A Visual Identity

Last year at IZEAFest my keynote was all about personal branding. A huge part of any brand is the visual identity associated with that brand. With the launch of this blog I now have a consistent identity system that I can apply to all of my online and offline activities. I have already updated my Twitter account. Soon you will see the launch of the Ted.me store where you can purchase Ted Head branded merchandise.

I hope you like the new look. A big thank you to Matt for coding this bad boy.

The idea was simple. I wanted to create a complete social media awareness and user generated content program for less than $100. As a marketer the results blew me away. I have worked on many campaigns designed to generate photo submissions and fan participation. Most of those cost the client tens of thousands of dollars or more. Ideation alone can cost a few grand and take weeks. This campaign took less than 30 minutes to setup and manage the entire approval process.

So… if I was a brand what would I do with all this data and content?

• I would post the best photos to my Facebook fan page or website to keep my content fresh.
• I would reach out to the people that participated to thank them through Twitter or FB.
• I would create new promotions to keep these people constantly engaged with my brand.

There are dozens of contributors including Brian Clark, Joel Comm, Jim Kukral, Jeremy Schoemaker and yours truly. These are the people that do this stuff every day… the people that I seek advice from. Find out how they do what they do to achieve success with their online businesses.

Buy it now! (Amazon Affiliate Link)

You can do the same in your job search.

With the unemployment rate in double digits competition is fierce right now, but you can stand out. Don’t just submit a resume, get creative and blow your perspective employer away. Create a presentation, make a video or write a white paper on the future of the industry and figure out how to get it in front of the decision maker. Even if your vision is slightly off base it illustrates your passion, commitment and understanding of the company.

BTW, we are hiring right now.

Phone Book Circulation is Crap

Credit : funkeemunkeeland

The phone company sells advertising to local businesses largely based on the circulation of phone books. The problem is that nobody with a computer has a use for phone books anymore. The Internet has replaced the need for these prehistoric landfill-busting monsters. I can’t remember the last time that I even opened a phone book, yet my two phone books are being represented to advertisers as market reach. Both books went straight into the recycling bin, what a waste of money and natural resources.

If you are a local business do yourself a favor and invest in online marketing. The more savvy you become now the more effective your efforts will be in the future. It won’t be long until these dinosaurs are extinct.

Personal brands are powerful. In many ways they can be more valuable than a product, service or corporate brand. Want to sell more wares? Slap Trump’s name on a building, have Britney Spears front a perfume… or leverage the Shoemoney name to sell a set of Internet Tools. People identify with people. Marketable people with solid personal brands can sell almost any product.

I believe every affiliate marketer should invest time and money creating his or her personal brand. Whether you are working for yourself or an employer a personal brand can be an incredible long term asset that can open doors and create wealth. You aren’t going to be a rockstar overnight, but if you start now you can build over time.

Ted’s Tips For Starting a Personal Brand

Define Your Brand Promise
What are you all about? What are your interests? What are you good at? Successful branding is about promoting your natural strengths, whatever those may be. If you are a geek be a super geek. If you are good looking show off that pretty mug of yours. List out your assets and determine what will appeal most to your audience. Create a simple statement that defines your brand promise. A sample promise might read “Creative disruption of the marketing industry with a smile”.

Own Your Name
If you don’t already have your own personal domain go out and get one. Your domain should either be based on your real name or on a persona you plan to go by. Any persona you create should complement your brand promise. Whatever domain you choose you should try to lockup the name throughout the socialsphere. Don’t be @johndoe on twitter and have the domain technojohn.com. Try to be consistent whenever you can to avoid confusion.

Make Your Mark
Every notable brand has a distinct logo mark, color palette, font and style. If you are not a designer don’t try to create these elements of your personal brand on your own. Just because you have Photoshop doesn’t mean you should be designing your website or business cards. Hire a real designer with experience in branding. Share your brand promise and collaborate to create a professional graphic identity you like.

Share and Promote
Your new domain should serve as the hub for all things you. Update your content on a regular basis and use social media tools to start spreading the word. If you really want to grow you are going to need to invest some cash or other currency. Consider having custom swag made, attending industry events, and buying ads to get your name out as much as possible. If you want to be perceived as a rockstar you have to promote like a rockstar.

I wrote the above article I for last month’s FeedFront Magazine. You can download the entire magazine free. Special thanks to Missy Ward and Shawn Collins for the opportunity to contribute.

First rule of Photoshop : don’t get caught changing out peoples heads. Props to Matthew Schultz for pointing this out.

Download it here for free