September 13, 2016 – This month’s event brought special guest Mel Carson of Delightful Communications to speak to us about the importance of personal branding. Mel began by explaining that personal branding means defining your professional purpose and being able to articulate your experience. He went on to share several tips on how to create a successful personal brand, including these highlights:
- Build your personal brand through digital strategies and in person.
- The sweet spots of personal branding include a successful track record, contributing to articles and interviews, public speaking and building a social media following.
- Great content can be summed up with the AURA acronym: authentic, useful, relevant, actionable.
- Own your own brand. For example, buy the domain name with your full name and build a website that you own and control.
- Make your “Out of Office” reply work harder by including links and a call-to-action.
- Business cards are not dead! Consider a clean and uncluttered design, and ensure that yours stands out.
- LinkedIn is no longer a job and resume board. Make the adjustments necessary to create a living profile.
Mel also shared a few elements for success including useful content, value exchange, regular contact and agility. The evening closed with a generous Q&A session and valuable networking time for all.
Sarah is a search marketing consultant, helping clients improve ROI through paid search, SEO and social media initiatives. She is also the Official SEMpdx Event Blogger and can be found at all of the monthly events.
Great articel Sarah, I agree 100%.