Why do you Tweet?

It occurred to me today that social media is a bit like football. The teams we support are the media we favour using and we can get quite ‘tribal’ about that (how often have you expressed disbelief that someone isn’t using the same channel as you?) And just like football, we can all behave like fantasy-league managers when it comes to discussing ‘team tactics’ ie how you should use your media of choice.

Take Twitter for instance. fatBuzz’s Gordon White and I both tweet but, as I found out during a natter following a recent New Media Breakfast, the ‘birth’ of our 140 character ramblings is very different.

Gordon’s belief is that your tweets should be entirely ad hoc and done at a time when you’re free to respond should anyone pick up on them. For example, when he tweets about an upcoming fatBuzz event and someone replies, “Looking forward to it,” he tweets a comment back there and then. For Gordon, Twitter is primarily about interaction.

For me, Twitter is more about keeping on people’s radars, with the odd bit of interaction leading from that, and using it as a channel to give people clues to who you are and what you have to offer ie your personal brand. So I approach my tweets differently (what can I say…doing things ‘my way’ is a theme of my brand!)

I’m a big fan of schedulers – in my case Hootsuite and Buffer – as they allow me to take part in the Twittersphere despite my mare of a diary meaning I’m seldom free to tweet when I need/want to. So I sit for half an hour on a Sunday and set up a mix of messages for the coming week – some sharing information from others, some sharing my own knowledge eg blogs and some giving a ‘shout out’ to other Tweeters I’m due to meet or who have retweeted me recently. Schedulers also allow me to consider the wording of my messages so they give people the right impression of my personal brand through my language and links – well, I’ve got to walk the talk, haven’t I?

I then add to those with other (infrequent) messages on the hoof, when I have time to reply, to get a bit more of that ‘in the moment’ banter Gordon rates (which I agree, is a real bonus of Twitter). A case in point was a question I posed the evening I was off to a football match, asking what people recommended I do to stay warm (I started the ball rolling with a suggestion that I just eat pies). I got a few replies - most of them sensible, though one wit told me having a fondue was the way to go - and I tweeted back, strengthening my online relationships with those people.

Unlike football though, there’s no offside rule to give guidance on the state of play; no-one decrees how you should use Twitter. It’s more important to have a clear idea what you want it to achieve and how you’ll go about doing that…and then do it your way.

So how do you use it?


About Me

I have presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

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Keep taking the tablets

Everyone has a personal brand, whether they realise it or not. It’s the picture that people build up of you in their minds eye as they collect ‘clues’ to who you are. Some of those clues will come online (they’ll Google your name, check out your LinkedIn profile, see what you’re tweeting, browse your Facebook updates, watch any YouTube clips).

And some will come offline (they’ll shake your hand, see what you’re wearing, hear how you’re speaking, check out what you’re driving.)

But there’s a place where both online and offline clues come together, and that’s with your choice of tablet.

It’s something that’s come to my attention recently; I popped into the Apple store on Regents Street with the aim of asking a few questions about an iPad – nothing more. But I got caught up in the buzz and ended up walking out £499 lighter, clutching my iconic plastic bag.

When I got to my next meeting, the person said, “Oh, you just got an iPad, my husband loves his.” The same happened at the meeting after that, “My boyfriend bought it for me and now I couldn’t live without it.” And all of a sudden, I was a member of ‘the club’ and those people bought into my personal brand a little bit more. (The subconscious thinks along the lines of, “We have something in common - I have an iPad and I’m a good person, so it follows that she’s a good person.”)

But then something happened…I took the iPad back. Now just stop a minute and take note of your reaction to that.

If it’s anything like the ones I’ve received from iPad owners, you’ll think I’m mad and perhaps some of the buy in I had will disappear. Because people seem genuinely disappointed when I tell them I just couldn’t get on with it. And telling them I now own a Samsung Galaxy 10.0 instead doesn’t seem to cut the mustard. I’m officially ‘out of the club’.

But then I realised something: that’s exactly where I want to be. Because the biggest motivator of my own personal brand is ‘doing things my way’ (which usually means doing things differently from the majority). Reports that Apple has 73% of the tablet market and that, among would-be buyers, only 6% plan to buy the Galaxy mean the niche club I’m currently a part of is likely to stay that way…which suits me fine! So the tablet I chose does indeed give the right clues to my personal brand.

So what clues do you give about your personal brand with your choice of tablet? And what clues to you get from others’? Leave a comment to let me know.

About Me

You may remember I presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts earlier this year on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

Follow me on Twitter
View my Linked-In profile

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When words have to matter

So you’ve taken the advice in my last Fatbuzz blog, got your personal brand crystal clear and now you’re using all the internet has to offer to spread the word about how fantastic you are. Congratulations...give yourself a Tufty Badge.

Now it’s time to turn your attention to what you’re saying online, because when you’re relying on the written word to get your brand across (as opposed to doing it in person or on video) it’s worth understanding what you’re up against.

Way back in the 1970s when I was but a child (I know, I know - I don’t look old enough) the psychologist Albert Mehrabian discovered that, when people give us messages, we take only 7% of our information from the words they speak. Instead, it’s their tone of voice (38%) and body language (55%) that give us the lion’s share of what we need to know.

If that’s true, and 93% of your impact disappears when you’re online and you’re there in mind but not body, it’s even more important to make your words count. So here are 5 quick tips:

• Reflect your tone of voice in your writing so you re-introduce 38% of the impact of your communication – don’t be too stiff and starchy. 
• A good rule of thumb is to use the same conversational language you’d use if you were talking to the person face-to-face, tempering it slightly for the channel ie LinkedIn is more ‘office chat’ compared to Facebook’s ‘down the pub chat’.
• The quickest way to building a positive personal brand is to use positive language. Beware of words like ‘can’t’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’, and instead concentrate on using ‘can’, ‘do’ and ‘will’.
• Personal brand is all about building relationships, so don’t forget to be inclusive – it’s not all you, you, you, so ask how others are doing too. This is especially good on Twitter where you’re likely to get responses from your followers that turn into a conversation. 
• Remember that irony is especially prone to misinterpretation so if you’re using it consider adding emoticons to clarify your message. There is such as thing as too many emoticons though (no, I’m not being ironic) so don’t overdo it.

Do that and you’ll prove Mr Mehrabian wrong and have people taking more from your messages than a measly 7%!

About Me

You may remember I presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts earlier this year on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

Follow me on Twitter
View my Linked-In profile

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Batten down the hatches on your personal brand!

Technology’s amazing, isn’t it. Every week there’s a plethora of new applications and plug-ins to enhance our ability to work and socialise online, all here to make our lives a little bit rosier.

It’s easy to get swept away by the ‘now-ness’ of it all, so as someone who’s known for her straight-talking I’m going to give you some sage advice: before you sail even further on the sea of the world wide web, there’s a very important hatch that needs battening down...your personal brand.

Why? We all know people buy people and just as a product’s brand uses its packaging, logo, adverts, etc to give you clues about what you’ll get when you buy it (both the tangible and intangible benefits) your personal brand tells people what they get when they buy into you.

At this point you might be thinking, “That’s obvious.”

And I’d wholeheartedly agree, which is why I find it so baffling that every business from the sole trader to the largest corporate will spend time and money defining and promoting their company brand, but give little or no thought to their personal brand...the thing that will drive ‘people buying people’.

It’s not rocket science to get started either; simply approach your personal brand in the same way you would a brand for a product or service. Work out the values you have, the beliefs you hold, the reputation you want, the behaviours you show, the skills you offer and even the look and sound of your brand. Keep your brand clear, concise and authentic and concentrate on finding your unique selling point (USP) to allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Only then should you venture onto the web, using it as one of many channels to get onto people’s radars so they can buy into you (and ultimately what you’re selling). By deciding what you want to get across before you set out your stall - whether that’s on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, your website, your blog, guest blogs...the list goes on - your messages will have more impact. (It’s no coincidence that every time Nike promotes its brand its message is ‘just do it’; say the same thing enough times and people remember you for it!)

However, if you take the scatter-gun approach and post random messages without the common thread of your personal brand you’ll just confuse people. And unless you’re Madonna and need to constantly re-invent yourself, that’s a bad idea.

About Me

You may remember I presented at the Glasgow and Edinburgh New Media Breakfasts earlier this year on the subject of personal branding. It's a pleasure to be guest blogging on the fatBuzz Blog, hopefully I can bring you some useful information in the future. Meantime, you can read more from me on my own Spark Branding blog here.

Alternatively you can contact me via Linked-In or Twitter at the links below or via Fiona MacDonald fiona@fatbuzz.com

Follow me on Twitter
View my Linked-In profile

If you have found this post interesting please share it with your online community using either the Twitter, Facebook and Share buttons below. Thank You.

Glasgow New Media Breakfast - Your Personal Branding Online

How you get your brand across online without the aid of your voice and body language
What do people say about you when you’re not in the room? Whatever it is, that’s your personal brand – and it’s the key to your success.

Because in a world where ‘people buy people’ your personal brand helps them decide whether or not they’re buying into you (and thanks to Google and all things online, that can happen before they’ve even met you). Spark’s Jennifer Holloway will be sharing her insights on personal brand – what it is, how it’s formed, how to define it and how to promote it – to help you tap into one of the most powerful career and business tools you have at your disposal.

ABOUT JENNIFER HOLLOWAY

With a career including 15 years in media relations and PR, Jennifer Holloway knows a thing or two about promoting a personal brand – she did it every time she picked up the phone to a journalist.  The result? She stood out from the ‘press office crowd’ and got her stories on the front page. Today, she is a personal brand expert, helping executives to define their personal brand before teaching them how to promote that in everything they say and do.  Known as ‘The Antidote to Yes-Men’ her honest, challenging and practical style has helped leaders discover how, by being themselves, they can be even more successful.

Take a look at Jennifer's Blog
Jennifer Holloway on Linked-In
Follow Jennifer on Twitter

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET JENNIFER?
Jennifer is travelling from the North of England and she has kindly offered to have private meetings on the day with any attendee who would like to discuss their personal brand and how she helps people to maximise ther online presence. If you are interested, we stronly recommend that you book a time as quickly as possible so that you are not dissapointed.  It will also enable Jennifer to organise her travel arrangements.  To arrange a time to have an informal chat with Jennifer please email fiona@fatbuzz.com stating your preferred time - times will be allocated strictly on a first come first serve basis.

NOTE FROM GORDON WHITE
We have covered many topics in the New Media Breakfast since it first began back in September 2009 and most of them have explored specific tools or platforms that you may choose for your online presence however, this month's topic is different; regardless of how you use the Web, your personal branding is critical. In all of our previous breakfast presentations we have highlighted the need for transparancy and building trust, that is why I believe Jennifer's presentation is a must for everyone who has attended any previous breakfast.  I would encourage you all to book early and come along to this important event.

Venue: 29 Member's Club, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Date: Friday 1st July 2011
Time: 7.30am for 8am


No.29 Members Go Free – If you are a 29 Member you can attend the breakfast free of charge. Please email malcolm@fatbuzz.com with you membership number and he will add you to the attendance list. We hope you can make it along to this event. If so, I look forward to seeing you on the day.

BOOK FOR NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST GLASGOW HERE:

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