Showing category "Branding" (Show all posts)

WiseStamp - Email Signature

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, September 19, 2010, In : Branding 
http://www.wisestamp.com/wp-content/themes/octoberspecial/ver2homepage/toplogo.png
I thought this was quite amusing.  Just another clever html email signature tool you might say - but makes it easy for a normal person to put it together.  It can bring in your last tweet and last blog entry - along with some other social media choices - making it easy to spread your brand.   I would imagine businesses would like something like this for their email signature.  If you are an SEO guy - you migh...

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Johnny Bunko - The Last Career Guide You will Ever Need

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, September 19, 2010, In : Branding 
If you are looking to reinvent yourself or just want to tune up your confidence and job hunting skills - you might check out this quick reading graphic novel about Johnny Bunko.  In the story Johnny learns what it takes to make a successful career.  It can be summarized in 6 lessons.
 
  • There is no plan
  • Think strengths not weaknesses
  • It's not about you
  • Persistence trumps talent
  • Make excellent mistakes
  • Leave an imprint.
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need

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Dreaming Big and Outside the Box

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, September 19, 2010, In : Branding 

My friend Gordon just said on Facebook that he is "Dreaming Big and Outside the Box". More of us need to do this. I have a small slew of near genius friends - but very few dream big. Its not like they are living lives of "quiet desperation" - but close to it.   Even the Zen Master gets tired of small pleasures.  Sometimes we have to break out of the box and do something that stretches us personally - which is my definition of "spiritual".

Sometimes we need to put on the big suit an...


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dlvr.it - You Publish. We Deliver

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, September 19, 2010, In : Branding 

Deliver It! - can take any of your RSS feeds and route them to any number of social sites including Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook.   You can filter, schedule and plan what goes out and where it goes.  This a well thought out tool that gets your material out into the social grid right away.  I can see small business using it to promote their business - by doing quick mini blog articles using Posterous or Tumblr.   Catch the wave at http://dlvr.it
 

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William Arruda's Personal Branding Predictions

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Saturday, February 6, 2010, In : Branding 

1. Video, Video, Video

Thanks to greater bandwidth, cheaper storage, and a proliferation of products and services that make shooting, storing, viewing, and sharing video easy (Flip video, iPhone 3GS, YouTube, vimeo, blip.tv, vodpod, etc.), video will be king in 2010. Video is ideal because it allows careerists to deliver a complete communication and convey their personality—a critical component of branding.

2. Hiring Process

Companies will be hiring brands rather than employees. The...


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Personal Branding Is About Fashion

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Saturday, January 23, 2010, In : Branding 

I recently presented my pitch on personal branding at two lunch time events in Sunnyvale.  On the first occasion I wore tan corduroy pants with the shirt you see above.  And more recently I wore black pants with the same shirt.   I didn't really think too much about it except that I know this is a good color on me.

I started a small buzz when people realized that the business cards I was handing out before the event matched my shirt.  I had several people remark about it to ...


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The Brand Evangelist and Social Media

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 22, 2010, In : Branding 

A Brand Evangelist is a person who promotes your brand without regard for compensation.  Their reward is the association with your brand.   Your brand becomes part of their identity.  The goal of any brand is to find and cultivate Brand Evangelists who can promote your brand everywhere without costing you a cent.  Social Media provides a great platform for you to grow some Brand Evangelists for yourself.

A Brand Evangelist:

  • Purchase and believe in your product or service
  • Passionat...

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Personal Branding - You Are the Fulcrum

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, In : Branding 

“Give me a place to stand,” said Archimedes, “and I will move the world.”

As you probably know, a fulcrum is the pivot point for a lever. And we know that Archimedes was planning to use a lever to move the world. But a lever by itself is worthless. It needs the fulcrum to actually do the leveraging. You are that fulcrum.

Part of a good brand is being focused on a dream that you want to come true. It is the thing that drives a personal brand. While branding is about creating im...


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The Well Branded Business Card

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, January 17, 2010, In : Branding 


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Your Personal Brand Can Change the World

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 15, 2010, In : Branding 

I remember a comment Neil Young had about Live Aid and other similar events. He said "save yourself". I have always thought about that and realized that after I find my true self and act upon that fact - the world will change around me.


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Personal Branding - Expertise vs Expert

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Thursday, January 14, 2010, In : Branding 


I have found that when we talk about ourselves we might say that we have some particular expertise in something and only rarely do we say "I am an expert". This is a personal branding mistake. For example, I might say that I have expertise in Java Software Architecture. But it would be better expressed as saying "I am a Java Software Architecture Expert". 

And another thing, the more you repeat this phrase - the more people will believe it and refer to you as the "Expert".  Saying tha...

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Internal and External Brand Mantras

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Monday, January 11, 2010, In : Branding 

We have all heard about taglines sometimes called "brand" taglines. A tagline is really an external mantra for your customers to resonate with. Its also important when developing a personal career brand to have an internal mantra. Just like the word "OM" - which is chanted to bring inner calm - we need an internal mantra to guide our career and to give it meaning.

Finding an internal mantra that "fits" is not an easy task. It relies on some deep reflection of your core values and then simpl...

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Criteria for a Great Brand Name

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Monday, January 11, 2010, In : Branding 
  • DISTINCTIVENESS - always important in branding.  You must standout.  Ive seen some pretty interesting names lately that have been creative with spelling - apptizr.com as an example.  This company provides a smart way to find iphone apps.
  • BREVITY - Often you want to have your brand name be your domain name.   So some brand names or company names are just too long and you are forced to have a domain that is different from your brand.  Not that good. The shorter the name the easier it is ...

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Inspiration Feedback

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 8, 2010, In : Branding 


We all need feedback.  Often we can't see ourselves clearly and we need someone to mirror back observations.   I call this the "Rosalind Principle" named after a very smart and wise friend who is quite insightful about others but has more difficulty with herself.

When I ask for feedback - there is often a feeling of dread - because most of my friends give me left brained feedback - it can be brutal.  I hear the feedback and recognize that its true but frequently I have difficulty a...

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What is a Personal Brand Tagline

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 8, 2010, In : Branding 

Taglines aren't just for companies - they are for individuals. A tagline is a very short expression that conveys meaning to your audience. When developing a career we can use these short expressions in conversation or on our business cards to quickly help others understand who and what we are. A good tagline starts a conversation and provides context for everything that follows. Without any further preamble (Just do it), I am going to list some qualities of a good tagline.

Simple...

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Personal Branding is Outcome Thinking

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Thursday, January 7, 2010, In : Branding 


Personal Branding - especially for your career has to do with setting and achieving goals. In essence - getting things done. We are not used to setting our own goals - more often we are buffeted about by forces around us. But branding ourselves in our career is about setting some personal goals and actually accomplishing them. In David Allen's book Getting Things Done he uses a term called "Outcome Thinking". He says "Thinking in a concentrated manner to define desired outcomes i...
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Personal Branding is Like Buddhism

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, In : Branding 



One of the reason so much branding fails is that people arent aware enough of their circumstances - personally and in the marketplace. While I dont profess to be a Buddhist, I have benefited from some meditation and slowing down of my crazed monkey brain - thereby starting to notice a bit more nuance in my life. Personal branding is about personal awareness. We could learn a lot from the Buddha.

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The Personal Branded Avatar

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, In : Branding 


Its important to present a representative image of yourself in all of your social network profiles.  People respond visually and make very quick decisions about you.  If your avatar is a cartoon its hard to take you seriously.   One caveat to that is - if you are not concerned about your brand then the avatar could be anything.  Sometimes you want to be anonymous or be known as something other than what you really are - thats playful and fun - but its not a personal brand.

...


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Jon Blake - Land Surveyor - Encinitas - San Diego

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, In : Branding 

Authentic • Honest • Experienced

  • Over 30 Years of Experience in and around San Diego
  • Specializing in Boundary Disputes and Boundary Surveys
  • Expert at Boundary Line Determination
  • The Sherlock Holmes of finding lost markers
  • Unfailingly willing to go the extra mile to do things right
  • Always Delivers Exceptional Value
  • Expert Witness for Federal Court on Boundary Disputes
  • United States Mineral Surveyor
  • Accomplished Land Surveyor Instructor
  • Speaker and Storyteller of San Diego Land ...

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Personal Branding Is Made to Stick

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, In : Branding 
Like any branding - its about marketing and the ability to be memorable. Its unfortunate that most of us are terrible at making impressions. The good news is that there is a simple recipe which you can use to improve. I simply cant recommend the book Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath enough. You gotta read the whole book to get the whole picture - or at least start reading their columns in Fast Company. These two brothers provide some simple guidelines that can be remembered by the acronym ...
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Personal Branding is the New Black

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Monday, January 4, 2010, In : Branding 

A few years ago personal branding was more of a curiosity for individuals.  Now we cant read a magazine without hearing about personal branding.  I think in some ways branding  yourself was considered vain.    The "corporate man culture" had not died out.  I think those days are gone.  Just as women rely on having a black dress in the closet - professionals need to have some sort of personal branding going on - or they will seem out of it.   Well I have to admit that many unemployed people I...


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Personal Branding - I am the Singularity

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Monday, January 4, 2010, In : Branding 

Click to view large
The number one rule of personal branding is to be unique - possibly the best in the world as Seth Godin suggests in his book The Dip. This is not as hard as it might seem - it just takes a bit of self reflection to find the things that differentiate yourself from the rest of the commodities out there in the world. Its a bit about finding your own personality and being ok with it - because being yourself and having a special point of view sometimes makes you at odds ...

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The Brand Called You - Tom Peters - Fast Company

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Saturday, January 2, 2010, In : Branding 

It's a new brand world.

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who's got you branded. That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion "C" on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi's rivets, the watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker's symbol crafted into the end ...

You're branded, branded, brand...


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Personal Branding Is A Lens

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 

Personal Branding is a way of looking at things. It is a lens through which we can interpret and decide if actions and behaviors are good or not. Most of the things about personal branding we already know about – but we dont always know what to apply and when. A personal branding lens groups and guides our thoughts and actions. It’s actually very exciting because I can now prioritize what I do using this “branding” lens.

I was thinking about this today when I set up my first Squidoo p...


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Personal Branding - Dont Be the Invisible Man

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 

Everybody has heard of the Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. The Invisible Man in the story is a scientist who theorizes that if a person’s refractive index is changed to exactly that of air and his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will be invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result.

Without personal branding most of us are exactly like the Invisible Man – but without going through the ...


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Personal Branding is Telling Authentic Stories

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 

Lately, Ive been attempting to come to grips with telling my personal story more effectively. I know its important to tell a good story in order to have people remember you positively. But I didnt really understand the power of story telling until I read Seth Godin’s book called “All Marketers Are Liars”. And before you misunderstand the title I have to tell you the subtitle is “The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World”.

liars
The whole book is interesting but Im only ...


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Personal Branding Makes Blogging Easy

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 
Many people around me seem to be interested in blogging. Its almost as if they feel they are missing something if they don’t blog. Beyond selecting which blogger to use to create the posts – most people I know have difficulty figuring out what to write about sustainably. The primary reason people dont know what to blog about is that they don’t know what their personal brand is. If you have a clearly defined personal brand (especially for your career) – then blogging is easy. The reaso...
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Twitter Tips For Personal Branding

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 

I have been reflecting on how to be most effective on Twitter – and to use Twitter to convey my brand. Since my primary trade is a software architect – I immediately recognize what I think are best practices – in fact are probably patterns for success on Twitter. So here they are:
twitter_logo

  • First start with an interesting design. You can customize the Twitter page using what Twitter gives you. Or you can upload a custom background. I uploaded a simple image of the ocean – an image large enough...

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Defending Your Brand Online

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, January 1, 2010, In : Branding 

So what do you see when you google your name. Is it a listing for a convicted felon or porn star? If you have an unusual name (like a well differentiated keyword) you will rise to the top automatically. But if you have an ordinary name you might not even show up. What you don’t want to happen is to have a search result that doesn’t represent you.

  • Your name is your brand so use it consistently. Don't dilute it by using different variations – pick one version of your name and stick with i...

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How to Brand A Small Business Website

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Sunday, December 20, 2009, In : Branding 

Branding of your website is important because it contributes to the long term value of your business.  It creates a sense of customer confidence.   For a small business - your brand is the niche value you bring to the market.  Its the expectation of value in the customers mind about your product.  Part of building a brand is creating an impression in the market.   There are a number of ways you can do that with your website.

  • Memorable Logo - a logo is not a brand although it represents one...

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Elements of a Great Tagline

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Monday, December 14, 2009, In : Branding 

Your tagline is not your brand, your position statement or your brand promise. But it is a short versatile expression of who you are. It is a meaningful distillation of your brand. What I like most about a tagline is that it is sometimes experimental and can be quickly changed. Many websites have their taglines displayed next to their logo and interestingly enough they are often 3 things - like "Build Create Empower" - which I find a bit boring. Some sites actually name their site using a tag...
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Give Other People Credit

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Friday, September 25, 2009, In : Branding 

The best leaders look for opportunities to give other people credit.   We all like to receive recognition.  Too often we dont give it out.

  • If you are a manager or team leader dont blab out all the ideas yourself.  Often times your team members have the same ideas but arent as adept in expressing it.   If you let others come up with ideas then then they will take credit and will also take ownership of the idea.
  • Dont forget to RT (Return Tweet) on Twitter if someone has a great idea that you noti...

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Get Your Personal Brand on First Page of Google Search

Posted by Jeffrey Blake on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, In : Branding 
We all know that its important to control your image on Google.   One of the best ways to get to the top of a Google SERP is to buy your own domain and populate it with good content.    But there is a little known way to get on the first page in 5 minutes - that is by creating a Google Profile page.  

To start go to http://www.google.com/profiles   If you dont already have a gmail account - then you should go ahead and create one.  

You can add:
  • A short Bio
  • Photos
  • Links to your online pages as F...

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