Reaching Out
Well, hello there. Last week I talked to you about the basics of building your personal brand via social media. First of all, did you set up, edit, or streamline your social media accounts? If so, great work! If not, that’s okay too. Some things take time.
This week I’m going to give you some ideas on how you can start building your community and online relationships. Networking in these ways will not only establish your presence and get people recognizing your name or face, they also build real, valuable connections, monetary and otherwise.
Get Out There and Introduce Yourself!
You can do these in the real world, or the digital. Here are some simple ideas to start.
- If there’s a brick and mortar business in your neighborhood that could in any way be connected to your product, the service you offer, or the content you create, go introduce yourself. If you’re a writer who’s wanting to gain an audience, go to local coffee shops and see if they have open mic reading nights. Then show up to one! If you’re really brave, ask if you could start your own!
- Rent a booth at a local fair or festival, or sponsor a local kids sports team. Maybe you already have a book of some kind? Donate some to an organization that takes those sorts of things. Do you offer services or consulting? Do you have any special knowledge or skills that can be shared? Then volunteer! Giving back to the community goes a long way. Chad and I donate website design and photography services to our local neighborhood elementary school’s annual fund-raising gala. As a result, you’ll feel good, people will see you in a good light, and get to know who you are.
- Join or host workshops, support groups or other organizations that do what you do, or are related to your industry in any way. Meet-up is a great place to find local groups, and Next Door is another great place to advertise your own.
- Hang out in places, online and otherwise where you may find your ideal customer, or others that are doing what you’re doing. Spend a bit of time researching the area where you live or checkout online communities. You may be surprised by what you find.
- If you’re already on Facebook, join a group that corresponds to your industry or interests and chime in. Or, better yet, Create one! Comment on relevant topics on public pages like blogs, news articles, etc. Just make sure you use your brand voice and represent yourself honestly, without being sales-y or spam-y.
The more spaces that you insert yourself, the more you’ll get noticed.
To sum it up, there are so many elements that go into building a successful personal brand, and the more you’re willing to work on, the stronger your brand will be. It may be a small start, but the truth is, the more of a brand and reach you already have when you start working towards the really big stuff, the more likely it is that people will take you seriously and have trust in you. And that’s what a brand is all about.
So grab a notebook, get to brainstorming and jot down some ideas. And tune in next week, where I’ll discuss a bit about content creation and blogging!
