Brand Identity
As I continue to join the ever so popular age of social networking ie: Facebook, Twitter, and more I have been faced with a good question, that I believe can benefit our readers. How can we differentiate ourselves on all of this stuff? What is my BRAND IDENTITY? What do I ‘sell’ that is worthing ‘buying’ so to speak.
I spoke with a Branding expert the other day, and the conversation was all over the place. We talked about so many ideas, I thought after I hung up, I needed a nap or a beer. What stuck with me the most was this statement; “you should focus on one thing, and be the expert at it” if it is something you don’t know much about yet, then learn it, and become the most informed person on the topic.
I agreed with him to a point. My experience in the workforce is we are expected to be good, or strong in so many areas that being the best or the expert in a singular area. That really freaked me out. I used to think I was the best at a few things; Captain of my high school swim team; First Speaker on debate team in college, and even the cooler uncle to my nieces and nephews. Now I have to figure out a way to be great at everything my boss needs me to be great at and then when I return home each day, I should focus on my ‘Brand Identity’. This social networking thing is like a full-time job. (sigh)
My problem is that I am interested in so much! I told this to the branding expert, “I am a guy who really digs GQ Magazine and Men’s Health. They talk about so much stuff in there. I like blogging about fashion, parties, networking, diversity, and workplace dynamics. Since I am a typical generation Y’er I have not made that decision on my niche yet. I am almost there I have a list about 5 items long. When I get that ah-ha moment; newlycorporate readers will be the first to know!
This is where you get to speak your mind, leave a comment: If you are a blogger, or a “dot-commer” what is your your brand identity? Why are you involved in social networking, and how does it impact your professional development?
Subscribe in a reader
I couldn’t agree more. Even when I had my first liquor store open I didn’t utilize facebook and myspace to their potential. Now, while some people call it “shameless promoting” I have something daily about my stores, liquor, beer or wine and have become the “go-to” guy for questions, parties and everything else pertaining to booze!
Joe
I think while being great at one thing is important, you also need to be versatile enough to do more.
I recently did a blog post about my personal branding statement. It’s really difficult to do at first, but going through the process helped me figure out where my strengths were and what I had to offer.
This is precisely what kept me awake last night. It’s a little bit creepy for this to be the first article I read today, but refreshing to find my jumbled thoughts so clearly outlined by someone else. Thank you for this eloquent explanation of an issue that is apparently not as rare as I thought.
Very nice information. Thanks for this.its great to see someone with a like mind.
I just found your blog on the google search engine and saw a few of your other posts that you had done . I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the great work. i will Look forward to reading more from you again.
No problem! I think it is something that we all need to be very aware of these days!
Glad you like the posts! The team here at Newly Corporate is great and we each bring a unique expertise to the Gen Y board room!