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Olesija Saue

Founder/Personal branding coach at Personal Branding Agency Maximizer

Tallnn, Estonia

Olesija Saue is a Social Media Strategist and Partner at Goal Social Media Marketing. Olesija is also a Personal Branding Coach for both seasoned executives and aspiring business owners.
Olesija 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 helps executives to expand their reach, maximize their influence and gain the trust of their target audience to increase the sales, profit and value of their company.
She is also helping Executive Teams with Social Media & Personal Branding Strategy development & implementation as well as strategical usage of personal branding in corporate communication and employer branding.
Olesija Saue is a co-author of a book on Personal Branding "The Brand Named You".
Olesija holds an M.B.A in International business administration and is a certified Executive Coach, NLP Classic Code & New Code Practicioner & International NLP Coach.

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Speaking
Travels From: Tallinn, Estonia
Speaking Topics: Personal Branding, Social Selling, Social Media Strategy, Brand Ambassadors

Speaking Fee $2,500 (In-Person)

Personal Speaking Website: www.olesijasaue.com
Olesija Saue Points
Academic 0
Author 327
Influencer 95
Speaker 114
Entrepreneur 0
Total 536

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Featured Videos

Olesija Saue speaker REEL
August 02, 2021
Insights Series: Olesija Saue – What should leaders be doing now to build their personal brand?
August 02, 2021

Featured Topics

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 10 years

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy 31.04
Coaching 31.47
Entrepreneurship 41.60
Future of Work
Health and Wellness 34.91
HR 31
Leadership 31.28
Management
Marketing 34.57
Personal Branding 71.00
Public Relations 31.85
Sales 45.07
Social 37.63

Industry Experience

Media
Metal Products
Professional Services
Retail
Wholesale Distribution

Publications

8 Article/Blogs
Have you heard a popular advice- BE AUTHENTIC? I bet you have. Many, many times. “Authenticity” has become a buzzword, right?
Olesija Saue
December 17, 2024
Have you heard a popular advice- BE AUTHENTIC? I bet you have. Many, many times. “Authenticity” has become a buzzword, right? I have yet to meet a personal branding expert who would not tell you you must be authentic. And I fully agree that it’s one of the two most important things to have a strong personal brand. But here is where it gets confusing and complicated- how do you actually do that? You can’t learn authenticity, and you certainly can’t fake it.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

How do you make dealing with personal branding as simple as possible so that it takes little time and energy?
Olesija Saue
October 08, 2024
When people understand the importance of consciously and strategically managing their personal brand, the daunting task of constantly creating content and engaging online becomes a primary concern. However, what if we could simplify this process, making it manageable and a natural part of our daily professional activities? Let me show you a simple strategy I use.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

You are waiting, but no one's calling?
LinkedIn
September 26, 2023
You are putting in the effort: sharing posts, showcasing value, and even sharing your personal stories. Yet, that phone stays silent. No calls. No customers. Wondering why?

1. Unclear Branding: Does your audience know precisely how you can help them?
2. Audience Mismatch: Are your messages tailored to your ideal customer's heartbeat?
3. Whispered CTA: Are your calls to action clear or a mere whisper?
4. Trust Gaps: Have you flaunted your success stories or testimonials lately?
5. Engagement Drought: Beyond likes, are you forging genuine bonds?
6. Vague Value Offer: Do people clearly perceive the transformative power of your service?
7. Salesy Symphony: Are your tunes more promotional than they are melodious?
8. Posting Pulse: Is your consistency rhythmic or more erratic?
9. Feedback Silence: Are you dialing into your audience's real needs and feedback?

Silence is golden, but not when waiting for that phone to ring. The key to changing your tune? Clarity, resonance, and a structured approach.

Want your phone to ring with potential clients eager to work with you? Let's delve into the ALIGN and MONETIZE program and ensure your brand is on speed dial. Drop me a DM and let's talk.

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Tags: Coaching, Personal Branding, Social

Expert Panel: The Power of Storytelling in Content Marketing
Expert Circle UK
August 19, 2021
Storytelling as a way to connect with the brand, with the business or with the individual has been there for hundreds of years. However, only in the last decade marketing professionals have taken it to the next level. Teams of people are working on strategies finding ways to connect with clients and make them trust, believe in and become loyal to the brand using storytelling for content marketing as their go-to technique.

What story to tell? What is important to say? How to connect? Where to start? These were just a few from the long list of questions running through my head when I had my very first project on building a Recruitment Technology brand. Finding a tone of voice and correct narrative specific to the Recruitment Industry was a great challenge when I first started and it took months to get this going with confidence and bringing results. I will be honest, we are still working on it, perfecting our message, thinking of better ways to bring value to the industry and to the clients.

So here at Expert Circle, we thought why don`t we ask the experts for advice and to share their experience and knowledge in how to use storytelling for content marketing. We assembled a great collection of answers and we are delighted to share them with the world!

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Tags: Marketing, Public Relations, Sales

Sell to the heart and brain will follow- How does storytelling help with winning clients?
Expert Circle
July 27, 2021
One of the most powerful tools for creating emotions in your customers is storytelling. In an era of information overload, the only thing that truly sets you apart is your story.
Storytelling provides a human face to a brand and helps create an emotional relationship with it. Stories are powerful tools for attracting attention, and storytelling is a notable business skill, which enables you to interact with your customers on an emotional level, offering inspiration, motivation, as well as an opportunity to educate yourself. In addition, storytelling makes potential customers subconsciously choose products and services that tell such stories which fit their lives, dreams and wishes.

A story of how your brand came to life, your customer’s real stories, exciting stories in product development are more valuable than a well crafted advertisement.

But the story alone is not enough. It also needs to be told and shared

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Tags: Marketing, Sales, Public Relations

Time To Thrive, Not Just survive
Thrive Global
December 28, 2020

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Tags: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Health and Wellness

1 important thing that kills your Social Selling success
LinkedIn
May 09, 2017
I’ve always been very impatient. I guess I’m far from being unique, as in the current world of instant gratification, we want everything and we want it super fast, preferably yesterday. We want overnight delivery, taxi arriving in 2 minutes, books downloaded to our Ipad in 1 click. We close the website that is loading too long (longer than a couple of seconds) and put things back on the shelf and leaving the shop if there is a queue at the cashier. With immediate gratification as a default response, it is getting harder and harder to be patient and think long-term. Whether we like it or not, a lot of good things take time. I took me 9 months of pregnancy, giving birth and 2 years of a daily 24/7 training with a personal very demanding teacher, to realize and embrace that as a positive thing and I’m finally (sort of) getting there. I have a feeling though, that I might have enrolled in a life-long course in patience. The most important thing that I have learned about patience is that you have to stop focusing so much on the end result and start enjoying the journey.

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Tags: Social, Marketing, Entrepreneurship

Why I believe that Social Selling is like Dating?
LinkedIn
April 03, 2017
It was the year 2003. I was working as an HR manager at a steel galvanizing plant. I had a position of a Sales manager to fill in. I had to find the candidate, who had excellent communication skills, loved challenges, was eager to learn and was hungry for success. I decided to hire a person I knew was perfect for the job... I decided to hire myself. I knew nothing about sales at this point, but when you are 23 such insignificant detail can hardly stop you. My first ever sales pitch must have been good enough, that the Ceo of the company decided to give me a chance. Despite zero experience in Sales, I became Top Seller in less than 3 months.

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Tags: Social, HR, Entrepreneurship

13 Author Newsletters
Personal Brand and Comfort Zone: How to Play, Grow, and Stand Out?
Linkedln
February 07, 2025
That moment when you stand on the edge of your comfort zone—between the safe but limiting space and the world of new opportunities.

...A few weeks ago, I received a call from my 9-year-old son's school. My first thought? Is everything okay? But it wasn’t about my child—it was about me. Someone had attended one of my training sessions, and now the organizers had decided to invite my husband and me to be the hosts of Playbox. What? Where did this idea even come from?

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Personal brand, that sells
LinkedIn
January 14, 2025
Do you love what you do? If you are a coach, trainer, advisor, consultant, mentor, service provider, or freelancer, chances are you’ll happily answer, “Yes.” You help people, solve their problems, and make their lives better. You do your work with heart and know it’s your calling.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Time to slow down, reflect, be grateful and celebrate
LinkedIn
December 21, 2024
It’s my superpower. I love doing more and doing better. Why settle for 100% when you can give 150%? But this superpower can also be my curse. My to-do lists never end, and there are so many big goals that it often feels like nothing has been accomplished or achieved yet. However, I am learning to slow down. Did you know that the Estonian word aeglustama (to slow down) contains the word lust (joy)? I didn’t! I’m learning to look at what has already been done with gratitude—gratitude for all the amazing people around me and gratitude for myself.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Why bother with personal branding if You’re not an entrepreneur?
Linkedln
November 08, 2024
There’s a common misconception that personal branding is just for entrepreneurs or people selling something. But at its core, personal branding is about expressing who you truly are—your values, strengths, and unique qualities. It’s a strategic tool that benefits everyone, whether you’re an entrepreneur or not. So, let’s explore how personal branding can serve you, even if entrepreneurship isn’t on your radar (yet).

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Amplify Your Brand While Having FUN-special invitation for YOU.
Linkedln
October 17, 2024
I’m a bit of a learning junky—I love diving into sales, marketing, personal branding, psychology, motivation, and how it all connects. I’ve just embarked on a new journey, starting my PhD in personal branding—and let me tell you, I’m feeling like a little girl in a candy shop! There’s so much to explore, and I absolutely love it. But as I dived into the research and discoveries, I started to wonder—how could I share more of what I know already and all that I’m about to learn? Every day, I’m learning something new about human behavior, subconscious programming, branding, how we learn, how we influence, and so much more.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Why many ignore personal branding (and why You shouldn't)
Linkedln
October 01, 2024
To my greatest delight, personal branding is something we hear about all the time nowadays. However, despite all the talk (or perhaps precisely because of it), many professionals still hesitate to use it as a strategic tool. Whether it's fear, lack of time, or not understanding the value, personal branding often gets pushed aside.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Taming Your Dragons: Overcoming Common Fears in Personal Branding
Linkedln
August 14, 2024
You've heard me say this multiple times- a personal brand is not just a career asset—it’s a necessity. A strong personal brand sets you apart, showcases your expertise, and opens doors to new opportunities. However, working with many individuals, irrespective of their experience and position, stepping into the spotlight can be daunting, with several fears and challenges standing in the way.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Beyond Visibility: Why Being Seen Isn't Enough for Your Personal Brand
Linkedln
June 21, 2024
I often emphasize the importance of visibility. However, today I want to highlight another aspect: the troubling trend of pursuing visibility purely for the sake of algorithms. Active participation in visibility challenges and daily posting can lead to unintended consequences, ultimately undermining rather than strengthening your personal brand. Let me explain:

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Mastering the Digital Handshake
Linkedln
May 31, 2024
Today, first impressions are often made online, whether through a social media profile, a website, or a virtual meeting. These initial interactions, what we can call "digital handshakes," play a crucial role in how we are perceived by others. And just like in-person interactions, making a strong and positive first impression online is essential. Let's explore how Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques can ensure your digital handshake is as impactful and memorable as a face-to-face encounter.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

From Storytelling to Storyliving
Linkedln
May 13, 2024
When I shared that I'm going on a one-year adventure and started publicly sharing my weekly reflections, I had a feeling that I wasn't just telling a story—I was creating and living it as we spoke. This inspired me to write this article.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Redefining Authenticity: Beyond the Buzzword
Linkedln
April 19, 2024
Have you heard a popular advice- BE AUTHENTIC? I bet you have. Many, many times. "Authenticity" has become a buzzword, right? I have yet to meet a personal branding expert who would not tell you you must be authentic. And I fully agree that it's one of the two most important things to have a strong personal brand. But here is where it gets confusing and complicated- how do you actually do that? You can't learn authenticity, and you certainly can't fake it.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Mind the gap-the train is leaving. Personal Branding Paradox.
Linkedln
April 03, 2024
In 2012 Jeff Bezos famously said that "Personal Brand is what people say about you after you have left the room". The world has changed a lot over the last few years, and today, personal brand is what people know about you BEFORE you enter the room.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

Embrace your digital twin & maximize your impact
Linkedln
February 20, 2024
In a room full of entrepreneurs and business leaders, YOU stand out. You’ve built a formidable reputation over the years – one that’s founded on hard work, unparalleled expertise, and a track record of success. Those in your immediate circle are well-acquainted with your capabilities and the value you bring to the table. Your physical personal brand is robust, influential, and clearly defined.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

3 Books
Business, Life and the Universe, vol.4
Canadian isbn (May 19, 2021)
May 21, 2021
Business, Life and the Universe
The 100+ authors who have shared their messages and stories in this book have bared their souls, in hopes to inspire you to live the life you were destined and designed to live. The authors have been so generous with their wisdom and hearts and if you let it, this book has the power to transform your life.

This book is an inspirational, educational and motivational reading experience for the reader. The book is like TEDx meets Chicken Soup for the Soul.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Health and Wellness, Leadership

The Brand Named You: 100 practical steps to create and develop your personal brand
The Estonian ISBN Agency
January 14, 2021
The Brand Named You will show you how to achieve your goals. Yes, in the world there are hundreds, if not thousands of books written about personal branding. However, despite the increasing popularity of personal branding, this book is the first one to actually offer you a very clear, thorough and hands-on tools and a step-by-step process for creating your personal brand and developing it. It is people who do business with each other, not companies. So, this book is meant primarily for people who want to grow the sales, profit and value of their company with the help of personal branding of themselves, their employees and the company’s CEO.A strong personal brand helps you to stand out and find customers in whatever field – be it the selling of training courses, business counselling, real estate, B2B sales and export, politics, cooking, personal training, beauty services, designing web pages, training dogs or something completely different that you want to focus on in the future.

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Tags: Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding

The Brand Named You
Your BrandUp OÜ
May 29, 2020
The aim of this book is to help you think through and create your own ideal personal brand, and once that has been done, to also package it attractively and market it effectively.
It is people who do business with each other, not companies. So, this book is meant primarily for people who want to grow the sales, profit and value of their company with the help of personal branding of themselves, their employees and the company’s general manager.

A strong personal brand helps you to stand out and find customers in whatever field – be it the selling of training courses, business counselling, real estate, B2B sales and export, politics, cooking, personal training, beauty services, designing web pages, training dogs or something completely different that you want to focus on in the future.
Yes, in the world there are hundreds, if not thousands of books written on this topic. However, despite the increasing popularity of personal branding, this book is the first one to actually offer you a very clear, thorough and hands-on tools and a step-by-step process for creating your personal brand and developing it.

www.thebrandnamedyou.com

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Tags: Social, Marketing, Personal Branding

1 Influencer Newsletter
Interview with Olesija Saue, who shares how she is able to help entrepreneurs harness the power of their story to create a powerful brand
LIFESTYLE SOLOPRENEUR
February 16, 2021
Olesija Saue is a Personal Branding Strategist and Executive Coach. Olesija Saue is also a 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 CEOs and employees. She is also helping with in-house brand ambassadors programs development & implementation as well as strategical usage of personal branding in corporate communication and employer branding. Olesija Saue is a co-author of a book on Personal Branding "The Brand Named You"(www.thebrandnamedyou.com) Olesija Saue holds an M.B.A in International business administration, she is AoEC Accredited Executive Coach and member of the International Coach Federation.

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Tags: Marketing, Sales, Personal Branding

12 Media Interviews
Empowering Clients to Embrace their Digital Twin & Maximize their Impact
CXO Outlook
January 29, 2024
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CXO Outlook Magazine, Olesija shared her insights on the importance of personal branding and how professionals can use it to advance their careers, the greatest challenge and success encountered by her while building her personal brand, the major takeaways from her book, future plans, pearls of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Spotlight with Shubham Sethi
Mastera
July 21, 2023
About podcast: Mastera Spotlight is a weekly podcast where we interview a content creator every week and let their story out for the public to get inspired. The aim of the podcast is to help aspiring creators learn from the journey of professional creators and become one of the leading creators in their own niche.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Do you know what is your personal branding DNA is and how to improve it?
Carol Graham
June 04, 2023
The "Brand Named You" will show you how to achieve your goals through strategic personal branding. There are thousands of books written about personal branding. However, Olesija Saue's book is the first one to offer you clear, thorough and hands-on tools with a step-by-step process for creating your personal brand.

In Olesija's interview, she explains the misconceptions about personal branding and your personal branding DNA as your unique competitive advantage.
• Facilitating self-discovery processes help people find out who they truly are, what they really want, and find the inner drive and motivation to achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality.
• Empowering individuals and teams to take inspired action when they start believing they have more ability than they thought they did, challenging to do more than they have done before, and providing them with the right knowledge, tools & support to make efforts that will yield a positive result.
• Sharing my knowledge, and expertise as well as a personal story and inspiring people to realize their utmost potential and contribute the most to the world.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

The Power of Personal Branding
Stellar
March 17, 2023

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

How to build visibility and credibility online to grow influence and profits?
Trevor Stockwell
January 04, 2023
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, Personal Branding, Sales

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

26 Videos
How to do marketing like Elon Musk
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January 21, 2025

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Tags: Personal Branding

How to harness the power of your employees?
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January 14, 2025

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Tags: Personal Branding

Nice to have's vs must have's in personal branding
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January 07, 2025

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Tags: Personal Branding

You don't need to "build" a personal brand. Here is why
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December 31, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

To sell or not to sell - that's not the question
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December 17, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

The real and the biggest benefit of employee advocacy
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December 03, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

One small thing to maximize your results
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November 26, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

Are you expecting the wrong results?
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September 11, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

How to make sure that your employees are sharing with impacts and using their authentic language?
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May 14, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

Can personal branding help transition to a new industry or role?
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April 16, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

Olesija Saue Personal Branding Authority Magazine
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March 28, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

The Umbrella of Your Personal Brand: Merging the Professional & Personal
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February 20, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

How to Empower Your Employees to Become Thought Leaders?
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February 13, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

When you don’t need strong personal brand?
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January 30, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

How can i build strong a personal brand without being too salesy or too self promotional?
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January 23, 2024

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Tags: Personal Branding

How can NLP enhance personal branding?
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November 03, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

What makes your posts truly VALUABLE?
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October 31, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

What's holding you back from being visible online?
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October 23, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

Is personal branding the same thing as publicity?
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May 25, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

Can you be too honest with your personal branding?
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May 25, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

Why should companies be investing in the personal brands of their employee?
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May 25, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

What is the most common mistake on social media?
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February 20, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

Help your employees to help you
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February 20, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

How to start with brand ambassador programs?
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February 20, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

Why are your people the best ambassadors for your company?
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February 20, 2023

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Tags: Personal Branding

37 Videos
Likes and reposts. But what if you are focusing on the wrong results?
LinkedIn
November 21, 2023
In this video, I delve into a crucial aspect of successful employer advocacy programs that many companies overlook. Drawing from my experience assisting diverse industries, I share a key principle that can make or break your advocacy efforts.

People First, Results Will Follow
The core message? Start with your people. It’s not just about the external achievements; it’s about the internal drive, motivation, and alignment of your employees with their “why”. This approach isn’t just a theory; it’s a proven strategy for long-term success.

Your Corporate Brand is a Reflection of Your Employees
Echoing Richard Branson’s wisdom, I emphasize that the happiness and satisfaction of your employees directly influence your stakeholders, investors, and customers. Each employee’s brand contributes to your corporate identity.

Discover More in the Video!
Watch the full video to uncover how shifting your focus can transform your employer advocacy programs. When your employees thrive, your business prospers. Let me know your thought.

Join me on a journey to building a global personal brand: https://olesija.ck.page/a33576a470

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

How do you align personal branding with the corporate brand?
LinkedIn
November 01, 2023
It’s all about authentic expression and true impact. Employees as brand ambassadors, carry not just the company’s image but their unique value, knowledge, experiences, and essence to the outside world.

Encouraging each team member to find and harness their authentic voice ensures online and offline consistency. But it goes beyond just authenticity – it’s about aligning shared values, personal interests, and focusing on topics that truly resonate.

Employee advocacy is not about simply sharing the company’s posts. Even with the LinkedIn algorithm promoting instant reshare, the real value lies in aligning personal values and topics of interest with those of a company.

When people speak from the heart about what matters most to them, it amplifies the authenticity and impact of your brand message. It increases the visibility, credibility, and, most importantly, relatability of your company brand.

Watch the video for insights on nurturing authentic brand ambassadors who amplify and elevate your brand.

Join me on a journey to building a global personal brand: https://olesija.ck.page/a33576a470

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Can personal branding help transition to a new industry or role?
LinkedIn
October 24, 2023
A common misstep many make is starting to think about their personal branding ONLY after exiting a company. Waiting until you’ve walked out those corporate doors to think about your brand is like trying to build a boat in the middle of the ocean.

Here’s a thought: Why not harness the power of the corporate platform WHILE you’re still a part of it?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Can personal branding help in transitioning from one industry or position to another? Say, from corporate leadership to starting your own business or exploring new career opportunities?” The answer is a definite YES. Being a part of a strong company provides visibility and a solid foundation of credibility. It will be much more difficult once you are on your own!

Steps to Keep in Mind:

Define your branding goal: Understand your brand’s essence- your personal brand DNA and the direction you are heading.
Understand the company’s goals: Identify how your company can benefit the most from your thought leadership.
Craft your action plan: Chart out your journey while you’re still anchored within a reputable organization.
Start amplifying your personal brand: Amplify your brand’s strength using the company’s platform. The more formidable your personal brand, the greater its value, benefiting both you and your organization.
So, before you think of venturing out, look inward. Shape and shine your personal brand from within the corporate walls. It’s more than just wise; it’s strategic and the best part- it’s a win-win solution!

Dive deeper into this approach in this video.

Join me on a journey to building a global personal brand: https://olesija.ck.page/a33576a470

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

How to Empower Your Employees to Become Thought Leaders?
LinkedIn
October 17, 2023
Today, thought leadership is no longer just a fancy term but a necessity. We understand that genuine connections are made when people resonate with people. But how do we bridge the gap between individual passion and corporate vision?

Key Takeaways:

Aligning personal values with corporate values.
Identifying topics that resonate both with the company’s goals and the employees’ passions.
Tackling the fears of online visibility, making it as seamless as stepping onto a real stage.
Empowering our people and giving them a platform is the way forward, and every employee has the potential to become a thought leader. They just need encouragement, training, and support.

By valuing and promoting the voices of its employees, a company not only strengthens its internal culture but also crafts a more authentic, relatable, and trusted brand image in the external market.

True magic happens when personal values and interests align with the company’s values and focus.

How have you leveraged employee voices and insights to strengthen your company brand? What challenges and successes have you encountered along the way?

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

The Umbrella of Your Personal Brand: Merging the Professional & Personal
LinkedIn
October 12, 2023
Navigating the intricate world of personal branding can feel like wearing countless hats. Last week, I posted that many people wearing multiple hats often struggle to develop a cohesive personal brand. I received a lot of questions, and in today’s video, I want to discuss how, in more detail, sheltering these roles under a single, cohesive umbrella.

Highlights from today’s video:

Personal Brand as a Unifying Force: How all elements of your life can converge into one consistent image.
Dangers of Scattered Branding: Why breaking your brand into parts can diminish your authentic essence.
Clarity in Messaging: Ensuring consistency across platforms to create a recognizable and trustworthy brand.
Delving into Your Personal Brand DNA: The essence that distinctly identifies you from the crowd.
The Branson Effect: Richard Branson’s mastery of creating a unified brand across diverse ventures is rooted in his values and vision.
Deep-Dive Practical Steps to Carve Out Your Brand:

Self-Audit: Document all your roles, skills, and hobbies. Categorize them – which ones align closely? Which ones stand out? Which ones contradict each other?
Value Proposition: Pinpoint what sets you apart. Is it your unique blend of tech knowledge with artistic flair? Or perhaps your background in both corporate and non-profit sectors? Highlight these intersections as they create a distinctive space for you.
Storytelling Integration: Craft your professional journey into a compelling narrative. Don’t just list jobs or skills; interweave them into a story that showcases your growth, challenges, and values.
As you embark on this journey, remember that your unique DNA, a blend of experiences, values, and passions, remains the cornerstone of your brand. In the vast ecosystem of personal brands, ensure that yours resonates and connects with the right people, and most importantly remains authentically you.

p.s. Looking for inspiration and want to know more? Follow me here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olesijasaue/

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

What makes your posts truly VALUABLE ?
LinkedIn
October 03, 2023
Key Takeaways:

Answer the burning questions your customers constantly ask.
Break down your vast knowledge into bite-sized learnings.
Read an insightful article or research piece? Share a concise summary!
Aim to inform, save time, and provide actionable steps for your audience.
Share insights, key learnings and trends you observed from a conference you attended.
Personal stories, the hurdles you faced and how you overcame them.

Your perspective, share what matters to you, explain why it does and why it should matter to others.

Don’t hold back! Sharing generously doesn’t reduce your worth; it elevates your authority.

Remember, often people know the ‘how-to’, but they’ll still want YOU for execution.

Take a moment, swipe through, and reflect:
Are you using all these types?
What might you integrate into your content mix?

Btw, have you noticed, that I’m using different formats to share the information, Why mix up formats?

Main reason-Diverse Learning Styles: We absorb information differently. While some love video, others prefer reading, so the more different formats- the broader is the audience that can get value from you message.
Presenting information in different ways also helps to remember it better.


Check out the video for a deeper dive. What is the value that you look for in the posts that you interact with?

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

How can NLP enhance personal branding
LinkedIn
September 28, 2023
If you're striving to make a mark with your personal brand, then this video is a must-watch.


Dive deep with me into the fascinating intersection of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Personal Branding!

Since I started teaching #personalbranding, and co-authoring a book The Brand Named You with Evelin Org, I have facilitated many courses, crafted hundreds of personal branding strategies, and also managed multiple personal brands on a day-to-day basis. And yet, I always had a feeling that something was missing.

Last year, I embarked on an NLP journey, and this June, I did my Master practitioner. I also received an International NLP Coach certification ( so far, the one and only in Estonia).

I decided to combine NLP and personal branding and see what happens. The results? Groundbreaking. The power of NLP isn't just about communication; it's about transforming how we perceive ourselves, our unique story, and our value. And once we fully align our conscious and subconscious minds, personal branding is so much easier, and results are so much more profound.

In this video, I unravel:
Why clarity in messaging is more about inner alignment than external noise.
How NLP techniques can help you conquer fears holding you back.
The magic of authentic communication and its role in brand development.
Imagine being the most genuine, fearless, and impactful version of yourself – every single day. NLP holds the keys.

The only person who can change your life is the one you see in the mirror.

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Tags: Coaching, Personal Branding, Sales

How can i build strong a personal brand without being too salesy or too self promotional?
LinkedIn
September 27, 2023
What if your personal brand could shine authentically, drawing people in, without the uncomfortable hard sell?
Ever hit 'pause' before sharing your expertise, worrying about coming off as too pushy or self-centered? But what if I told you there's a way to promote your personal brand without that discomfort authentically?
Watch this video, where I delve deep into how you can stand out without the hard sell.
Highlights & Action Steps:
Lead with Value: Begin with what you can offer and solve.
Narratives Over Listings: Share experiences and stories that resonate.
Engage Authentically: Foster genuine connections, not just followers.
Open Up to Feedback: Allow your brand to grow with insights from your community.
Collaborate and Elevate: Broaden horizons through strategic collaborations.

At the heart of it all? A mindset shift. Swap the 'selling' for 'helping', and you'll find an audience eager to connect and engage with you. Want to witness the transformation?

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Is Personal Branding REALLY For Everyone?
LinkedIn
September 25, 2023
In the digital age, the buzz around personal branding has never been louder. But does everyone truly need it? Or could skipping the personal branding train be the best move for some?

If you’ve ever pondered this, my latest video dives deep into this hot topic. Prepare to be surprised.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

What's holding you back from being visible online?
LinkedIn
September 10, 2023
In today's digital age, a strong personal brand hinges on your online presence. Yet, so few take that leap. Ever wondered why?

Join me in this video as I delve into the common obstacles that keep people from embracing visibility. Discover actionable steps to conquer the fear of stepping onto the virtual stage.

Learn how to:
Define your mission
Align with your values
Find your unique angle
Share your empowering story
Answer burning questions
Plan your content strategy

Take advantage of the opportunity to empower yourself and inspire others. Watch the video and take the first step toward stepping on the virtual stage.

DID YOU HAVE A FEAR OF VISIBILITY? Please share in the comments below your tips to overcome it so we can all learn from each other. And if you need help, reach out to me:)

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Tags: Personal Branding, Sales, Social

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: Coaching, 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

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VEEBINAR "NÄHTAV EKSPERT – KUIDAS LUUA USALDUSVÄÄRNE DIGIKUVAND"
Fienta
December 19, 2024
Tänases digimaailmas võime kõik lihtsalt „pildil olla“ – see on vaid postituse kaugusel. Kuid kas sellest piisab? Tõeliselt mõjus nähtavus on palju enamat kui lihtsalt tähelepanu saamine. See on põhjalik strateegiline lähenemine, mis suudab muuta sind oma ala usaldusväärseks eksperdiks, kelle poole pöördutakse teenuse ostmiseks, väärt nõu saamiseks, koostööks ja ideede vahetamiseks.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Personal Branding

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9 Badges

Radar

3 Predictions
2025 Predictions for Personal Branding

Date : November 07, 2024

In 2025, personal branding will likely bridge cutting-edge technology and a hunger for authenticity. As AI-driven tools, virtual avatars, and content generation explode and become increasingly common, professionals who learn to use those tools without losing their genuine voices will set a new standard. Paradoxically, the more we rely on AI tools for efficiency, the greater the demand for transparent, deeply human, authentic brands will be. I see strategic personal branding evolving into a dance where AI amplifies human traits, allowing professionals to spotlight unique experiences and values. People will look for emotional connections, and thus, it is more important than ever to understand a person's unique personal brand DNA (strengths, values, style, passions, why, story, experiences, expertise) and have a clear personal branding strategy in place to be able to use AI tools in a way, that enhances, not dilutes or diminishes one's personal brand. Trust will depend on making real emotional connections and showing each person's story's true, memorable parts.

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2024 Predictions for Personal Branding

Date : November 21, 2023

A personal brand is no longer what others say about you when you leave the room. It’s what people know about you before you enter one. Personal branding is getting increasingly important, and in 2024, it will be a must-have strategic tool. The focus will shift from widespread visibility to targeted impact, where individuals will leverage their personal brand to influence niche communities more effectively. Personal branding will no longer be a passive digital footprint but an active, strategic tool for career advancement, thought leadership, and personal growth.

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What are your predictions for digital marketing in 2022?

Date : October 08, 2021

According to the study conducted by the economic journal “Forbes” in the summer of 2019, consumers trust personal brands more than ever and corporate brands almost half less than, for example, 20 years ago.

I believe, that in 2022, we will continue to see the rise of personal brands and their influence. People buy from people, not companies, and employees with a strong personal brand are the best communication and sales channel of their employer. Humanizing brands-giving the voice to their employees will become more and more popular, as this is the only way to stand out in a saturated digital space.

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48 Article/Blogs
Beyond Visibility: Why Being Seen Isn’t Enough for Your Personal Brand
Thinkers360
February 11, 2025

I often emphasize the importance of visibility. However, today I want to highlight another aspect: the troubling trend of pursuing visibility purely for the sake of algorithms. Active participation in visibility challenges and daily posting can lead to unintended consequences, ultimately undermining rather than strengthening your personal brand. Let me explain:

Imagine attending a networking event where one person dominates every conversation. He speaks loudly and frequently, sharing snippets of information without depth or relevance. Initially, his presence might draw attention, but soon, the lack of substance becomes apparent. Conversations with him feel too shallow, and you can’t figure out what exactly he is trying to say. You and others in the room start avoiding him, seeking more meaningful interactions elsewhere. This is exactly what happens online when people join yet another visibility challenge and flood their networks with constant updates, hoping to increase visibility. Yet, in almost every daily conversation I have, professionals mention someone they’ve unfollowed because “he/she posts all the time, and I don’t understand what is he saying and why.”

You can see everybody talking about “providing value,” yet how many of the recent posts in your feed actually did that? Recently, I have seen too many people prioritize quantity over quality. They flood LinkedIn with daily posts, believing frequent activity will boost their visibility. Are they more visible? Yes. However, from a personal branding perspective, visibility on its own is not enough. Visibility has to increase your credibility as an expert, and every post and comment either adds to your credibility or subtracts from it. To be perceived as an expert, you need to have and share meaningful ideas, you actually need to have something of value to say, some point to deliver. Without that, visibility can quickly become a noise rather than a meaningful engagement.

Authenticity is crucial for effective personal branding. And in the pursuit of visibility, forced content loses your personality and energy. If you don’t know what to post, don’t. If you don’t feel like posting, either change your state or don’t post. People will sense your lack of passion and emotion, and ChatGPT-written generalized texts will just emphasize that. Posting doesn’t establish expertise—it’s your unique perspective, ideas, and passion for your subject that do.

Last but not least, pressure to maintain a constant online presence can lead to fatigue or, even worse, burnout. In the long run, there is no value in being visible for a couple of months and then disappearing again. Find the right and natural schedule for you and stick to that.

My advice?

  • Share unique insights and contribute only when you have something valuable to say.
  • Use your natural voice: Many ask how they should sound on LinkedIn. My advice: like yourself, just as you are in real life. Anything else works against you.

While visibility is crucial for personal branding success, it’s only effective when it’s valuable and authentic. By all means, be visible, but in a way that enhances rather than detracts from your professional presence. By maintaining a balance that prioritizes substance and authenticity, you can build a personal brand that resonates authentically with your audience and stands the test of time and algorithms.

Join me on a journey to building a global personal brandhttps://olesija.ck.page/a33576a470

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

How to take care of your Digital Twin – your digital visibility during the summer period.
Thinkers360
February 04, 2025

Monika Kuzmina joined us on a morning walk with Joy Fur, and we discussed how to take care of your Digital Twin- your digital visibility during the summer period.

Here are a few key takeaways:

  • Every post, picture, and comment adds colors to your personal brand. Ensure they strengthen your image rather than create misalignment. Consistency is key.
  • Your presence across different platforms should create a cohesive image that helps people get to know you better, without diminishing your professional reputation.
  • The lines between professional and personal lives are increasingly blurred. It’s crucial to understand yourself and how you want others to perceive you in the digital space.
  • Many people operate in “summer mode” during this period, which is an excellent opportunity to diversify your visibility. Incorporate new aspects of your personality and use daily metaphors to communicate your message effectively. Finding links with your work showcases the real passion behind what you do.

It’s also crucial to be mindful of how your actions online can impact your personal brand, especially during the summer when things might feel more relaxed.

Here are some key points on how you can unintentionally ruin your Digital Twin during this period:

  • Posting content that doesn’t align with your professional image can create confusion. Avoid sharing random, unfiltered posts that don’t contribute positively to your brand.
  • While it’s great to show your personal side, ensure you don’t compromise your professional reputation. Avoid overly casual or inappropriate content that could be perceived as unprofessional. Make sure tags from other people should be reviewed and accepted by you, especially on FB or IG.
  • Summer might be a slower period for some, but totally dissapearing and neglecting to engage with your audience can make you appear disengaged. Consistent interaction helps maintain your presence and relevance.
  • Sharing too much about your personal life can blur the lines between personal and professional too much. Balance is key; share personal stories that relate to your professional values and message.
  • Failing to keep track of how you are perceived online can lead to a mismatch between your intended brand and public perception.

Take time to get acquainted with your Digital You.
Reflect on what truly matters to you.
Share your insights, inspiration, and stories with your audience.

p.s. I’m happy to say that I don’t need to rest from my work because I absolutely love what I do. So, if you need my help with auditing and strategy for your Digital Twin, write to me olesija@goal.ee, and I would be happy to help you.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Mastering the Digital Handshake
Thinkers360
January 28, 2025

Today, first impressions are often made online, whether through a social media profile, a website, or a virtual meeting. These initial interactions, what we can call “digital handshakes,” play a crucial role in how we are perceived by others. And just like in-person interactions, making a strong and positive first impression online is essential. Let’s explore how Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques can ensure your digital handshake is as impactful and memorable as a face-to-face encounter.

What is a Digital Handshake?

A digital handshake is your initial online interaction with someone. This could be the first time someone visits your LinkedIn profile, reads your introductory email, or sees your video introduction. The goal is to make this first impression strong and positive, setting the stage for a great relationship.

The Psychology Behind First Impressions

First impressions are formed within seconds and are heavily influenced by our brain’s rapid assessment processes.

  • Snap Judgments: Our brains are wired to make quick judgments based on limited information. This evolutionary trait helps us rapidly assess whether someone is a friend or not. Within milliseconds, we subconsciously evaluate facial expressions, body language, presented or missing facts, and other cues to form an initial opinion.
  • Confirmation Bias: Once an impression is formed, our brains tend to look for information that confirms our initial judgment. This means that a positive first impression can lead to ongoing positive perceptions, while a negative first impression can be harder to overcome.
  • Halo Effect: This cognitive bias causes us to make assumptions about a person’s character based on a few positive traits. For example, if someone appears confident and friendly, we might also perceive them as competent and trustworthy.

Understanding these psychological principles can help you craft more effective digital interactions.

Crafting a Compelling Visual Presentation

The visual aspect of your online presence is often the first thing people notice. Ensure your profile pictures, website design, and overall digital aesthetics are professional and aligned with your personal brand.

  • Use consistent colors, fonts, and styles across all digital platforms to create a cohesive, recognizable, and professional look.
  • Invest in high-quality profile pictures and cover images. Professional pictures can significantly enhance your professional appearance.
  • Make sure all aspects of your online presence, including your social media profiles, website, and email signature, are updated and professional. This attention to detail enhances perceived credibility.

Optimizing Your Language and Tone

The language you use in your digital communications sets the tone for your interactions. NLP emphasizes the power of language in influencing perceptions and emotions.

  • Use positive and empowering words in your profiles, emails, and messages. This will create a positive impression and attract others to your energy.
  • Write in an active voice to convey confidence and clarity. For example, instead of saying, “A solution was developed,” say, “I developed a solution.”
  • Avoid professional jargon and overly complex language. Clear, straightforward communication enhances credibility and ensures your message is understood.
  • Stick to your normal communication style—the way you would talk to a friend or a colleague across the table. Your tone of voice should sound and feel like the real you talking. This is especially important when you use the help of ChatGPT!

Building Rapport Online

Building rapport is about creating a genuine connection with your audience. Even in a digital context, this is crucial for making a lasting impression.

  • Mirroring: Subtly mirror the language and tone of the person you are communicating with. This can be done by matching their formality, pace, and terminology, creating a sense of familiarity and connection.
  • Personalization: Personalize your messages to show genuine interest in the other person. Use their name, reference past conversations, and tailor your communication to their interests and needs. As the saying goes, to be interesting- be interested.

Sensory Language

Sensory language involves using words that appeal to our five senses, making your communication more vivid and engaging. “Can you picture how different words appeal to different senses?”Tune into the needs of your clients. Let’s move forward with making our digital handshakes memorable.”

  • Adding specific details to your descriptions can help your audience visualize your message better. Instead of “We had a successful event,” you might say, “The event was a big success with over 500 enthusiastic participants.”
  • Incorporate words that evoke emotions. For example, “I am excited to connect with you” is more engaging than “I am looking forward to our connection.”

Creating Powerful Content

The articles, posts, and updates you share bring your Digital Twin to life and create a possibility to get to know you.

  • Share and post not for the sake of posting but with a genuine intention to provide value. Posts created just for the sake of visibility lack emotion and soul and often have the opposite effect. Be knowledgeable about the algorithms and trends, but always put yourself in the shoes of your reader.
  • Share personal stories, case studies, real-life examples, insights, lessons, and challenges to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
  • Support your claims with evidence, such as statistics, testimonials, and case studies. This not only adds value but also enhances your credibility.

Maintaining Authenticity

Authenticity is key to a memorable digital handshake. Be genuine and transparent in your online interactions.

  • Ensure that your online persona matches your real-life self.
  • Be honest about your experiences, skills, and achievements. Avoid exaggerating or misrepresenting facts, as this can damage your credibility.
  • Consistently present the real You across all platforms to build a coherent and trustworthy personal brand.

However, be aware that sharing genuine opinions in a professional environment, especially on sensitive topics like politics, can lead to confrontation and polarization.

  • Understand that your audience has different people with different viewpoints. Frame your opinions in a way that acknowledges and respects these differences.
  • Different platforms have different norms and audiences. What might be appropriate for a personal blog may not be suitable for LinkedIn. Tailor your content to fit the platform’s culture and audience expectations.
  • It’s possible to be honest without being confrontational. Share your views clearly but respectfully, and be open to dialogue.
  • If you decide to discuss polarizing topics, emphasize common ground and shared values. This strategy helps to unify rather than divide and keeps the conversation constructive. Once again, a good strategy is to simply ask yourself- How do I make the people I interact with feel?
  • Use “I” Statements- frame your opinions as personal views rather than absolute truths. This technique reduces defensiveness in your audience and encourages open dialogue.

Enhancing Perceived Credibility

Credibility is fundamental to establishing trust and authority online, as people are more likely to engage with and trust someone they perceive as credible.

  • Highlight your qualifications, certifications, and professional achievements. Make sure these are visible on your profiles and website.
  • Seek endorsements and recommendations from reputable sources. Displaying endorsements from respected individuals or organizations can significantly boost your credibility.
  • Position yourself as a thought leader by sharing insights, participating in relevant discussions, and contributing valuable content to your industry.

Highlighting your professionalism is not bragging but a vital opportunity to inform your ideal clients that you can help them and are equipped with the tools and expertise to do so. By not showcasing your skills, knowledge, and expertise, you are doing a disservice to potential clients who could benefit from your experience and unique approach.

P.S. If you need help with crafting an authentic yet strategic Digital Twin, write to me olesija@goal.ee

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Your personal brand is what people know about you before you even enter the room
Thinkers360
January 21, 2025

Have you ever met someone online and felt like you already knew them when you met in person? That’s the power of a well-crafted digital presence.

Whether we realize it or not, each of us has a digital twin—the way people see our personal brand online. Your Digital twin can open doors or create barriers, depending on if and how we shape it. It breaks my heart to see how many talented professionals shoot themselves in the foot by disregarding their Digital Twin.

In the digital world, where personal interactions are limited, the perception of your brand’s credibility is vital. Two core components—perceived trustworthiness and perceived expertise—significantly influence perceived credibility online. Combining these elements effectively and strategically is a must-have in today’s world. And NO, you can’t leave it to chance.

Imagine if YOUR digital twin worked tirelessly as your most powerful ally, showcasing your strengths, passions, and unique story to the world.

I invite you to have a 1:1 together, review the current status, and strategically align your digital presence so that it creates an authentic and favorable representation, opening doors and creating new opportunities.

Are you ready to turn your Digital Twin into your greatest asset? Write to me.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Does your leadership team’s digital footprint work for or against your company’s goals?
Thinkers360
January 14, 2025

In today’s unpredictable economic climate, the digital footprint of your leadership team is more crucial than ever. It’s not just about being seen—it’s about being recognized correctly and influentially by the target audience.

WHY ENHANCE DIGITAL VISIBILITY AND CREDIBILITY?

  • Before potential partners, customers or top talent ever step foot in a room with your people, they will explore them online. A strong and accurate digital presence can set the stage for successful real-world interactions. Or create mistrust we can’t afford in today’s business environment, where customers are looking for every possible excuse not to buy.
  • In times of economic instability, stakeholders look for stability and reliability. A professional strategic digital presence reassures stakeholders of your leaders’ expertise and organizational stability.
  • A strategic digital presence taps into new markets, attracting new opportunities and partnerships.

One of the things I do is conduct an in-depth digital footprint audit along with competitors benchmarking to strategically enhance leaders’ profiles, elevate their digital presence, and match their real-world influence and expertise. In these uncertain times, ensuring that your leadership’s digital presence accurately and powerfully reflects their capabilities is not just beneficial—it’s essential.

I combine strategic personal branding and advanced NLP Techniques
to align leaders’ digital presence with their real-world reputation quickly and efficiently. These methods are not only effective but also ensure the process is engaging and fun.

Here’s how they help:

  • NLP techniques address common reservations leaders may have about digital visibility, transforming underlying doubts into confidence and assurance.
  • These techniques ensure that the digital personas of your leaders are congruent with their real-life personas, enhancing authenticity and trustworthiness.

DM, and let’s discuss how I can help your leaders elevate their digital Twins.

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

From Storytelling to Storyliving
Thinkers360
January 07, 2025

When I shared that I'm going on a one-year adventure and started publicly sharing my weekly reflections, I had a feeling that I wasn't just telling a story—I was creating and living it as we spoke. This inspired me to write this article.

We talk a lot about storytelling, but what if we moved beyond merely sharing our narratives to creating immersive, engaging experiences that allow people around us to feel like they’re living the story with us?

What is Storyliving?

Storyliving is the art of making your brand narrative dynamic and interactive, inviting your audience to step into your world and experience your journey alongside you. Instead of just reading about your achievements or aspirations, your audience becomes emotionally invested and feels like an active participant in your story. Essentially, it is when you don't just tell a story but take action of some kind. I believe storyliving can be an interesting way to enhance personal brand’s authenticity.

Storyliving vs. Storytelling: The Differences

  1. Passive vs active
  • Storytelling: The audience listens or reads passively.
  • Storyliving: The audience becomes emotionally involved and participates in the journey.

2. Static vs dynamic

  • Storytelling: Often structured and linear.
  • Storyliving: Fluid and interactive, evolving with audience engagement.

3. Surface-level vs deep-reflection

  • Storytelling: Provides information about your brand.
  • Storyliving: Creates a deeper emotional connection and trust.

4. Past vs present-oriented

  • Storytelling: Primarily recounts past achievements and experiences.
  • Storyliving: Focuses on living your live to the fullest in this present moment, noticing the experiences and sharing your insights in the real time.

Can storyliving create deeper connections in an oversaturated digital world?

As the digital world evolves and information becomes more accessible than ever, I believe it's increasingly important for us to focus on real, deep connections. And yes, your Digital Twin is capable of that. But only when you understand and accept who you truly are? Can it be the time for us, to stop wearing masks in order to be liked by others, step into the power of being yourself and by doing that inspire others to do the same? Storyliving offers a powerful approach to achieve this:

  1. Immersive engagement: In a world of scrolling and swiping, attention spans are short, and capturing audience interest is a challenge. Storyliving creates an immersive experience where the audience feels part of the journey, not just an observer. By actively involving them, they become emotionally invested and more likely to engage with you on a much deeper level.
  2. Authentic transparency: We crave authenticity. Storyliving embraces behind-the-scenes moments, challenges, and emotions, showing the human side of you. This transparency helps to build trust and makes people around you feel like insiders.
  3. Connection: Online interactions can feel transactional and disconnected. Storyliving focuses on the present moment, encourages participation, and creates possibilities for sharing and learning from each other. To get inspired and be inspired.

How Professionals Can Benefit from Storyliving?

Increased Emotional Connection

  • Storytelling: "I accomplished X by overcoming Y."
  • Storyliving: "Join me on this journey as we overcome Y together.

Benefit: The audience feels a shared sense of achievement and loyalty.

Enhanced Authenticity

  • Storytelling:Sharing curated highlights.
  • Storyliving:Showing behind-the-scenes moments, progress, challenges, and real emotions.

Benefit: Authenticity builds trust, making your brand more relatable.

Stronger Community Building

  • Storytelling:Providing content for an audience to consume.
  • Storyliving: Creating spaces for conversation and shared experiences.

Benefit: Creates a sence of belonging, where we all can share and learn from each other.

How to let Your Digital Twin storylive?

Your digital twin is the online representation of your who you are. By applying storyliving principles, your digital twin becomes a vibrant extension of YOU.

Talk Your Walk

Talking your walk means bringing your digital twin to life through storyliving. It's about embodying your values, dreams, and goals in every interaction and narrative you share. Here's how to talk your walk through storyliving:

  1. Clarify Your personal brand values and goals
  2. Craft an engaging vision behind the vision
  3. Document the journey in real-time
  4. Make your audience feel like partners
  5. Stay consistent and true to yourself

I wonder if story living, in which professionals invite their audience to journey alongside them in real-time, could be a powerful way to connect, learn, and grow.

Don't wait for your hero journey to come to a happy ending before you are ready to tell your perfect story. You will never know what you are truly capable of until you make that very first frightening step.

And you will never know who needs to hear YOUR story “right in that moment” until you decide to tell it.

So, what's your story, and how will you invite others to live it with you?

p.s. You can follow my own storyliving here

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

“I don’t have enough social media skills…”
Thinkers360
December 31, 2024

What if we’ve been charting the waters of the vast digital ocean with the wrong map altogether?

I see so many amazing professionals with years of experience taking social media too seriously. This seriousness permeates our online presence, transforming what could be spaces of authentic connection into platforms of performance and perfection. Social media ISN’T JUST about mastering algorithms. If we peel back the layers of what social media truly aims to be, we find its essence: CONNECTION.

Social media, at its core, is about connecting people. It’s a digital gathering place where stories are shared, experiences are exchanged, and relationships are formed and nurtured. It’s about finding your people, sharing your journey, and being part of someone else’s story from miles away. This essence of connection is what makes social media so powerful and pervasive in our lives. The younger generation considers it a natural part of their lives and thrives there without overthinking.

Experienced professionals tend though to overthink. A lot. Myself included. We focus too much on what we lack, not what we have, and fueled by the fear of judgment and the desire for validation, we take our online presence—and, by extension, our lives—too seriously. When you anchor yourself in the belief that you lack sufficient skills, you inadvertently set up barriers to your potential growth.

What if we approached our digital spaces not as stages for performance but as playgrounds for authenticity and playfulness? Imagine approaching social media not as a platform for proving your worth but as a playground for expressing your true self.

I suggest a shift in perspective:

  • Engage with genuine curiosity. Ask questions, start conversations, and genuinely connect.
  • By all means, learn new skills, but most importantly, use them! The only way to harness these skills is through action. A lot of small, messy, imperfect actions.
  • Celebrate the small joys and share them. These moments resonate most deeply and remind others to find joy in their daily lives.
  • Laugh at ourselves. Sharing those not-so-perfect moments can be incredibly relatable and disarmingly charming.
  • Finally, experiment and explore without the fear of ‘mistakes’. There’s only feedback and endless opportunities for creativity.

The truth is, when we let go of the pressure to be perfect, social media becomes what it was always meant to be—a space of true connection, growth, and fun.

I invite you to change the paradigm from “I don’t have enough social media skills” to “I’m willing to play and enjoy the game.” After all, it’s not about the skills you start with but the mindset you adopt when approaching the game. And it’s a fun game worth playing.

Join me for inspiration and practical tips: https://olesija.ck.page/a33576a470

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Redefining Authenticity: Beyond the Buzzword
Thinkers360
November 19, 2024

Have you heard a popular advice- BE AUTHENTIC? I bet you have. Many, many times. “Authenticity” has become a buzzword, right? I have yet to meet a personal branding expert who would not tell you you must be authentic. And I fully agree that it’s one of the two most important things to have a strong personal brand. But here is where it gets confusing and complicated- how do you actually do that? You can’t learn authenticity, and you certainly can’t fake it.

We, as humans, are equipped with an almost instinctual ability to sense authenticity—or the lack of it. This  “authenticity detector “functions without fail both in personal interactions and online, often without our conscious awareness. Have you ever felt something was just “off” about someone? That unsettling feeling usually surfaces when there’s a misalignment between someone’s projected image and their true self. This dissonance can make it hard for others to trust or connect with them.

But here’s the empowering truth-authenticity can only be embraced. It’s about understanding and accepting yourself the way you are. With all your strengths and weaknesses, stories of successes and failures, and the quirky things, too. It isn’t about presenting an unfiltered version of yourself to the world, nor is it about curating a perfect image. It is about how you convey your very essence online and offline. It is about ensuring that all your actions, communications, and presence genuinely reflect your core values and passions, balanced with your professional.

So, let’s address some common misconceptions:

Myth 1: Authenticity equals full transparency

Being authentic doesn’t mean sharing every aspect of your life and running around 24/7 with your live stream on. It’s not about baring your soul, either. It’s about aligning your actions ( be it posting, sharing a video, recording a podcast, or choosing a specific tactic) with your core values and what resonates with you on a deeper level. How do you know what’s right for you? Take a moment to check in with yourself: How does it feel? Pay attention to your physical and emotional responses—does it feel light or heavy? Do you feel uplifted and inspired or tensed? We always know what is right or wrong for us if we get out of our heads and listen to what our body tells us.

Myth 2: Professionalism Precludes Personality

Professional doesn’t have to mean boring or personality-free. True professionalism doesn’t suppress personality; it incorporates it strategically to build an emotional connection. People work with people whom they know, like, and trust. We like and trust people who share similar values with us and with whom we have things in common. There is a certain way you are doing things based on your unique personal brand DNA. It defines how you use your unique strengths to solve challenges, how you speak and connect, and how you make people feel. Your personality attracts a specific type of people and repels others. And that is perfectly fine. It happens automatically in real life, but we must understand ourselves to create the same effect in the digital space. You don’t want to be liked by everybody; you want the right people to come to work with you because of who you are! And when you make sure your Digital Twin is not a stand-alone fictional character but a true representation of who you are, people will know if you are right (or not) for them before you actually meet. Once you do, you will already have connection, liking, and trust. Just imagine how much easier and quicker it would be to start working together.

Myth 3: Authenticity Is Fixed

Authenticity isn’t a one-and-done thing—it evolves, just like you do. Our experiences and insights shape us continuously, and reflecting on these changes is essential to maintaining an authentic Digital Twin.

This doesn’t mean adding new certifications or achievements; it involves sharing insights from recent challenges, shifts in your professional focus, or emerging passions. Each update is an opportunity to show your audience the real, evolving you. This ongoing process not only keeps your personal brand fresh but also relatable.

Moreover, embracing this dynamic nature of authenticity helps build a deeper connection with your audience. People are drawn to growth and evolution—they want to follow a journey, not just a static snapshot. When you share your journey openly, you invite others to learn from your experiences, engage with your story, and find parallels in their own paths. You also inspire people around you to start learning and embracing who they truly are.

I invite you to think of your personal brand as a living document of your professional life. As you evolve, it should, too, mirror your real-world changes with online updates that reflect your current interests and expertise. This practice enhances your authenticity and underscores your commitment to personal and professional integrity. By managing your Digital Twin in this way, you’re telling your audience that you value transparency and are confident in your skin, even as it changes.

This evolving authenticity is what can make a personal brand genuinely magnetic. It attracts people who resonate with who you are today and who are eager to see where you will go tomorrow.

Myth 4: Authenticity Doesn’t Drive Business Success

The reality is quite the opposite. Genuine vibes build trust, and trust is the foundation of any successful business relationship. Being authentic online can build deeper, more meaningful connections, leading to tangible business victories and enduring partnerships. Authenticity isn’t just appealing; it’s a magnet that keeps the right people coming back because they feel a genuine connection with you. This trust that authenticity builds is a powerful asset in the business world, giving you the confidence to build and maintain strong relationships.

Why copying another’s personal branding strategy won’t work?

It’s tempting to copy a successful personal branding strategy, thinking it will guarantee success. However, without the “real you” at its core, even the most effective systems and strategies will not work. Many teach personal branding after finding success themselves, but a critical element of their teaching must be helping you discover and articulate who YOU are.

Embracing authenticity means more than just being honest—it’s about being profoundly true to your essence in a way that resonates with both yourself and your audience. It’s this genuine representation that not only attracts but sustains valuable relationships. When your “Digital Twin” truly mirrors who you are, people can sense this congruence before they even meet you. This pre-established trust dramatically simplifies and accelerates the process of building effective collaborations and partnerships. Authenticity is your most compelling asset; use it wisely to not just meet but exceed your professional aspirations.

If you are interested to learn more about authentic leadership, I just shared my thoughts with the Authority Magazine Read more

p.s. If you’re curious about growing your personal brand on a global scale, I invite you to follow me on my journey. Will I succeed, or what will I learn? We’ll find out on April 1, 2025. READ MORE ABOUT MY EXPERIMENT

JOIN ME TO FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE & GET INSPIRATION AND PRACTICAL TIPS

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Tags: Marketing, Personal Branding, Sales

Why Personal Branding is Essential: Lessons from Gen Z for Every Professional
Thinkers360
October 22, 2024

In today’s digital age, the importance of personal branding cannot be overstated, especially for professionals across all generations. Recent research from Morning Consult has highlighted a significant trend among Gen Z adults, with 67% valuing the importance of a strong personal brand.

This figure notably surpasses that of their generational neighbors, the Millennials, and the broader adult population in the United States.

The inclination towards personal branding among Gen Z can be attributed to their affinity for influencers and creator-driven platforms, along with a strategic response to the economic uncertainties and job insecurities that have characterized their entry into the workforce.

I want to emphasize the critical lesson that professionals from other generations should take from Gen Z’s proactive approach. In times marked by rapid technological advancements and shifting economic landscapes, disregarding the development of one’s personal brand is not just an oversight—it’s a threat to one’s career sustainability and growth.

Personal branding no longer serves merely as a tool for self-promotion; it is a fundamental survival skill in the modern job market. It acts as a public portfolio, showcasing your skills, expertise, and personality, thereby enhancing your visibility and employability.

The success of Gen Z in building compelling personal brands through visual content and lifestyle-focused networks should serve as both inspiration and a call to action. It’s a reminder that in a world where job security is increasingly fragile, a strong personal brand is not just valuable—it’s essential.

Great article by Allison Carter, make sure you read it.

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Mind the gap-the train is leaving. Personal Branding Paradox.
Thinkers360
October 15, 2024

In 2012 Jeff Bezos famously said that “Personal Brand is what people say about you after you have left the room”. The world has changed a lot over the last few years, and today, personal brand is what people know about you BEFORE you enter the room.

In today’s digital age, the importance of personal branding cannot be overstated, especially for professionals across all generations. Recent research from Morning Consult has highlighted a significant trend among Gen Z adults, with 67% valuing the importance of a strong personal brand.

This figure notably surpasses that of their generational neighbors, the Millennials, and the broader adult population in the United States.

The inclination towards personal branding among Gen Z can be attributed to their affinity for influencers and creator-driven platforms, along with a strategic response to the economic uncertainties and job insecurities that have characterized their entry into the workforce. Free platforms give us all possibilities to present ourselves in a way we want and creating an image has never been as easy as today. The younger generation clearly uses this to their advantage when many more established professionals underestimate the importance of the digital world.

Contrasting the digital confidence of younger, tech-savvy individuals with the reluctance of established professionals to engage online reveals a very distinct gap—and a paradox. So who is a thought-leader- a visible yet less experienced one or more knowledgeable yet invisible? This paradox highlights the evolving nature of professional visibility but also underscores significant issues that can arise from this gap.

Imposter syndrome and personal branding

Imposter syndrome — the internal experience of believing one is not as competent as others perceive them to be — is often a significant barrier for established professionals. Despite their achievements, the fear of being exposed as a “fraud” or making a “mistake” can deter them from showcasing their expertise online. Accompanied by many other, often unrecognized fears, stereotypes, and misconceptions around personal branding and digital, it leads to an underrepresentation of established professionals in digital spaces where their voices are crucial.

The digital confidence of younger generations

In contrast, younger generations, having grown up with digital technology, easily navigate these platforms. They’re more likely to leverage social media for personal branding, viewing it as an essential career development and networking tool. Their digital fluency allows them to confidently craft and control their professional narrative, often bypassing traditional pathways to professional visibility and credibility.

Problems arising from the gap

1. Underutilization of experience: The hesitancy of seasoned professionals to engage in personal branding online can significantly underutilize their vast experience and knowledge. Valuable insights and mentorship opportunities that could benefit the wider professional community remain untapped. Life-long experiences and learnings remain unshared. Inspiring stories of real-world successes and failures remain untold

2. Generational knowledge divide: There’s a risk of creating a generational divide where experienced professionals’ wisdom and learning are not adequately represented in digital dialogues. This gap deprives younger professionals of learning from those with decades of experience.

3. Marketplace misrepresentation: When established professionals shy away from personal branding, there’s a risk of marketplace misrepresentation. Potential clients, partners, and collaborators might find it challenging to discern the true leaders and experts in a field, making decisions based on digital presence rather than actual expertise and achievements.

4. Limited professional growth: For established professionals, avoiding digital visibility can limit career growth and opportunities. In an era where networking, collaboration, and professional development increasingly happen online, a lack of digital presence can hinder access to new ventures and even lead to professional irrelevance.

Bridging the Gap

To bridge this gap, it’s crucial for established professionals to overcome imposter syndrome and embrace personal branding as a means to extend their influence and share their wealth of knowledge:

  • Acknowledge and address imposter syndrome or fears and limiting beliefs: Recognizing those psychological barriers and addressing the underlying motivations can be the first step towards overcoming them. I see that NLP strategies can be particularly effective in reframing self-doubt into a drive for continuous learning and growth.
  • Leverage personal branding strategically: Personal branding doesn’t require revealing personal details or constant online engagement. It can be strategically used to highlight professional achievements, insights, and contributions in a manner that feels authentic and manageable and grows the impact on a much larger scale.
  • Knowledge, mentorship, and collaboration: Established professionals can use digital platforms to share their experiences, stories, and learnings which provide invaluable guidance to younger generations. This enhances their personal brand and contributes to richer, more inclusive professional discussions online.
  • Continuous learning: Embracing a mindset of continuous learning can help established professionals become more comfortable with digital tools and platforms, reducing the fears associated with technology and online engagement.

I want to emphasize the critical lesson that professionals from other generations should take from Gen Z’s proactive approach. In times marked by rapid technological advancements and shifting economic landscapes, disregarding the development of one’s personal brand is not just an oversight—it’s a threat to one’s career sustainability and growth. Personal branding is no longer merely a tool for self-promotion; it is a fundamental survival skill in the modern world.

The common belief is that there is a lack of digital skills.

Yet, I don’t believe it’s true. I believe all tools and formats can be mastered, and new formats can emerge if we focus on the human side first- YOU! I believe we need to delve deeper, addressing the underlying motivations, fears, and psychological barriers that truly shape an individual’s digital journey. While technical proficiency is crucial, real transformation in digital branding and marketing comes from understanding and leveraging the human elements behind the screen.

Addressing the personal branding paradox involves recognizing the value established professionals bring to the digital table. By overcoming these barriers, they can ensure that their expertise and leadership continue to shape and influence their industries, bridging the generational divide and enriching the professional community as a whole.

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What was your greatest challenge and success in building your personal brand?
Thinkers360
October 01, 2024

CXO Outlook® asked me this question in a recent interview. Reflecting on my journey in building my personal brand, the greatest challenge was undoubtedly embracing my authentic self, with all its imperfections. Like many, I was initially caught up in the pursuit of perfection, wanting to present a polished image that I thought was ‘right.’

I began sharing my story timidly, with a quiet, trembling voice, one small piece at a time. And then the next time, a little more and a little bolder, until finally, I fully embraced my unique story. I’ve discovered that I can only tell my story boldly and clearly by getting to know myself and accepting myself just the way I am.

Tell the story in a way that reaches other people’s hearts, touches them, speaks to them, and inspires them to look inside and discover the hidden gems that make them so unique and so precious. Because in retrospect, my most painful experiences have been my greatest hidden blessings – and that is where my most extraordinary personal power lies.

Owning your story and fully accepting yourself gives you wings. Over the years, I have learned to understand, appreciate, and be who I really am. All my life, I have wanted to inspire others to act. Now I know that to inspire others, all you need is to be yourself. To feel, accept and love yourself just as you are.

By living life in harmony with our hearts and sharing our stories, speaking directly from the heart, we reach into others’ hearts and inspire them to seek their uniqueness and passion, which gives them wings and the freedom to fly high.

As Howard Thurman has said — ‘Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.’ Let others get inspired by how you do YOU, how you live your passion, deal with your imperfections, spread your wings and fly high.

Owning our story and loving ourselves through this process is the bravest thing that we will ever do – but there is no need to tell a perfect story to inspire others—just the real one.

And once you do, Your people (right customers, right partners, right employees) will come to you. Because of YOU. Because of YOUR story.

Don’t wait for your hero journey to come to a happy ending before you are ready to tell your perfect story. You will never know what you are truly capable of until you make that very first frightening step.

And you will never know who needs to hear YOUR story right this moment until you decide to tell it.
What is YOUR biggest challenge when it comes to your personal branding?

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Where are you? Is everything all right?
Thinkers360
September 24, 2024

I’ve been absent from social media for over a month, and many started to wonder, “Where are you? Is everything all right?” The truth is, I did it again.

I spread myself too thin and pushed too hard during the autumn. Weekly 1:1 coachings and workshops, managing multiple clients accounts full-time, building a team, expanding our international presence, launching a new project, and, on top of that, finishing a book. My superpower- Maximizer definitely overdid it this time:) My relentless pursuit of various projects led to a fragmented focus, increased decision fatigue, and compromised my ability to achieve flow—the very state I needed for optimal performance.

The real wake-up call came after I completed my book. The day I sent it off to the publisher, a sense of accomplishment was quickly overshadowed by a stark reality—I fell ill. It was as if my body was saying enough is enough. My ambitious end-of-year to-do list remained untouched, a stark reminder of my physical and mental limits.

January brought a long-overdue vacation. I slept 12 hours a day for two weeks and didn’t open my computer once. In fact, I was so mentally exhausted that I didn’t even open a book. So, I let myself just be and enjoy time with my loved ones, sun, beautiful places, and lazy long days. This wasn’t just a break but a necessary retreat for recovery. It led me to an important lesson for this year: the need to tame my maximizer.

This experience has taught me the value of balancing ambition with self-care. In our drive to achieve, we often overlook our bodies’ signals, mistaking them for hurdles rather than warning signs. But I’ve learned that our well-being is the foundation of our success. Ignoring it can lead to burnout and ultimately hinder our ability to achieve our goals.

So let’s use this new year’s “fresh start effect” not only to set ambitious goals but also to commit to sustainable practices that prioritize our health and well-being. True success is achieved not just by what we accomplish but also by how we sustain our journey.

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The buzz around personal branding is like a record store on release day – everyone’s searching for that hit that will top the charts.
Thinkers360
September 17, 2024

But here lies a fundamental note of caution: Personal Branding is not a one-size-fits-all melody.

Consider this: Each record, with its grooves and quirks, represents a unique narrative, much like the individual stories that comprise our personal brands.

Your Personal Brand DNA is Your Signature Album
Your Personal Brand DNA-your strengths, your values, your passions, your style, your story, your why is the music only you can produce, not a mere echo of someone else’s playlist. It’s about aligning your external brand with the internal rhythm of YOU. Without this, any attempt to play to the market will be off-key.

Crafting a Brand That’s True to Your Sound
Just as vinyl requires a particular player to translate its grooves into music, your personal brand demands a system that resonates with the core of who you are. This is where strategy meets soul, where your unique sound is honed, and your story is told in high fidelity.

Be the DJ of Your Brand
Your journey should be like finding a rare vinyl that speaks to you among a sea of records. It’s personal, it’s profound, and it’s powerful. It’s not about playing what everyone else is playing. It’s about crafting a brand so authentic that it can only be yours.

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How can you use competitive analysis to differentiate your personal brand?
Thinkers360
September 03, 2024

Competitive analysis is a powerful tool for differentiating your personal brand. By understanding what others in your field are doing, you can identify your unique strengths and areas where you can stand out. The key is to focus on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of what you do.

Your personal personal brand dna- your strengths, your values, your passions, your style as well as your story, motivations, and the unique approaches you take in your work are aspects that cannot be replicated by others.

Start by researching peers and competitors in your industry. Note their branding strategies, communication style, and areas of expertise. Then, reflect on your own experiences and values. What drives you? How do your background and personal experiences shape your approach? This introspection will help you articulate a distinct narrative that resonates with your audience.

Emphasize your unique methods and insights. Maybe you have a novel approach to problem-solving, or you integrate diverse skills in a way that others don’t. Highlight these aspects in your branding materials and communications. This not only sets you apart but also showcases your value proposition in a way that’s authentically you.

Personal branding is not just about being different; it’s about being true to yourself and letting that authenticity shine through. This authenticity is your ultimate competitive advantage – it’s what makes you relatable and memorable in a crowded market.

Read more in Linkedin article.

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The Power of Personal Branding for Business Leaders
Thinkers360
July 09, 2024

In my work, the most rewarding experience has been guiding established business owners and traditional CEOs as they venture into thought leadership, not just in their physical business circles but also in the online world. Irrespective of their industry, the transformation is remarkable—they experience a rapid increase in visibility and discover new opportunities.

Why does this happen?

The answer lies in the evolving expectations of their audience. Partners, clients, employees, and investors are no longer content with just hearing company news or business updates. They yearn to see these leaders more visibly, to understand their thoughts, values, and what they stand for on a deeper level. This shift towards a more personal connection is where the essence of personal branding shines through.

Personal branding in this context is not just about self-promotion; it’s about authentically representing oneself and one’s values in the digital space. For business leaders, this means:

  • Building an authentic online presence that reflects their beliefs, leadership style, and vision. This authenticity attracts and resonates with their audience.
  • Through strategic personal branding, leaders can amplify their voice and extend their reach beyond traditional boundaries, connecting with a broader audience.
  • By sharing insights, stories, and perspectives, leaders can engage more deeply with stakeholders, fostering trust and loyalty.
  • A well-positioned personal brand allows leaders to influence business decisions, broader industry trends, and social issues.

The Results? A Win-Win for All

As these leaders amplify their personal brands, they enhance their professional position and create a ripple effect of benefits. Their businesses gain from the increased visibility, while partners and clients feel more connected and aligned with their values. Employees and investors better understand the leader’s vision, building a stronger sense of trust and alignment with the company’s direction.

Personal branding for business leaders is more than just a strategic move; it’s about creating a legacy, a narrative that extends beyond business achievements to encompass their values, beliefs, and vision for the future.

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Personal branding isn’t just about being known; it’s about understanding the unique value you bring to the table.
Thinkers360
June 11, 2024

I had a great opportunity to conduct a training session with the Maksu- ja Tolliamet / Estonian Tax and Customs Board, focusing on the power of personal branding. The goal? To help professionals see their personal brand from a new angle.

“Participants found it both useful and intriguing, sparking a shift in how they perceive their professional image. This was exactly what we aimed for”. I’m always happy to see stereotypes and misconceptions around personal branding dissolve and its true power is recognized.

I started the session with some questions:

  • Do you love what you do?
  • Is your expertise important enough to be shared with a wider audience? Would it make a real difference if your message was delivered to the right audience, understood, and implemented?
  • If there was a guaranteed way to make an impact, would you use it?

I invite you to ask yourself those questions, and if you answer YES to them, personal branding is a strategic and essential tool for you and should not be ignored.

What truly stood out was the engagement and discussion towards the end. The participants were very active, deliberating over the topic and discussing the value of personal branding in their professional lives and as brand ambassadors.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this lively discussion, and special thanks to Anneli Villenthal for inviting me.

p.s. I’m getting better at remembering to capture the physical training sessions.

 

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Chess and personal branding.
Thinkers360
June 04, 2024

In the game of influence and personal branding, the board is set with pieces of various sizes and scopes. Like pawns on a chessboard, we each hold potential influence, with the reach of our impact akin to the strategic moves we make in our careers and personal lives. Each of us is an influencer.

However, the magnitude of our influence is as variable as the pieces on a chessboard, each with its unique power and movement.

As I prepare for tomorrow’s training, I wanted to share this thought with you.

Our influence is not static but dynamic and expansive. It grows with every interaction, every piece of content we share, and every connection we foster.

Personal branding is not about self-promotion but about the value you provide, the consistency of your message, and the compound impact.

Every chess piece, from the humble pawn to the commanding queen, plays a crucial role in the game’s outcome. Similarly, each individual has the potential to create a ripple effect with their personal brand. Whether you’re speaking to a dozen people or a thousand, the essence of your influence lies in the quality of your impact, not merely the quantity of your audience.

In tomorrow’s presentation, we’ll explore strategies for personal growth, professional development, and digital presence that can amplify our influence regardless of the size of our platform. I strongly believe that every story and voice matters and your personal brand can resonate far and wide with the right approach.

The question really is only: HOW BIG IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO HAVE?

 

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“Commenting for visibility” strategy can work against you.
Thinkers360
May 28, 2024

“Comment on 20 posts a day to grow your personal brand!”
Let me give you another side of the story.

My client asked me yesterday – “there is this odd guy who comments on all my posts. I don’t know him- should I block him?”

Obviously, the client doesn’t see any value in those comments, and his perception of the commenter is as ‘some odd guy’ instead of a knowledgeable professional. Clearly, not the intention of the commenter.”

Because it’s not just about being seen, in personal branding, every action and interaction reflects your professional identity. When you comment on posts that truly align with your skills and interests, you naturally communicate your expertise and value to others.

Comment and share if a post sparks a real thought or a valuable perspective. Your comments should feel as natural as they are insightful, showcasing your expertise without effort. Your strongest and most effective interactions will come from a place of genuine engagement fueled by real interest. This approach not only strengthens your brand but also invites more meaningful engagement.

If you have to think hard about what to say, it is likely that what you eventually do say will not have the intended impact. The principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming teach us the importance of congruence and authenticity. External communication is most powerful when it’s in harmony with your internal thoughts and values. If finding something to say in a comment doesn’t come easily, it might not be congruent with your expertise or brand message. In such cases, it’s better not to force a comment. Engage when you feel a genuine connection or have something substantive to add.

If you don’t have anything valuable to say- DON’T!

So, instead of aiming for a quota of comments, focus on the quality of your interactions. Your professional reputation on LinkedIn should be built on thoughtful, congruent engagement that underscores your expertise and adds REAL value to the conversation. That’s how you create a personal brand that resonates and attracts the right kind of professional attention.

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Unparalleled power of the ‘how’ behind what we do.
Thinkers360
May 21, 2024

It’s not just about the task at hand but the passion and professionalism with which we execute it. Our personal brand sets the stage, but our enthusiasm and dedication ignite the real magic.

For me, work is about relationships, maximizing, and constantly redefining excellence. We create lasting business relationships by infusing our work with heart and expertise and genuinely caring about our customers. Personal branding works if you deliver on your promises and strive always to exceed expectations (Maximizer in me talking:) You might not get it perfect the first time, nor will it be perfect all the time. But if you keep this mindset of listening, caring, and constantly thinking- what else could be done, and how could we do better- the compound effect will be profound.

First impressions matter, your online presence matters. But what truly makes the difference is the passion with which we do our job and how we make people feel.

Add that touch of magic, and make every action count!

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Ever wondered why certain companies and professionals consistently outshine their competition?
Thinkers360
May 07, 2024

The secret often lies in effective personal branding.

Every single one of us, from CEOs to entry-level employees, has the potential to harness this power. And the ripple effect is profound. As individuals grow their personal brands, the companies get more visibility, more credibility, and, most importantly, happy and engaged employees.

In the digital age, your personal brand isn’t just an asset; it’s a necessity. And the beauty? It leads to both individual growth and collective organizational success.

Did you know:

  • Employee-shared content sees 8x more engagement
  • Employee-shared content is shared 24x more than identical posts shared by official social media profiles
  • Social media posts shared by employees have a 561%
  • 92% are more likely to trust suggestions and recommendations from those they know than any advertising will do
  • 76% are more likely to trust the content shared by a brand’s employees than the brand itself

Seems like a word of mouth on steroids?

But how do you get your employees to share?

The only whay that really work is help your people build their personal brands.

 

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Ever considered that your personal brand could be the secret weapon your company didn’t know it had?
Thinkers360
April 30, 2024

Dive into how elevating YOUR brand can create a ripple effect of success for you and your organization.

The idea of personal branding, especially within a company’s ecosystem, often raises eyebrows. Many believe that personal branding might detract from or compete with the company’s brand. However, a more holistic view, backed by numerous real-world successes, suggests otherwise. Building one’s personal brand using a company’s platform can be mutually beneficial, creating a powerful synergy that promotes both individual and organizational growth.

Let’s look at why this approach is a win-win:

VISIBILITY

  • For YOU: The company’s platform gives you an already established audience, making it easier to gain visibility and recognition. This can fast-track the growth of your personal brand recognition, leveraging company resources, events, and networks.
  • For the Company: When an employee, especially one in a significant role, elevates their brand, they draw attention to the company, too. As they gain industry recognition, so does the company they’re associated with.

CREDIBILITY

  • For YOU: Being associated with a reputable company brand can lend immense credibility to an individual. Your accomplishments and insights are often given more weight, as they’re perceived as being backed by the company’s reputation.
  • For the Company: Having thought leaders, influencers, or recognized experts in their ranks enhances a company’s image. It demonstrates that the organization values expertise and fosters growth, making it attractive to clients, partners, and potential talent.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

  • For YOU: The company platform can provide you with opportunities for to share your knowledge—be it through company blogs, webinars, or speaking opportunities. It solidifies your position as a thought leader on your subject.
  • For the company: Thought leadership content boosts the company’s reputation, drives engagement, and positions the organization as an industry leader while also humanizing the brand.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

  • For You: A strong personal brand within a company can make you a magnet for opportunities, collaborations, and mentorship from both inside and outside the organization.
  • For the company: When employees are encouraged to build their brands and subsequently succeed, it signals a supportive company culture. It helps attract top talent who value personal growth.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

  • For You: Personal branding requires developing various skills—from public speaking and content creation to networking. These skills serve your personal brand and enhance your professional capabilities.
  • For the Company: People dedicated to self-improvement and personal branding often bring new skills back into the company. It can lead to innovative solutions, fresh perspectives, and a more dynamic work environment.

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Personal branding is not an optional accessory; it’s a fundamental business tool.
Thinkers360
April 23, 2024

Yet, amplifying your brand begins with something other than posting or commenting. It starts with clarity.

  • Understand your goal: What’s the overarching mission you’re aiming for? Is it to be recognized as an industry thought leader? Or perhaps to build influential connections? Land new jobs or start your own business in the future? Knowing your endgame is half the battle won.
  • Grasp your guiding values: Your personal brand should reflect your core beliefs and principles. These values act as the magnetic north, ensuring consistency and authenticity in your branding journey.
  • Know Your Industry Inside Out: A deep understanding of the industry landscape is crucial to positioning yourself effectively. What gaps exist? Where can you carve a niche that’s both unique to you and valuable to the industry?
  • Strategically align with your company message. This is where the magic happens. Find the sweet spot where your personal branding objectives meet with your company’s goals. It’s a win-win when your message amplifies your brand and serves your company’s mission.

A personal brand isn’t just about humble bragging. It’s about elevation in sync with the organization you’re a part of. When done right, personal branding becomes a powerful strategy, fueling both individual and corporate growth.

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I’m going on a 1year long adventure. Will I reach the destination?
Thinkers360
March 26, 2024

…Do you ever find yourself procrastinating?
I’ve noticed that when it comes to making my dreams a reality, that’s when my procrastination skills truly shine. But why put off what could potentially change our lives for the better?

I’ve discovered two strategies that help kick me into gear:

Combine Goals: I brainstorm ideas that excite and scare me simultaneously—projects that help me achieve multiple goals at once, creating a domino effect. It’s about finding a game worth playing. And making it FUN.

Accountability: I make my goals known, making myself accountable not just to me but to as many people as possible. Visibility matters:) And the fear of public humiliation by not following through pushes you forward through the I don’t feel like doing x…

I have an ambitious dream: to grow my personal brand internationally on a scale that’s both terrifying and exhilarating. This challenge brings all my inner dragons to the forefront, attempting to dissuade me. I’ve been procrastinating on it for quiet some time already- I’m too busy, I don’t have time, who am I.. the list goes on..

I also struggle with consistency when it comes to my email list, I fail to create a content plan for myself, I have thought about launching my podcast for years…again, the list goes on..

But what if I turned this into a game, an experiment that combines all the pieces of the puzzle and shares every step of my journey, including the ups and downs? My hypothesis: In today’s digital era, becoming an internationally recognized expert in just one year is possible and doable. And I have a plan which I believe is a win-win on multiple levels

To prevent myself from backing out, I’ve made a commitment: starting April 1st, I’ll be sharing my journey weekly in my newsletter, employing the “I.T.S F.U.N T.O B.RA.N.D M.E” methodology. I’ll share everything—my victories, my setbacks, and the exact steps you can apply to your own brand-building. Im ready to be vulnerable, to take tons of imperfect baby steps. I want to learn, grow, and, most importantly, allow myself to play. Let’s see where it takes me, but looking back at my experience, I’ve never regretted the crazy things I’ve committed to. Just the one’s I’ve never dared to try.

If you’re curious about growing your personal brand on a global scale, I invite you to follow me on this adventure. Will I succeed, or what will I learn? We’ll find out on April 1, 2025.

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The never-ending to-do list and the relentless rhythm of “busyness”.
Thinkers360
March 19, 2024

I started to notice that with every passing hour, it more and more dims my inner light, skewing my perspective and eroding the joy and passion I usually feel towards my work.

So today, in between meetings, instead of tackling another “elephant” on my list, I took a brief escape to the park near my office. A short walk under the autumn sun became an unexpected catalyst for change. Surrounded by the symphony of rustling leaves and embraced by the golden warmth of the season, I was enveloped in a moment of profound reflection. As I sat, absorbing the distant hum of the city and the immediate sounds of nature, the weight of the to-do list began to lift. Not because its demands had lessened but because my inner state had transformed.

With my inner sun reignited, the mountain of tasks before me transformed into exciting challenges. What had before appeared as a burden now seems like intriguing puzzles awaiting my touch. Each item on the list shifted from an obligation to an opportunity.

This momentary pause under the autumn sun served as a powerful and much-needed reminder of the intimate connection between our inner state and our external reality. The world around us may remain unchanged, with its demands and pressures constant, but how we perceive and interact with it can be dynamically altered by our internal well-being.

The to-do list remains, but its nature has changed for me. Through a shift in perspective and a reconnection with my inner essence, even the most formidable tasks took on a new light. They became doable and fun again.

Life’s beauty isn’t just in the grand milestones or immense challenges but also in these fleeting moments of connection and introspection. There is tremendous value in pausing, genuinely observing, and diving deep into the rhythm of life.

Have a sunny weekend, and take time for yourself because you can’t pour from an empty cup.

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