I’m often asked by companies and indiividuals on what they can do to stand out. Here’s what I’ve learned… but don’t just take my word for it, add your own tips in the comments.
The problem:
There are so many brands now, in fact with the introduction of websites, and blogs in particular, many are developing personal brands, something not as easy to accomplish in past years. With this profileration of brands, it becomes so much more difficult for brand to stand out from the millions of others. Sure, you’re thinking the long tail solves this, and well yes, in a way. In reality there are leaders and followers being created in each sub-niche, so the rules of getting noticed still apply.
Have a goal
Before you do anything, think about what your objectives are. In particular for brands or personal brands, identify the keywords that you’d most want to be associated with. Try to think of keywords that people would search for, are long-term, and aren’t some made up name that no one would seek. Your goal may be association with these keywords which you’ll be gunning for. Or, if your goal is to network with others and to grow your reach, focus on how many quality relationships (perhaps defined by people that would help you and you’d help back) that you can grow. Or if your goal is to learn about a new topic and eventually master the subject material, focus on how you’ll learn by reading, then eventually writing on that topic.Develop a unique brand
I really don’t think URLs are as important as they used to be, often folks will Google your name to find you, and the fact that we disperse to so many websites (Facebook/Twitter/Friendfeed/What’s next) is an indicator of the distributed web ruling the destination website. There are millions of blogs/companies out there, and if you’re trying to get noticed, you’re going to have to compete to stand out. Having a default blog template to your website isn’t going to be enough, you’re automatically segmenting yourself with others. Develop a unique look and feel by designing it yourself or finding someone who can help. If that’s too difficult, at least create a custom masthead image that will brand your site.Get personal
If you want to stand out, you should add your picture to your blog, and develop a visual icon that demonstrates who you are. While not everyone shows their picture (Louis Gray comes to mind) he did develop an icon “LG” that represents his personal brand. Use this icon on all your other social media properties in a consistent manner. Also, register the same handle on other social media sites, and cross link them from your blog. Take for example Jive Software, who in a crowded space (80-100 vendors) has encouraged Sam Lawrence to develop a unique voice that he inserts –and leads– in the conversation about enterprise social software.Attend local events
One thing I found very useful when I was trying to get noticed was attending many events. I attended 2-3 tech events every week, which was easy to do in Silicon Valley. By doing this, I was able to meet folks who were passionate about the space, were speaking at other events, and developed a network to interact with online during the day, and one I’m very active with now.Lead events
You’ll soon start to notice a gap in the events you’re going to: a particular topic isn’t being covered, or a particular style of a topic isn’t being approached (unconference, roundtable, lecture, networking) and you can start to quickly develop your own events. I’ve seen so many do this, in particular blogger dinners, or meshwalks or barcamps.Be interesting
Given the large number of people talking about the same thing you are online, you’re going to need to differentiate. Sure, standard business strategy but it’s amazing how few fail to do so. Many simply quote what others say, adding very little value, instead, you need to consistently be intersting. Here’s a few approaches: conduct analysis, respectively disagree with the mainstream, break news, compare and contrast services, develop lists or indexes of companies or topics. When I met Scoble in 2005, I asked them how I can be a better blogger (get links from A-listers) he told me to ‘be intersting’, I took that too heart.Archive your achievements
As you develop your repitorie of speaking at events, leading events, or being quoted in articles or top blogs, start to create an archive that links to all these achievements. You don’t need to make it totally visible, but you’ll want to be able to share this with decision makers (next job, speaker selector, media, recruiters) to indicate on one page how you stand out.
I’ve so many other tips on how to get noticed, but I’m going to leave this an open discussion in the comments, leave examples and tips for others on how to best get noticed.
I think that a lot of people don’t get the idea of personal brand. And even those that do, don’t always get the concept of consistent branding. I agree wholeheartedly that consistent branding is really important, and that includes your name & photo, but also a consistent tone across all of your public & social media. If you’re very professional and conservative on one site and then let loose the dirty jokes on another, that dichotomy will be noticed and questioned. Which one is the real you? That’s not a question you want people to be asking.
I do disagree that URL is not important, though. I think it’s an important part of the consistent branding message. Unless you have a very high profile or very unusual name, chances are that you won’t be the only one with your name returned in Google results. This is where the power of a recognizable URL kicks in. The searcher will see all these disparate results and be able to pick you out of a crowd more easily. For example, there was a girl in a Michael Jackson video named Kellie Parker. Same spelling and everything. Also, there’s also a local news anchor in Knoxville named Kellie Parker. Only 4 of the top 10 Google results are actually about me. Good Google results are only half the battle.
very insightful and meaty post…this blog is getting better and better
Jeremiah,
I certainly agree that in the brand space, a URL is important. Sure, if XYZ company has a very complicated URL that nobody can remember, I can Google them and probably find their site in the top listings. But it’s a missed opportunity for the company to further cement their brand in the consumer’s mind. And personally, when I see company XYZ with an overly convoluted URL, I think twice about that company.
In the personal space, I think the same principal is at play, although I agree that the personal brand doesn’t always have to be the name. You and your web-strategist.com domain, Dawn Foster and her Fast Wonder brand are just two examples. But I really think that having a good domain name that is fitting you & your message and is easy to remember is better than not.
Another tip that I would suggest is to actively seek ways to be helpful within the network that you create. Don’t hesitate to jump in and answer questions, give advice, lend a supporting hand. When you are in need of assistance, people will jump in to help you a lot more readily than if you were a stranger making a request. I have found this to be true thusfar in my job search. Over the past few years, I’ve built a network of community managers and social media strategists, and have never turned down an opportunity to talk to someone, listen to someone, to give my point of view on a topic or issue, or just generally to assist someone with something. Now that I am the one in need, this is being paid back to me tenfold. To receive much, you must give much. You have to make a deposit before you can make a withdrawal.
Hi Jeremiah,
Lots of insightful material on this post and within the comments section. As someone relatively new to the social media space – I Tweet occasionally and only recently beefed up my LinkedIn profile – I’m still finding my way around this sphere and figuring out how it all gels together.
Based on my observations so far, I think fundamentally, being an active participant within the social media community is about adding value to the conversations you participate in, and staying authentic about it. The more you keep this goal in mind when using social media tools, the closer one gets to defining and shaping his/her own personal voice (brand) on the web.
Like I said, I’m no social media expert, and I’m still trying to find my personal voice in all this, but its fascinating stuff and I’m enjoying the ride.
Protip: Get noticed by getting on the front page of Delicious!
Jeremiah,
Thank you for this article. Here’s my question. Is PPC going away because of Web 2.0 and the majority of clicks coming through organic? Or as we neophytes embark on aggressive Internet marketing should we make sure to include PPC? Is it still necessary? Or can you forgo it for Web 2.0 initiatives? Or is it both?
Any experts can answer this or point me to place to find answer? Jeremiah, your thoughts?
About getting noticed – Jeremiah says it all – exept that it’s important to not only be interesting but BE BRIEF, concise and to the point! People always read what’s short – like sound bytes. Easy to remember, specially for branding!
Great post. I think in order to get noticed you do have to have a goal, create a personal brand and be interesting. One way I have found to set myself apart from others is to create an online portfolio of my goals, ideas and work history. I did this at http://www.personavita.com. It really like how I can organize my thoughts and create the best “me” for others to see. I think once you recognize who you are, others will then start to notice.