Presenting: Laura Gainor speaks to Marquette University about Personal Branding

1

+ pr

cometmarketing + public relat ions evolved

Laura GainorSocial Media Strategist

October 20, 2010

Presenting: Marquette University - Emerging MediaHow to Create Your Personal Brand Through Social Media

PERSONAL BRANDING |


Chapter 1: About Laura Gainor

Chapter 2: How I got hired at Comet Branding

Chapter 3: Timeline of results

Chapter 4: How to create your own personal branding strategy

Chapter 5: Implementing social engagement strategies

Chapter 6: Quest ions?

PERSONAL BRANDING | About Laura Gainor


About Laura Gainor

• Social Media Strategist for Comet Branding

• Professional background in creative photography & design, client services management, and personal & business branding strategies.

After landing my job at Comet by showcasing my expertise using various social media tools, I discuss tips and strategies on how to create a successful brand through social media.

PERSONAL BRANDING |




Chapter 3: Timeline of Results




PERSONAL BRANDING | How I Got Hired at Comet Branding


Faced with a challenge:How do I network and find a job when living in a

different city?



The Gainorsmoving toMilwaukee02/01/10

Used Twitterto network

Quickly foundMKE social media

professionals

Followed daily

conversations

Joined in onthe

conversations

Got a feelfor the MKEsocial media

culture

Continuedusing socialmedia tools

SquarePiklaunched02/11/10

Comet Tweetedthey were

hiring!02/11/10

Developedidea to creatively

grab attention.

Createdlarge Cometlogo poster

02/11/10

Producedintroductory

YouTube video02/11/10

Trip toMilwaukee02/12/10

#LauraGainorToMilwaukeestrategy created

All of this occurred over a very short period of time:We found out we were moving to Milwaukee on February 1, 2010

First trip to Milwaukee to find a home on February 12, 2010



Toured Milwaukee with the Comet Branding Logo Poster.February 12 - 14, 2010

Used Foursquare, SquarePik, Twitter, YouTube & TwitVid, capturing photos and videos of my Comet Logo

tour through Milwaukee Pushed content to @CometBranding through Twitter.



Laura Gainor Utilizing Social MediaSlideShare Presentation Created on

Monday, February 15, 2010

Click HERE to view the full presentation.



The purpose of the SlideShare presentation:• Told the full story of #LauraGainorToMilwaukee.

• Turned a standard resume into a story that incorporated my life experiences, social media and my

creative talents.

• Served as a means to demonstrate my specialties, instead of solely writing them on paper.

• Provided Comet Branding the opportunity to see my personality through photos and videos.

• Showed real-time feedback from Comet Branding.

• Published the presentation on SlideShare to share with other professionals on how to brand

themselves and get the attention of a potential employer.

• Promoted Comet Branding.

PERSONAL BRANDING |








PERSONAL BRANDING | Timeline of Results


Immediate response to the#LauraGainorToMilwaukee

Twitter activity.


Link to the SlideShare Presentation: “Laura Gainor Utilizing Social Media” Tweeted to @AlKrueger & @SaraMeaney


Email was not sent. Paper resume was not sent. Just a tweet including this link:

http://www.slideshare.net/LauraGainor/laura-gainor-utilizing-social-media



Skype Interview withComet Branding PartnersAl Krueger & Sara Meaney

Friday, February 19, 2010Skype interview scheduled on thesame day through Twitter direct messages.




Gainor Road Trip Movingfrom Charlotte to MilwaukeeThursday, February 25, 2010

Started Unpacking in our New Homein Milwaukee.

Friday, February 26, 2010

In-Person Interview at Cometwith Al Krueger & Sara Meaney.

Monday, March 1, 2010



Immediately following the in-person interview,having lunch @Water_Buffalo, I was offered the

job as PR + Social Media StrategistMonday, March 1, 2010

Hired 10 days after the initial Skype interviewAfter only meeting once in-person, I was hired the same day.



My first day at Comet BrandingWednesday, March 3, 2010

1.5 days after being offered the job.20 days after seeing @CometBranding’s Tweet about the position.



SlideShare featured my presentation in

their March Newsletter

Number of presentation views jumped to over 20,000.Today the presentation has over 40,000 views.



The Milwaukee Business Journal featured my story.

Monday, March 15, 2010

“Online Efforts Make Job Hunter Stand Out”Read the full Milwaukee Business Journal Article

HERE.



Featured in PRWeek’s 2010 Career Guide

September 2010

“Job Hunting on Social Media”Read the full PRWeek Career Guide 2010 article

HERE.

PERSONAL BRANDING |








PERSONAL BRANDING | How to Create Your Own Personal Branding Strategy


Choosing a name for your social media channels.• Website Domain

• Twitter Profile

• Facebook Profile

• YouTube/Vimeo Channel Profiles

• LinkedIn Profile

Choose unique URLs for all of your social media

channels and keep them consistent. LinkedIn.com/in/LauraGainor

Facebook.com/Laura.Gainor

Twitter.com/LauraGainor



The first important step is to choose the correct name to represent yourself throughout all of your social media channels.

Example:

@LauraGainor vs. @LMG12

Google yourself.• It’s the first place potential employers go

to find more information about you.

• What are the top search results for your

name?

• What content is on those links?

• Social Media channels give you the

opportunity to create your brand on Google.

• Top results are typically your social media

channels.

• Be aware of the content you’re publishing

on these channels.



Your brand identity. Logo and personal photo.• Your profile photo is your personal branding logo.

• First impression.

• Use the same photo on all of your social media channels.

• People share your photo to present you to others. So make sure it’s how you want to represent

yourself.

• Use a good quality photo. Avoid using blurry or pixellated photos.

• Don’t be stiff in the photo. Show a little of your personality, but not too much.



@JasonKintzler @JakeDavidRohde @ToryJohnson

What is your message?• Know your message. Know your audience. Stay consistent throughout.

• Don’t be afraid of Twitter. It’s an excellent source for current events and networking.

One of the first questions when starting to create your personal brand is, What do I tweet about?

• You do not want to be a salesperson on Twitter.

• Engage in conversations. Don’t just tell people about you.

• Don’t tweet, just to tweet. Have a little substance.

• People will recognize what you talk about and will want to follow you.



Think of your personal brand as a business. • What are your goals with social media?

• Promote yourself as a brand. Customize your profiles. Design a Custom Twitter Background

• Keep track of results. How many people have you connected with each week?

• What have you learned that you feel could benefit others?

•Publish content regularly.



Engage in conversations.• Twitter is one of the best ways to network

and meet new people.

• People won’t get the chance to know who

you are, unless you talk with them on

Twitter.

• Make it a point each day to engage in a

Twitter conversation with someone other

than posting information.

• Expand your network. Find/Follow people

of interest to you.



Get creative. Play with social media. • Every day new social media tools are being created,

opening up creative opportunities to find ways to utilize

them for your personal branding.

• Spend 10 minutes each day browsing blogs, such as

Mashable and TechCrunch.

• Use Twitter to see what your network is talking about.

•Play. It’s very important to not be hesitant on

experimenting with new social media tools.



@Stickybits

@MicrosoftTag

Most importantly...

be yourself!



PERSONAL BRANDING |




Chapter 3: Timeline of results




PERSONAL BRANDING | Implementing Social Engagement Strategies


• Blogs are a vital platform to share information and engage with your audience and network.

• Have a consistent theme throughout your blog.

• Promotional tool for companies and your personal brand.

• Don’t be salesy. Share and engage.

Blogging



• Share presentations about industry topics, personal interests, or classroom projects.

• Use SlideShare as an online portolio.

• Another source for sharing video content.

• Embed presentations and videos directly within your LinkedIn profile.

SlideShare Presentations & Videos



• Produce and edit social media videos for clients, personal social engagement and featuring fun events.

• Videos are an excellent way to represent yourself. Be genuine and show your true self. Videos can’t lie.

• Video sharing sites: YouTube, Vimeo, SlideShare

Social Media Videos



• Weekly radio show hosting guests with highlighting brands and people excelling in the social media space.

• The Comet team all take turns scheduling guests and co-hosting the radio show.

Comet Branding Radio



• Utilize LinkedIn’s applications to share information and enhance your personal profile.

• Engage in industry discussions within LinkedIn groups.

• Share blog content and discussion topics within your profile.

• Connect. Network. Engage.

LinkedIn Optimization

THANK YOU |


Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about personal branding.

Connect with me.

www.CometBranding.com

@LauraGainor

QUESTIONS? |


Questions?

Presenting: Laura Gainor speaks to Marquette University about Personal Branding

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