So, since I am working on building my makeup business and want to establish a strong presence online, I thought about reading about how to establish a strong personal brand on social media.
I came across a book written few years ago and wanted to summarize my findings so you all can benefit.
Book Name: Six Pixels of Separation, by Mitch Joel
You can buy the book on Amazon
The book is a sneak
peek in the future we are living in today. In 2009, Mitch made insightful
predictions about how traditional marketing will no longer sustain a business
in an era where social media is booming and offering useful tools/platforms to
connect with consumers. Mitch provided a very simple step by step guide for
entrepreneurs and small or big businesses who want to dive into social media
and build their business brand or personal brand. The book calls business
owners to differentiate their brand and grow their business in a market already
overcrowded with brands by using social media effectively. Mitch explored
several social media platforms using business cases.
Some of the
insights that stood out·
- "Six Pixels of Separation” means that we are all connected in the world of social media!
1. Think in terms of audience
2. Everything is "with" not "instead of"
3. Don't be fleeting - build, share and grow
4. Earn the right to get your consumer out of lurker mode
5. It's attitudinal not generational
6. Upload a video to Youtube ... do something!
- ” Don't be ordinary, connect, communicate, share, and grow your business”: Don't be simple, find your niche market, differentiate yourself or business. Use social media platforms to connect with people and have a conversation. Share your knowledge and what you have learnt. don't be afraid of putting yourself or brand out there. Use the conversation to educate people about your brand and grow your sales.
- “ Great Content = Great Word of Mouth”: Be strategic about what you share. Content is everything, it is your media. Your brand will be perceived based on the content that you generate or the content users generate about your brand.
- “ Build the trust and the relationship”: Using social media means letting go of privacy and control over how the brand is perceived. You can regain control, if you participate in the conversation about your brand and steer it towards building your business.
- “A two-way conversation is the key to success”: If a brand gains customer trust and engage them in effective communication, ROI will be achieved. The old notion of “build it and people will come” is over!
- “ Connecting is not engaging”: To succeed you need to implement the 5 C’s. which includes Connecting, Creating Content, Conversation, Community, Commerce. Be present in the social space in a two- way conversation. Also, encourage your customers to create content about your brand and share it with potential customers. Create a community ( i.e.Apple users). A space where community members can exchange information about your brand.
- "Be a leader": be active and offer your expertise to speak in conferences and industry gathering events. This will give you a leader status and your brand credibility and relevance. Always share your knowledge and help others achieve their goals.
- “Have mobile users in mind”: In 2009, smart phones widely penetrated the market and ordinary (non-Business) people started using them. Mitch, showed his true knowledge of marketing and asked businesses to have a strategy for mobile users and how to engage them starting from offering a website version for mobile users to offering apps and focusing on untapped opportunity.
The writer has a
very up-to-date, interesting and insightful blog about digital marketing called
Twist Image Twist Image
One example of a
personal brand that built a strong personal brand and community is Grav3yard
Girl
