Building A Personal Brand: Assets

Chapter 3 How to Build Your Online and Offline Assets
"In terms of personal branding, assets are the things you own that will communicate your brand message to your target audience. Assets are things like your own website and blog, but they can also be things like your Twitter username and your LinkedIn profile. Offline assets are things like business cards and or traditional newsletters that you send out." 

Much of this has been drilled into me and I in turn have tried to impress it upon my students as well....creating that professional digital footprint/tattoo/whatever you want to call it. It is the power of social media and the social communities.  I wish I had known a couple things at the beginning: 1st picking a good "name" and 2nd how to check for that name's availability. 

Picking your name (not your nose :))

When I first started my online presence I chose "educateme or educatememrsn". I thought my connection to education and my name was cute. However, as I worked with some experts I have revamped my name to mrscarolnelson. The idea of owning your name! As you look across most of my online "assets" you will see this "handle"/username. 

If you are a student....think long term with your username choosing! I have seen too many choices that would not be professional in nature (I think you know what I mean). It is never too early to start building your online assets.

Checking availability

There are some tools that will help you do this! This chapter mentions two: knowem and NameChk. I would suggest using these, especially if you are just starting out! If you have your name you can still use it! 

It is almost overwhelming the number of social media communities that are options on these! Which do you want and what do you use? This chapter points out some important social profiles: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube and/or blogging. It is also pointed out that, "However, while it’s good to secure usernames on the big social networks, it’s important to secure as many as you can. This protects your brand and gives you the ability to examine niche social communities and be prepared if you move to build a community on one of those niche sites."

Domain Buying

This comes straight out of my LauchMe training as well! Owning your name and a domain! Again the suggestion is to scoop up as many that match your name (.com, .org, etc.). I own mrscarolnelson.org :).

Build a Blog

The last area mentioned for asset building is a blog. The trick for me is tying it all together and creating the brand that I want across. If you have read or followed my blog over the last year, you will have seen a lot of theme changes and writing. I am trying to find the niche that I want to fill and the brand that sums what I want to provide. This book study and reflection is part of that as well.

Here is one of my own suggestions within this topic! You can create a social signature. As mentioned in the last post, WiseStamp is an option for emails. I use Wix to build my website(s) and it offers a social signature that can be added to your website. Keep your eyes out for easy ways to show all your connectedness :)

Continuing to build.....