” or “wait aggressively.” By trusting your people and investing in the creation of their personal bands you can use the opportunities of social media most effectively and significantly increase both visibility and credibility of your brand.
Several studies show how considerable changes can happen when you encourage your employees to share posts about their company also on their own social media channels. Content shared by employees is considered to be 3x more reliable than content shared by companies. We also engage with (like, comment) the posts of employees 8x more and we also share this content in our own network with 24 x higher probability.
The international PR company MSL Group highlights that employees have on average ten times more social contacts than companies and that if the company’s message is shared by the employee, it reaches 561% further than via the company’s official channels.
But it only works, if the corporate message is aligned with a personal brand.
In order to be authentic on social media, It's very important to understand yourself, your style, and your communication style If you want to use personal branding to help and amplify your corporate message.
Think, how you are talking to people when you meet them 1: 1 and what communication style are you using on social media? It should be the same everywhere, including videos, posts, or articles.
You have to pinpoint the things and the themes that you truly relate to and communicate your corporate message from your own perspective, through the prism of your own values, sharing your personal story, in the way, that you would talk to people in real life.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Marketing, Personal Branding
9 resources that can work for your personal brand
LinkedIn
March 08, 2022
In order for your personal brand to stand out, it needs to be targeted to the right focus group through appropriate channels. Social media is a very powerful channel, but you should cross-market with other sales and marketing channels to get the best results. The choice of channels and resources is constantly changing, and it is happening at a tremendous speed. In order not to waste your time and money aimlessly, you need to think and develop a strategy that suits your personal brand.
1. Social media is your free platform to talk to your target audience without the 3rd parties involved. In B2B and professional context the best platform to focus on is LinkedIn.
2. Traditional PR is necessary to build credibility and confirm your positioning as a go-to expert. Every public appearance has a huge impact on the brand’s reputation. Be sure to cover all events, public appearances, and published articles on social media as well to amplify the impact.
3. Your personal website
If you want to take your personal brand to a whole new level, think about your personal website as your personal branding hub which comes first in google search and your target audience can learn first-hand everything you want them to know about you.
4. Conferences give your visibility, credibility and the possibility to increase your circle of influence. If you want to be perceived as an expert, you need to be on stage-both physical and virtual.
5. Keywords.
Search engines are an important channel for maintaining reputation and visibility. Keyword-based advertising can be very precisely directed to the right target group, and in that case, it will be very effective. The most important thing about this is to do thorough homework to find out which keywords are right for your target group. It is also important to be aware of the keywords that your competitors are using.
6. Media kit.
A professional media kit not only helps to build a professional image but also saves time.
7. Mailing list.
Social media algorithms change all the time and the only resource that is truly yours is your mailing list. Take time to invest in building genuine authentic relations with your audience, provide value and stay consistent.
8. Organizations.
Different types of organizations give you quick access to your target audience and provide you with an opportunity to speak to many people at once vs. spreading your message 1:1
9. Writing a book
There is no better and more effective way to position yourself as an expert. Giving your book to a potential customer instead of a business card is a very powerful marketing tool.
Check today's video for more insights and let me know your thoughts.
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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales
Are you too busy to be posting on social media?
LinkedIn
March 01, 2022
Busyness often seems to be considered as a measurement of success. When I ask people how are they doing, I often get the common reply- Oh, you know, sooo busy... So not surprisingly, when we are talking about personal branding, I also hear the same phrase- I would like to... I know I should..but I'm too busy for that. And I totally get it.
And you know, I also get into this "busyness mode", but I think it is very counterproductive for our business because normally we are busy with things, that are urgent, but not necessarily very important. Personal branding is a marathon, not a sprint. It is easy to put it aside and deal with it tomorrow.
But it is a long-term investment with very high dividends. So even if you are busy, you should not ignore personal branding.
Check the video below for 2 simple hacks to build a personal brand while being busy doing other stuff :)
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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding
Is personal branding easy?
LinkedIn
February 22, 2022
Well, a simplistic answer is yes - just be yourself and share your passion and knowledge consistently. Be visible, give value, build credibility and ideal customers will come to you, because of you.
And let's be honest, digital space has made personal branding so much easier than it used to be. Just think about all the free platforms( like LinkedIn), where everyone can share their message and connect with like-minded people from all over the world.
But if it is so easy, why is it still not a regular business tool for every professional? Let's discuss this in more detail in today's video.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Personal Branding
What is the most important tool in today’s business environment?
LinkedIn
February 15, 2022
You might think about:
Communication tools
Email marketing tools
Project and task management tools
Human resource tools
Accounting tools
Growth hacking tools
Automation tools
Business intelligence tools
Time management tools
the list goes on...
And you will be right, they are all indeed, important. And yet, there is one extremely effective business tool, that would not make the top of the list, as it is often neglected or simply not known about. If you have seen any of my previous posts, you could guess, that I'm going to talk about personal branding. Yes, AGAIN. Guilty as charged:)
In this (extremely long video by SM standards- 5:56:), I dive into why I believe so and how to find your unique sales advantage and put it work in digital space. I'm also sharing my personal story, which will explain WHY I'm such a big believer in personal branding. Personal branding is so much more than common stereotypes suggest.
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Tags: Business Strategy, HR, Leadership
Can personal branding make me an expert?
LinkedIn
February 08, 2022
Personal branding is a powerful tool, which is often underestimated by so many professionals. Digital personal branding is becoming more and more important as more and more conversations are happening online. You know there is a saying- perception is reality. And in today's world, your digital perception forms your physical reality.
It is true that in our information-saturated and fast-paced society we don’t always manage to delve deeper into the content. So, by being constantly seen in public and speaking on a specific subject, one can easily become a "star-expert" in the field.
But let's be clear about one thing- if you want to be successful in the long run, you need substance, you need to be passionate about and know your subject and you need to own your story. While personal branding cannot make you an expert overnight, it can build a bridge between your current self and your future self. It can take you from the position of the unknown professional to an established, credible and sought-after expert. It can open numerous opportunities to you, but only if you know who you are, where are you going and whom do you need to become to get there.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Personal Branding, Sales
Should you as a company use personal brands of your employees?
LinkedIn
February 01, 2022
I would say, that the easiest and most effective way for creating a strong company brand nowadays is the development of the professional personal brands of its employees.
Regardless of whether you are active in the B2B or B2C field, your customers want to see real people behind the company’s brand.
They believe in these real people and their real messages much more than they would ever believe in a well-thought-through press release or skillfully written content marketing article. People inevitably get a certain impression of your employees. How and to what extent we are able to, or want to, work on it and whether we use it for achieving our professional goals or not, it is still branding. Yes, with each micro-activity we can build up and awaken the whole company brand in the minds of people.
Personal branding, like branding in general, means acting in a purposeful and thought-out manner. It involves not only communication outside the company but also inside it. The employees’ voice has a lot of weight and the employer’s brand becomes stronger the more motivated and informed its spokespeople and brand ambassadors are in the company. If you want more queries and to grow sales, you must invest in your employees and help them create strong personal brands. Via your employees, the content and value created by your marketing team will reach the right customers much faster and more effectively.
How? Let's discuss this in today's video.
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Tags: Business Strategy, Leadership, Personal Branding
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