Terrific article in today's edition of Newsday... Personal Branding LI Business Section.  When we look at our client's reputation, we take the virutal world just as seriously as the real world... think about what are your peers, clients and competitors saying about you and your company.  Your reputation is important.  Protecting it is the key to growth, success and referrals at the very least.  Consider the following ways to manage your personal brand:

What is your corporate MESSAGE?
Have you made certain you have OWNERSHIP of your name?
Are you actively keeping your profile (blog, website, corporate bio) CURRENT?
Is your online marketing content RELEVANT to your audience?
Are you sharing your KNOWLEDGE with peers and clients regularly?
Are you TRACKing how effective your campaigns are?
Do you REVIEW your presence regularly?
Do you actively look for opportunities to IMPROVE your personal brand? 

It's a dog-eat-dog world in the social media universe.  Don't be the one wearing Milk Bone Underwear!

Some years ago, I asked my client for a copy of their elevator speech: who they were, why they were unique and what their purpose was.  What I got in turn was a canned, long -winded Mission Statement.  B-O-R-I-N-G!  Not that mission statements are not important but that’s a story for another day. 

 So, what is an elevator speech?  The definition is a short summary of a product, service or organization and its ‘value proposition'. 

Easily enough explained!  Your ‘pitch’ should be quick and efficient, delivered in the time span of an elevator ride.  Think of the time it takes to move approximately 3-5 floors or about 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the speed of the elevator.  You should be able to "sum up unique aspects of your service or product in a way that excites others".

Keep your elevator speech fresh and ‘alive’.  Use it to describe you/your company in the online description of your company as it would appear in Search Results, in your written Bio, in your Social Media Connections like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitteras an intro to any prospect meetings (listing presentation, financial planning discovery, venture capital search) and in video format. 

 In the attached article 16 Unique Elevator Speech Examples by Mike Kaselnak, there are some thought provoking ways to phrase your elevator speech. 

 -C8 Marketing Guru

Time was when social media was a strange bedfellow.  What is it?  How can it help my business?  How can it make a difference in my relationship with clients?  We remember asking and answering those questions.  Attached is the latest Survey on Social Media by Chief Marketer.  Social activity is all around us... in our everyday lifes and has punctured the proverbial helium balloon that was full of doubt in our businesses.  You can dip a toe into the social pond or dive in head first.  Its up to you.  There is much to consider be it monthly budget, channel participation like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and of course, the return on your investment - a benchmark of social media marketings usefulness!   Whether its B2C or B2B, social media activity and planned participation is on the rise! 

Why Go Social?  (full graph and explanation within the downloadable file)
    25% Supplement paid media
     25% Corporate leadership expects
     39% Reach new audiences
     41% Cheap/ cost-efficient marketing
     42% Get customer feedback
     51% Viral spread
     53% 2-way conversation
     56% Customers expect us in social
     62% Reach customers where they spend time
     84% Offer multiple touchpoints

Want to find out ways to boost your social & online presence?  Contact us for more information. 

-C8 Marketing Guru