#who wrote this tagline? i just want to bite your face off i mean talk

[maybesdaughter]

"For Milton"

2nd day MOTR gift:

"-- for Milton, despite it all."

Milton? Milton, surely. Not, y'know... Milton.

[yououghtaknow]

5, 29 and 30? Also, I read all four seasons of Skam Brighton over quarantine and it was fantastic! The changed storylines were so refreshing and I’m so excited for season 5 💛

hi!!!!! thank you so much for asking and thank you so much for reading <3.

29. which version (og + adapts) does yours most closely resemble?

hmm. well i would say skam austin, definitely, as a western english speaking remake. also with the dance team/theatre club vibes and the music aspect. also skam españa, definitely, with the centring of the girls' stories and just the beautiful friendship tone of it all, which is what i really wanted to get across. also some druck in there, with the realism and fixing the trans wrongs they did. and alistair fletcher has the drama of skam france, just as a character. what do these remakes all have in common? canon wlw. which was the main thing i wanted to write in this remake. skambr has 11 canon named wlw characters who have all played major-to-minor roles in the plot of each season, with 5 of them being members of the girl squad and three of them being mains and having wildly different experiences with their attraction to women because you can’t sum up the lgbt experience with just one person.

30. free choice! just give us some fun facts about it!

fun fact: i have never physically been in brighton. i would like to be one day, but i will most likely not get there before the series finishes.

second fun fact: i was originally planning to write a skam remake set in derry, northern ireland before i wrote skam brighton. that idea has morphed into something else that i plan to write, but it is a fun fact!!

and now. the big one.

5. what are some iconic soundtrack moments?

here we go lads, seasons 3 and 4, like promised.

season three

tw for discussion of mental illness and suicide, drug abuse and violence throughout.

trailer

WE START OFF!!!! WITH A BANGER!!! "tainted love" by soft cell. it’s an iconic 80s banger that we all know and love, about a toxic relationship, and we see a type of favourite character that is niche to me (the guy with perfectionism/parental issues who did some fucked up stuff in a piece of media who not a lot of people like). it’s jake baby. it’s about him living his life and being like “i feel like i have to run away from all of this” (a sentiment which shall be echoed later on). and jake with all of his different masks…….. i was ahead of my time.

episode one

we open with “say amen (saturday night)” by panic! at the disco which is. kind of yikes now, but the song does have the vibes i desired for the opening scene. a party-esque banger. lyrics like “i pray for the wicked on the weekend / mama, can i get another amen?” for the catholic imagery and mommy issues. also panic! is known throughout history to be an lgbt band. 

then we get “get out of my head” by redlight”, just for the mental illness of it all. also it has been said that i do love a good party song with deeply depressing lyrics about the main playing in the background <3. 

and then we get me ripping off druck with “idontwannabeyouanymore” by the theorist playing because i just wanted to use a piano cover of the song because silence with just instrumental is just very dynamic and mentally ill. 

and then we meet eleanor with “insane” by sonny fodera and biscits, which is basically just the lyrics “girl you make me go insane” because. well. you hate to see it folks, but we gotta foreshadow the internalised ableism and the hating one woman as a treat.

and to close off a very music filled first clip, we got “drive” by halsey, a staple of tumblr culture back in the day because it is just like “all we do is think about the feelings that we hide”. literally when you are gay and alone and are just so desperate for someone to see you but also so deeply afraid of it because that means change coming <3 

AND THEN!!!! we meet the love of my life ms christine love as she hums “express yourself” by madonna as she cleans the house. i wanted to give christine a lot of 80s music in her scenes, to show that she’s living in the past in regards to jake’s dad. also it’s just a good song, “you gotta make him express how he feels” is me writing any of the characters having dialogue.

AND THEN BABY!!!!!!!!!!! we get a moment i love so deeply. “mama who bore me/reprise” by the sweet signatures. an all female acapella cover of the iconic spring awakening song. this song has everything - heavy metaphor about sex, wanting your mum to tell you shit, catholic imagery, teen angst, amazing belting. we get the slow part as jake is alone and just trying to work out how to help his mum, and then get the ANGRY BANGER as jake goes out to play with his dogs to get his frustrations out, because at the end of the say, all of these characters are still kids <3

then we get “young (club mix) by jaded because i just wanted kind of boring straight party music for the bryan and rory scene. 

BECAUSE THEN LGBT COMMUNITY!!!!! we get jake’s dramatic walk down the hallway as “somebody to love” by queen plays. it’s about the catholicism, it’s about the being gay, it’s about the being so fucking lonely and just wanting somebody!!!!! also the parallel between jake’s lonely scene with “somebody” playing and liz’s crowded scene with “nobody” playing…. it’s about mentally ill people being different but also the same <3

AND. NOW. THE MOMENT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. we meet Him. the most valid theatre kid rep in the world. mr alistair thomas fletcher, who enters our lives singing “shallow” from a star is born under his breath as he washing his hands. once again, i’m ahead of my time. but also the first lines al sings are, metaphorically, him talking to jake. like “aren’t you tried trying to fill that void / or do you need more”. and then we begin a piece of foreshadowing most pleasing to me. alistair in season 3 and the recurring motif of falling, which will climax at the end of episode 10. also foreshadowing of his experiences with bipolar disorder with “in all the good times i find myself longing for change / and in the bad times i fear myself”. and we also begin the motif of jake interrupting al’s singing. 

(you may be thinking, isaac tumblr user nickhealy, you’re putting a lot of thought into this. that’s because out of all of the characters, al’s the one who never really expresses himself with his words or actions - he usually expresses himself primarily through music, which is a very fun and autistic thing of me to write.)

(also, the og episode 1 bench scene did make me feel very. not good as a gay trans guy, with all the talk of penises and such. it’s just very sexy of me to change it to al talking loudly about ballet and elton john. and then we get jake up on the balcony and al down yelling up at him. because i have literally never referenced anything subtly in my life)

and we end with “how does it feel” by m-22. like: “how does it feel when your walls fall down /  how does it feel when you're lost and found / how does it feel / it's the sweetest sound”. like it’s about jake meeting al, king of not being Good At Social, fletcher, and instantly being like “yes, husband material, thank you”.

episode two

(yes, this episode is titled after the gay hsm song. yes i’m a genius)

we open, as all good things do, with a fun homoerotic punk song with catholic imagery “east jesus nowhere” by green day. it’s just jake being like “i am Trying to find the instagram of a cute guy outside of church, love being a sinner”.

and now we see the beginnings of Sad Boy Jake, with “it’s ok, i wouldn’t remember me either” by crywank. we got “i am looking for an easy place / to mask my thoughts behind my face” and “i can hide from friends but i cannot hide from you” because he’s gay and he has depression. 

AND THEN!!!! we get “i like you” by dandelion hands playing as he comments supportive things on the youtube video of al….. literally jacob love will see a pretty boy one time and be like “last time i had you i should have kissed you”. also his alternate name being jack valentine…. valentine and love ugh my brain is so big

AND THEN!!!!!!! slow mo time, with “bite” by troye sivan…… a gay classic, if i do say so. like it’s about jake seeing al casually walk past, being all prententious and out, and jake’s just like “please set me free and let me walk beside you” because of the gay experience of simutaneously wanting to be a person and kiss them.

and then we get “the daisy chain” by the growlers. “feeling pressure on every side” and “tired of waiting to be explained / weakest link in the daisy chain”. it’s just the vibes babe.

AND THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!! a brilliant moment in my bare a pop opera stanning career - we get jake watching a bootleg of bare 2004 as “role of a lifetime” from the show plays. literally one of the most gorgeous songs ever written, sung by matt doyle. like everything is an act when you’re pleasing everyone - which could be the tagline of skam brighton as a whole. also jake watching “see me” and beginning to tear up because he’s afraid to come out to his mother and get the same negative reaction….. and him watching “cross” and sobbing because he relates to jason so much and feels like he would also be better off dead than gay….. 

BUT AFTER THAT!!! we smash cut to al as jeremy in be more chill, singing the beginning of “more than survive”. absolute king shit!!!!! also, i don’t remember if it’s mentioned in canon, but eleanor is the person who plays the squip in this production of bmc, because i am not!! subtle!! with!! my!! metaphors!! 

and we return to sad boy jacob with “swear to god the devil made me do it” by the front bottoms, chosen because references to the devil and mommy issues <3

AND THEN!!!! A MOMENT OF GREAT FORESHADOWING!!! we get mister alistair fletcher practising alone in a theatre because he is dramatic, and jake walking in as he sings “broadway here i come” from smash. we got references to saints, we got hints at al’s anxiety, we got the falling motif coming back in a song explicitly about jumping off of a building, that also doubles as a song about wanting to do theatre….. also, al plays the last note wrong as a metaphor for al’s plan of suicide going well until the very end, where he ends up alive and goes home.

(side note, we also got the football team’s jackets and signature colours being black and white (straight pride flag colours babey) and then we see al in bright yellow. it also represents jake’s depression and al’s mania, the everything and the nothing of it all.)

AND THEN!!!! we get manic (in the most literal sense of the word) pixie dream boy al asking jake to dance with him to “movement” by hozier because. it’s literally just such a beautiful song. and jake is just watching al dance like “hm. no thoughts head empty just pretty boy”. also the scene itself is a reference to wicked, with jake doing an awkward and stilted dance and al taking it and turning it into something graceful (the glinda and elphie scene in dancing through life)

and then we get the return of blue neighbourhood with “youth” by troye sivan playing over a smoking montage with the boys, because they’re young, they’re gay, they’re vibing

AND THEN!!!! we get “talk” by hozier playing as the episode ends - a song that of course references orpheus and eurydice, as al also did in this clip with hadestown. it also plays over ellie talking because jake is just Ignoring her to pay attention to al. also the inherent homoeroticism of making eye contact while hozier plays

episode three

we open with “highway to hell” by ac/dc over a fun football montage of jake both playing the game and getting bored and checking out guys. it’s about the thinking he’s gonna go to hell for doing it but he literally Cannot Stop

AND THEN!!!!!! a moment. we get a performance of some of “all you wanna do” from six by al and ellie and their theatre kid friends as they rehearse for something at lunch and jake, bryan and rory watch them. ellie’s doing the whole flirty k howard thing, and not actually getting into the real feeling of the song, and the guy she’s dancing with it awkward as all fuck because he’s her cousin. so we get al stepping in and fucking going the fuck off. and we see how good of an actor al really is in this scene, as he’s legit scary. we also see ellie clearly having feelings towards al and him just being like “yep good acting! moving on!!!” because no thoughts just dance. also bryan and rory not understanding that the song is about assault and jake being genuinely concerned….. and then al and ellie’s kiss at the end as ellie “dies”..... god the real reason this show isn’t made is because i would be too powerful if i could make everyone see my theatre kid mischief.

AND ANOTHER MOMENT!!!! we get “like a prayer” by madonna playing as jake is living his life and taking some “am i gay” quizzes - the questions of which are comprised of actual am i gay quizzes i took to make the scene as legit as possible, and as a gay trans person. Did Not Like. Would Not Recommend. also jake admitting he’s gay to the quiz because he’s pissed about the concept of misgendering al….. also jake forcing himself to pick the straight options even though it’s emotionally hurting him…. and then we hear christine singing in the hallway “everyone must stand alone” because it’s jake pov at the time…..

AND SMASH CUT TO!!! fall out boy’s cover of “i wanna dance with somebody”, because at the last very gay house party “i wanna dance with somebody” played and i love a good parallel

AND THEN!!!!!! literally the hottest of all hot boy summer things, we get al and esther doing some karaoke at the house party with “don’t you want me” by the human league. (which, yes, is a glee reference.) THE LITERAL COURAGE OF THIS MAN!!!! alistair fletcher looked a closeted guy, who he has had three (3) interactions with in person, dead in the eye and was like “i know you want me”. as opposed to esther “just be her friend first and then see about anything else” montner and james “I Will Never Speak To You Again If You So Wish” cohen.

and then, because of course i did, we get “bad romance” by lady gaga playing over the next scene with the beginnings of the boy squad because it’s a gay house party and it’s a fucking banger for the ages

(also just the shift from al hot boy summer fletcher to al gay disaster fletcher with him running literally out of the house because he kissed a guy.)

“left handed kisses” by andrew bird and fiona apple plays after jake and al’s deep conversation outside. like jake’s really out here like “i don't believe everything happens for a reason” and “i don't go in for your star-crossed lovers / in the heart of a skeptic / there's a question that still hovers near” because al info dumped about his love for adaptation of romeo and juliet…. (side note, al is definitely an & juliet stan, as everyone should be, stream & juliet <3)

episode four

we open with a song i discovered when i was in a community theatre rip off version of cats, “the show” by lenka. it’s about a song about indecision in the middle of a church before confession, because jake can’t actually confess to the sins he believes to be true. it’s about the “'cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot to be something i'm not”.

And then we fade to “pink + white” by frank ocean (because mlm rights), and just like “you showed me love / glory from above / good glory, dear / it's all downhill from here” is a very al/jake line. also it’s a bop for a little football montage.

AND THEN!!!! on halloween, we get a little montage of jake dancing to “paradise by the dashboard light” by meatloaf as he makes himself a sandwich - it’s literally about just being happy and having a nice time. and also jake dancing to more old timey music because he’s going up to his parents’ old room and he’s also living in the past a little, with his childish snack and playful dancing.

(also, the phone call where al just infodumps about bare and jake’s listening and asking questions <3 it’s about the autistic love and friendship yet again)

and then we get “i’m so tired…” by lauv and troye sivan as we arrive at the very awkward ellie/jake/al pre drink, because Is Jake Not So Tired Of This Heterosexual Bullshit He Must Do.

(also, it is my personal headcanon, and therefore canon, that al convinced ellie to go with the angel and devil costumes so that he could pull up in his leo-as-romeo get up and live out his baz luhrmann esque fantasy).

AND THEN LGBT NATION!!!! we get “run away with me” by ms crj as jake and al literally run away from the party after al got misgendered and Pissed. it’s about the using romance and whimsy as an escapism from your shitty life, it’s about the being the in darkness and occasionally getting hit by the street light, it’s about the “i’ll be your sinner in secret”, it’s about the bare connotation with the “run away with me” parallels. it’s also about the song being one of the best songs ever written.

(and then we get the wedding, which, before i get into the song, is a reference to So Many Things. we got west side story with the fake wedding and first kiss, we got hadestown with al making the wedding rings from nature (a la wedding song), we got bare with wedding bells and the dream wedding, and in the scene, we get some vineyard scene from spring awakening vibes, with the discussion of the future and religion and philosophy…… quite literally i love art so much)

and then. ladies. a piece of writing written in Peak tender tumblr. al and jake have the kiss of their wedding to “pink in the night” by mitski. it’s literally about the “i know i kissed you before but / i didn’t do it right / can i try again?” of it all. like jake love voice “i glow pink in the night in my room / i’ve been blossoming alone over you”. the repression, the pining…………. i am such a talented man.

and then we end with a doctor who reference, with al saying “run”, taking jake’s hand and the two of them running out of the church as “run away with me” comes back in. it’s literally about al taking jake out of his dull life and helping him find his own happiness. it’s also about the inherent autistic culture of relating to aliens.

episode five

WE! OPEN! WITH! a song about being gay and falling in love with someone immediately after meeting them - “share your address” by ben platt. a bop for the ages. it makes me so happy, it’s a great “early stages of a relationship honeymoon stage” montage song.

(also, i just really love the detail i put in about al’s binder, because the cuddle scene with david and matteo in druck did make me worried because david was wearing his binder. like i understand why he wore it for the actor’s comfort but just the thought of sleeping in a binder…… terrible. awful. pain beyond my wildest dreams.)

(also also, al saying he couldn’t get on hormones because of “problems with his heart” is a lie, because he means because of his mental health, which is based on personal experience babey)

and then we get an iconic skam song: “talk show host” by radiohead plays as jake sits in the back of a drama club meeting, isolating himself. it’s literally about the “i want to be someone else or i’ll explode” of it all. 

and then we get “rock and roll” by led zeppelin as jake walks his dogs - just because it seems like the kind of song jake would like and it just vibed with the whole scene.

(also, the clip where jake texts al at the beginning of it and then asks bree about her family….. literally i’m so good at foreshadowing)

AND THEN!!!!! WE GET THE ICONIC!!! “involuntary teenage rebel” by clout from grandma’s closet plays as we get a jake solo slow mo. literally they were right when they said “they say i'm a teenage rebel / but i'm really just afraid of how i come across to others / and it bothers me when i look weak”. like that’s just another skam statement line babey. also it’s genuinely such a good song and literally helped inspire me to do more songwriting…. stream it 

and then we get “heaven” by avicii, chosen purely for the title being “heaven” because christianity centric season.

AND THEN!!!!! we get jake asking al to come save him from the shitty party, and al says “wait for me, i’m coming”, an obvious hadestown reference, and when he arrives, he’s singing the “la la la la la la la”s from the show. it’s because the party - where bryan, rory and ellie are - is, in al’s mind, hell, and he’s going to save jake from it. 

and then, because, as mentioned, the way al express his true feelings is through Music, we get al trying to comfort jake by playing him a song - “you matter to me” from waitress (put a pin in waitress, i’ll get back to it later). the inherent homosexuality in “come out of hiding i’m right here beside you / and i’ll stay there as long as you’ll let me”. also it’s just about mattering to someone. like, for the first time in his life, jake has someone who’s saying “i love you, you matter, i will be here for you” and he just needed that So Much. 

episode six

AND WE SMASH CUT IMMEDIATELY TO!!! “london boy” by taylor swift, a campy and beautiful bop!!!! because al Is from london and he Is a boy!!! (also, fun fact, i was going to make al be from ireland originally, but then someone in the skambr discord said this song should be used in a scene, and i was like “okay, fuck it, london time”)

(also, you can subtly see al’s mania in the london boy scene, with him coming up with quick ideas, clearly having very low anxiety through the past few episodes, and just taking off his shoes and going for a walk in a park in november…..)

and then we get “landslide” by fleetwood mac as jake lies in his dead dad’s bed. it’s really about the “can the child within my heart rise above? / can i sail through the changing ocean tides?” and about the grieving as a child and your mental health getting worse while you’re still so young and you feel like the world’s on your shoulders and you’re both an adult and a child at once……

and then……. we get “class of 2013” by mitski after christine has her breakdown and jake packs his things to run away. it’s about both of them dealing with their grief by pretending it never happened and having all of that build up inside of them until they can’t take it anymore. And i see the lyrics of “mom i’m tired / can i sleep in your house tonight?” in this specific situation as jake being tired of his father’s constant presence and he just wants to be in a house with his mother the way he remembered her before his father died. 

(and, sidenote, this is one of the saddest scenes i’ve ever written, in my opinion…...with jake being like “she’s so crazy, but i’m nothing like her” because he’s in denial of his own mental health issues and al seeing him saying that as “oh, he’ll see that i’m crazy too and want to leave”...... and al says his final goodbye to jake, using his full name, because he assumes jake will never want to speak to him again, but jake has no idea……..)

(also, jake parroting bryan’s words of “gay marriage is legal, so everything is fine” in the pride clip……. God. and the way jake’s internalised homophobia and ableism manifests in the same harmful way….)

and then we get “don’t threaten me with a good time” by panic! At the disco as they boy squad rolls up to the party in the park. it’s just a party song. no deeper meaning lads.

and then we get jake in the bathroom having a little breakdown (as a treat) to “Give me novacaine” by green day. it’s just about the using alcohol and drugs to cope with your poor mental health because you have no other quick way to make it all better. It’s about about jake trying both to numb himself and to force himself to feel something, but neither one of those things give him the results he wants.

episode seven

we open with another iconic and beautiful song: “life in italics” by clout from grandma’s closet babey. like jake love voice “all these troubles on my mind i’ve been lonely / building walls running from the old me”. thank you clout for literally writing some of the best lgbt music. 

AND THEN!!!!!!! a scene that brings me much joy. “gotta go my own way” from high school musical 2 plays in the other room as jake has a religious breakdown in a literal (storage) closet. and then al leaves the group chat and blocks jake…. like jake voice “another colour turns to grey / and it's just too hard to watch it all / slowly fade away”

and then we get “hello!” by role model as jake goes for a depressed jog and he sees bree out drinking with some random people. like “i never really talk much, keep it inside / to find someone who cares is getting harder to find / we should be dancing in the sun / it's hard when everything is numb”.

(also, at the end of that clip, we briefly shift from jake’s pov to al’s, as we see al filming in the park and he films jake running away…… do i know what this means metaphorically? not really. do i vibe hard with it? oh hell yeah)

AND THEN!!!! after jake and sandy have their beautiful conversation, we get “under pressure” by queen and david bowie, another older song, this time expressing jake’s joy as he finds some small solace with his younger self. it’s also just about the inherent homosexuality of the song and of sitting on the beach, eating chips with your best friend.

episode eight

WE BEGIN!!!! with a youtube video of ellie and al singing “wallflower” from we are the tigers. i chose this basically because i wanted to get more of a vibe of what their relationship is/was across, and also because i love the song (stream we are the tigers original off broadway cast recording). it’s also about the dynamic of the song being “shy introvert vs outgoing extrovert being very toxic friends”, and also about the ellie supporting al stuff, because she has canonically been there for him for years, just not in a very good way. also i wanted to write representation for the “had a very intense friendship with a girl pre-transition and then had a dramatic friend break up and now i’m a guy and feel disconnected from the whole thing, although it was quite homoerotic at the time” people. this scene also marked the beginning of my purely self indulgent musical number scenes, and be warned, this may the the first, but it is by no means the last.

and then it’s very music lite for the rest of the episode, until al returns, and jake’s like “hey, maybe you should stop talking to your toxic friend” and al responds by beginning to make out with him as “fuck time” by green day starts to play. the COMEDY of jake being like “seriously, i think--” and then all you hear is “OOH BABY BABY IT’S FUCK TIME”. skam brighton is a comedy show.

and then we get al “communicates through music and theatre references” fletcher beginning to sign the ASL translation of the bridge of “word of your body (reprise)” from spring awakening with jake - which is another Very tragic show - and al also literally says the line “and so you should”. and al responding to jake jokingly calling him insane by shutting him up with another kiss….. oh ladies.

episode nine

WE! OPEN! WITH! “love shack” by the b-52s as jake wakes up and sees james and al just having some Fun making breakfast in the kitchen. it’s just some boys being boys and having bants.

and then we get jake using al’s love language of music and singing “those magic changes” from grease, singing along to the jordan fisher and aaron tveit version because that song did assist in my gay awakening.

(also, al stanning female doctor pomatter in waitress and james stanning waitress as someone from an abusive household….. my mind.)

and now. we begin The Big Bad Clip. “why didn’t you stop me” by mitski plays over the beginning of jake and al’s london adventure. it’s literally about looking back on the scene as it happens in a montage and al being like “why didn’t you stop me from doing that”..... god.

(also, jake and al go to see waitress, which Has been played before, and it’s foreshadowing for how their relationship ends. jenna and jim’s relationship - the main couple of waitress - begins with them cheating on their parents and falling in love quickly in secret, but they know it’s not healthy for them to keep the relationship going, so agree to end things and part ways as friends who wish nothing but the best for each other.)

and then we get “oops! I did it again” by britney spears glee cast version, because it’s just really Sexy and Fun. also just the mentally ill experience of “oops! i did a manic episode again!”.

and then we cut between a piano version of “last night on earth” by green day, as jake sits alone in the hotel room, and “true trans soul rebel” by against me! as al walks down the streets of london, in a split pov, and then we see al having a full meltdown/breakdown in the middle of victoria station. like al voice in this scene “another night you wish you could forge, / making yourself up as you go along / who’s gonna take you home tonight? / does god bless your transsexual heart?”.

and then we get legit “last night on earth” by green day as jake walks away after ellie yells at him. just because it vibes so much.

episode ten

we open with “mystery of love” by sufjan stevens as jake walks down to al’s house, because it’s just a vibey song, and while i hate cmb//yn with the fury of a thousand suns, it Is a song written for mlm.

and then we get “better alone” by lykke li as jake researches al’s various diagnoses. and it’s just like “nobody wants to be the one to walk away / nobody wants to see the truth, then let it in, run away / nobody wants to know the ways they don't love you right” and then “i’m better alone than lonely”..... mr love

and then we get “let it be” by the beatles, a Very nostalgic old fashioned song with catholic themes and just big comforting and recovery vibes…. jake confessing his real feelings to the priest and then reuniting with christine in the church and hugging her tightly and they both agree on working on getting better….. 

and then we get to the talent show, where we see the end of ellie singing “on my own” from les mis - as jake did at the beginning of season one. is this foreshadowing? is it a coincidence? i honestly don’t know. i just chose it because basic theatre girl song.

AND!!!!! THEN!!!!!! we get the song that acts as al’s suicide note: “the goodbye song” by joe iconis (writer of be more chill and “broadway here i come” from smash). we get the return of the falling motif with “i’m flying away” and the lines that really act as what al imagines to be his final goodbye to everyone he knows, as everyone he knows and loves is in that building: “i'd stay if i could / but the universe won't let me / so please be good / and don't you forget me”, and then al turns the “aahs” at the end of the song from a catchy crowd pleaser ending to a long, painful scream as the audience slowly stops clapping, until the room is silent, and then he bows a la the emcee at the end of cabaret (a bow which is often viewed as a metaphor for the character’s death). it’s literally just al having a breakdown on stage, but he rolls a nat 20 on his performance check, and the audience are like “this is very good performance art”

we then get a flashback to “broadway here i come” because. i am a king of foreshadowing.

and then we get “wait for me” from hadestown (obc version) as jake runs to find al, and it’s about the role reversal of jake running to save al from something worse than al saving him for bryan. it’s about the repetition of “wait for me, i’m coming” because of the fear of “what if i get there too late?”

episode eleven

“a better son/daughter” by rilo kiley plays as jake looks through al’s two tumblr blogs - and the song simultaneously a very al and jake song. with the descriptions of depression and dealing with a mother with mental illness at the start, which are very jake, but then the lines “and sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on / and your friends they sing along and they love you. / but the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap” are just the base character description for al.

and then we get “the archer” by taylor swift as jake goes into the school again…. like he has been the archer and he has been the prey, in regards to being gay (with him helping in outing sandy and being outed himself).....

(also, fun fact about the episode, it was originally written to be from al’s point of view, but then i decided against it and had to rewrite it, which is why there’s only 4 clips instead of the usual 5 or 6)

and then, lgbts, we get “the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us!” by sufjan stevens as jake walks his dogs  out on the beach and al goes to the beach to write his emo poetry…… also, fun fact, al’s poetry is the first time i’ve ever written poetry/lyrics that weren’t about me, which is very fun. 

and then!!!! at the beginning of the final clip, we got “footloose” by kenny loggins, the iconic bop from the film of the same name. just because it slaps and it’s a fun time.

(we also get some Foreshadowing with al referencing rent in this scene)

and then. transgender nation. we get “midnight radio” from hedwig and the angry inch playing over al and jake’s having fun and being dumb kids montage. 

i know riverdale made this song a meme, but it HITS. it’s about the al referencing origin of love in the cuddle clip, al saying “i laugh because i will cry if i don’t”, it’s about the “for the misfits and losers” and the “hold onto each other”. it’s literally about jake finding community and also wholeness and happiness in himself.

(also, jake talking about all the little soulmates and the fact that he believes that the boy and girl squads are all his soulmates in different ways…… and bree actually paying attention and showing some vulnerability at that point because she loves her friends so much!!!!!!!!!!)

season four

tw for discussion of sexual assault/rape, alcohol abuse and abortion throughout

trailer

lgbt community. we begins with the regrettes' cover of "don't stop me now" by queen because a) i think it's fun when women and b) it's about bree's mania that we've already seen throughout the seasons, this time from her perspective, and it's simultaneously a Fun Time and a Foreboding time.

episode one

we open with "hail mary, gentle woman" by the cathedral singers, which is literally just the prayer "hail mary", but a song. i chose this because catholic, women, and church time babey. also because it was always one of my favourite hymns growing up (because, in case you couldn't tell from half of the mains being raised catholic and lowkey fucked up because of it, i was raised catholic)

and then we SMASH CUT to "r u mine?" by arctic monkeys, a sad british teen staple, as we see bree wake up in josh's bed for the first time and take the "walk of shame" to get to church. it's about the "i go crazy 'cause here isn't where i wanna be", introducing the Mental Illness, bree's want to get out of where she's from and go to a good uni, and her literally not wanting to be in some strange guy's bed in one line. am I reading too much into this? hell yeah. but it's my show, so i can read as much as i want!!!! (also "satisfaction feels like a distant memory" is both about her depressive states and josh not being able to make her orgasm <3)

AND THEN!!!!!!!!!! we get "all i really want" by alanis morissette, the beginning of my season 4/jlp parallel hyperfixation. it's about bree kinning frankie healy and "do i stress you out?" being her @ audrey. and just bree voice "it would knock me to the floor if i wasn't there already / if only i could hunt the hunter". it's just a perfect teen angst song and it's perfectly grungy and brianna-y.

AND THEN!!!!! we get "kiwi" by harry styles playing as bree slow mos by herself down the street. it's about the just hot girl energy of the song and also the romanticization of unhealthy behaviour because that's bree, baby!!!! also we get more of the word "crazy" because of bree's internalised ableism, and we also get the chorus of "i'm having your baby, it's none of your business", foreshadowing her unplanned pregnancy done by josh, who we saw in the last scene.

AND THEN!!!!! we get "chandelier" by sia as bree and the girls have a fun party moment, but bree is still Fucked Up mentally by seeing annabell and also men being creepy. it's about the using alcohol and drugs to push away your feelings because you have a lot of trauma and have internalised ableism and have no idea how to get the help you need without being vulnerable, which terrifies you so So much. also we see that bree forgot to take her meds in this scene, which i couldn't explicitly say in the scene because spoilers, but it's a fun thing.

then we get dodie's cover of "when the party's over" by billie eilish because i like the soft piano vibes of it as bree walks home after the party, because we always see bree as "the party girl", but the party's over now and we see her petting her cat, making sure her brother's home safe, taking off all her makeup and pretty clothes, completely non sexualised, and just getting into bed to sleep because she's just So Tired. also it's about bree pretending she's happy on her own, but she's Not, she has a lot of self loathing and deeply loves her friends more than anything. also a bree/rori moment with "call me friend but keep me closer".

episode two

we open with an audition sequence!!!!! because i'm a theatre kid and love a good audition sequence!!!!

we get rori singing "sexy" from mean girls, because it's a very rori show (pink aesthetic, fun female characters, a funny time), and because it's a very maureen from rent song. also rori is just a very funny person and also has a sick high belt in my mind. also it's about her learning to like the way she looks, slowly but surely. it's also a song about changing who you are, which is a very skam brighton theme.

and then we get al singing "vienna" by billy joel, but the shortened version they did in smash, but he also plays the piano like ben platt in the politician because he's a basic white theatre boy. it's also just a beautiful song about growing up and maturing, and also "if you're so smart, then tell me why are you still so afraid?" is a very bree line. 

(also, the part where josh calls milo his "kid cousin" and then bree's like "yeah, milo's the same age as me" but josh ignores it…… creepy!!!!! bad!!!!!! also, side note, milo is canonically genderfluid and uses different pronouns depending on the day, which is why they change throughout the season.)

and then!!!! we get annabell singing "hallelujah" by leonard cohen, which is just a stunning song, we all know this. it's a song about faith and doubt and it's also a parallel to rori's happy go lucky song, which annabell's being slow and sad instead. also they're jewish and gay and lovely. and then the jeff buckley cover plays over the next scene because it's Good.

and then we get "feel it still" by portugal. the man as the girl squad text. it's just a fun song and the line "i'm a rebel just for kicks" is great from brianna "rebel girl by bikini kill" holland.

and then, swiftie nation, we get “new romantics” by taylor swift as bree agrees to go out with josh because she’s being self destructive. like the fact that she says yes to him as the line “we’re all bored / we’re all so tired of everything” plays say it all. and just the whole song is very bree core, as a whole, also it’s a really fucking good song. i am a 1989 (deluxe) stan.

and then we fade away with “vienna” by billy joel because it is such a good song god bless <3

episode three

WE!! OPEN!! WITH!!! “tik tok” by ke$ha because it is genuinely one of the best songs of our generation, and also it’s just a very shopping centre song. i don’t know why but it Is.

AND THEN!!!!!!!!! we get genuinely one of my favourite songs that i’ve been waiting to find the right scene for ever since i first heard it. “dog bite” by stella bridie is just genuinely a stunning song that really Gets bree’s character as a whole, especially the first lines “putting on lipstick in the bathroom at the doctor’s  / i got a party after this blood test”..... the whole Need to be perform feminity whilst doing something as simple as going to the doctor’s as bree draws herself and tries to make herself look perfect because she believes her only self worth comes from her body and just….. the vibes. immaculate.

and then we get “ophelia” by marika hackman, another beautiful song, as we see bree self destructively look through all of the cyber bullying that’s happened to her in the past as a way of emotional self harm. it’s just a genuinely depressing scene with a good song underscoring it.

but then we cut to rori and brianna out for a jog together - because both have issues with their self image, but also because they’re friends and like to do things together - as “it’s nice to have a friend” by taylor swift plays. it is a very homoerotic song, with a lot of childhood friends to lovers vibes, which is kind of what we’re going for here. they are both very deeply sad but also it is nice to have a friend and have someone there for you when you find out the cast list of the musical you auditioned for and you can hug them…….

and then!!!!! we get “...ready for it?” by taylor swift as we get another party sequence because it’s a fucking banger and also brianna is Very reputation as a person, which will be shown with some other taylor songs throughout the season. also it’s kind of a “are you ready for it?” for the Deeply Sad scene that follows the fun party sequence, because this is skam brighton, and i will always write scenes of people being sad outside/after parties.

episode four

we begin with “harlem” by new politics as bree, annabell and dean hang out at the shopping centre and fuck around in clarie’s. it’s about a funky song and about the recurring line of “like you, like me, like everybody else” of the three of them all having their mental illnesses in common and bree simultaneously feeling happy that she can be open about it, and deeply uncomfortable that she has to be open about it.

and then we get “crush on you” by elijah who as bree scrolls through instagram and looks at two pictures - one of annabell and one of rori and nick, and when she likes the picture of rori and nick, she literally taps over nick’s face so that she can just look at rori <3 it’s about the bree being a bicon.

and then we get the theatre club watching rent as a fun time!!!! we get tune up #1 and voicemail #1, just iconic numbers. we get theatre kid supreme al knowing all of the words, cool guy james doing his air guitar, and when the line “let her be a lesbian” is sung, we get annabell cheering and rori awkwardly looking away because she has internalised homophobia.

(side note, one of my favourite aspects of this season is that it’s a subversion of the past three, where we’ve seen sandy, liz and jake deal with their internalised struggles with their sexualities, but with bree and rori, rori’s the one dealing with her sexuality, while bree is in love with her quietly)

AND THEN!!!!! we open clip 5 with the iconic skam verse song “call your girlfriend” by robyn as the girl squad show up at a house party and bree and rori have a homoerotic moment

and then!!!!!!!!!!!! a moment of skamverse wlw solidarity, “blush” by rhiza plays as rori and bree kiss in the bathroom. a) because it’s a good song and b) because the whole “she's just a friend, you know, but sometimes yeah i wanna kiss her, uhm but that's just 'cause she's cute right? that don't make me gay, it's not like i like other girls like i only like her, i mean no, i'm not gay, right?” part is really summing up what rori’s going through in this scene. also the song is just a bree song. 

episode five

WE OPEN WITH!!!!!! an iconic moment, if i may say so myself. an iconic wlw song, “boyfriend” by marika hackman, plays over bree and nick out partying. like it opens with the lyrics: “i've got your boyfriend on my mind / i think he knows you stayed with me last night” and then we get “it's fine 'cause i am just a girl / ‘it doesn't count’”. i mean. come on.

we then get a snippet of “rent” from rent in a rehearsal, with the lines: “how do you leave the past behind / when it keep finding ways to get to your heart” and “how can you connect in an age / where strangers, landlords, lovers / your own blood cells betray / what binds the fabric together / when the raging, shifting winds of change / keep ripping away”, which all really relate to brianna with her trying to bury her past traumas and and how she struggles to connect and also struggles with change - and the reference to fabric in the line when she’s the person who does the costumes for the show.

and then we get “pynk” by janelle monae as bree and annabell go charity shopping together and have a nice time. It’s just a fun wlw song and i like it. also it’s boppy and happy and kind of dreamy to show how their relationship is very on the surface and not as deep as it once was and they’re not really going to get that back so it’s just really awkward. 

AND THEN!!!! we get bree panicking because she’s getting creepy messages from josh so she runs to hang out with the girl squad and works on her drawing of them, focusing on rori as “head over feet” by alanis morissette plays. this is kind of a contrast to “pynk”, with it being a song that uses real instruments as opposed to the more electro feel of “pynk” to represent the two different relationships. also the lyrics “you treat me like i'm a princess / i'm not used to liking that” and “you've already won me over in spite of me / and don't be alarmed if i fall head over feet / and don't be surprised if i love you for all that you are / i couldn't help it / it's all your fault” are just Incredibly rori/brianna.

and then we get “hand solo (acoustic)” by marika hackman as we get a brief scene of bree masturbating to some not very healthy p*rn. i was hesitant to include this scene, out of fear of over-sexualising bree as a bisexual girl of colour, but then i thought i had to include the scene from a non-sexual stand point - to show how bree uses sex, even in her own mind when she’s alone, as a self destructive thing, and to show that masturbation is a normal thing to do, but also it’s a hint that bree’s state is getting a bit more manic than usual, so she’s getting more hypersexual. also for the catholic guilt of her stopping and looking up to see the cross above her bed.

when then get ortopilot’s cover of “basketcase” by green day, which is more of an acoustic version of the song. the song itself is just a Very mental illness song and just has a lot of vibes of guilt with it, and the beat of the song is very quick and manic in itself.

we then get “every breath you take” by the police playing over bree and josh’s Scary text conversation in the fish n chip shop, because it’s a creepy stalker song with Pleasant Music over it, which is kind of the Vibe i was going for with josh. also, the season came out around the same time as skames season 3, and seeing the parallels between josh and miquel, with josh being very emotionally distant and miquel being very emotionally close, but both of them having the same goal in mind and end result was very interesting to me. also both of them being very creepy old guys who should stay away from teenagers <3

but then. oh but then. we get a moment that is genuinely one of my favourites. we get the broadway cast version of “forgiven” by alanis morissette, another one of my favourite songs. i chose the broadway version because i prefer the quieter orchestration and the build up to the chorus instead of going all in on it so quickly. i chose this song because bree does parallel frankie from jlp, yes, but she also parallels mj in the fact that she’s repressing her trauma from being sexually harassed and assaulted by adult men ever since she was a child. and the song itself is very beautiful and bree core, with lyrics such as “my brothers, they never went blind for what they did / but i may as well have / in the name of the father, the skeptic and the son / i have one more stupid question” and “we all had our reasons to be there / we all had a thing or two to learn / we all needed something to cling to / so we did”. we also see bree seeking refuge in a church after being harassed by josh, because religion is the place where she genuinely feels safest, but she also doesn’t feel safe, as a bisexual woman in the catholic church, but she also knows in her heart that she is loved by god. 

episode six

WE! OPEN! WITH! “motion sickness” by ms phoebe bridgers plays as bree wakes up at liz’s house the next morning - a song literally about a shitty older man - and then bree is literally sick in the bathroom, claiming she has food poisoning from the strange fish they got last night because she couldn’t go to their usual place out of fear. but, in reality, this is morning sickness from her pregnancy, because she had sex with josh for the first time 6 weeks prior.

and then we get a scene of bree in a manic state rapidly working on costumes as “my body’s made of crushed little stars” by mitski plays. this scene is directly inspired by me in what i believe to be a manic episode staying up until 5am writing because i thought that if i stopped i would forget everything that i was thinking and never write anything good again. fun times. but also just the fast pace of the song and the very depressing lyrics and the whole “i’m not doing anything” playing over bree doing So Many Things…..

we then get a lot of silence because it’s Emotion Time, but then!!!! we get a moment very pleasing to be, “unprodigal daughter” by alanis morissette playing as bree goes to buy a pregnancy test. the song itself is just one of my favourites, and it’s also about bree kinning ms frankie healy (having a “perfect” white older brother, having an intense relationship with your mother, being artistic and into english, being bisexual and just really cool), but it’s also a song about choice and the singer choosing herself and who she wants to be and having hope for the future and wanting to run away. also the line “i’d invite you but i’m busy being oppressed” once again being used in regards to a young bisexual girl of colour….. genuinely one of my favourite lines ever written. the power it has.

and then. bree finds out she’s pregnant via the tests. and “oh no!” by marina begins to play, because skam brighton is a comedy show, but also skam brighton is a show for depressed british-ish teenagers. bree copes with this Really Fucked News by deciding to go and get wasted because that’s her favourite method of dissociation. also the song is just very bree as a whole, with the wanting to change and the “i'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy” after her making fun of her cousin’s pregnancy in the first episode.

and then we get “bubblegum bitch” also by marina as bree goes out to drink. it’s there to represent how bree is trying to force herself to get into her familiar role of the fun bitchy party girl, but it’s not working because she’s just really fucked, but she’s trying her best.

BIG TW FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT

and then “you are going to hate this” by the frights plays as josh and bree dance together, and we see josh giving her more and more drinks, getting her purposefully drunk as she gives into it, wanting the release being drunk gives her, not realising that he could be doing something bad to her because she’s so distracted by a) the alcohol and b) the fact that she’s fucking pregnant and doesn’t know what to do about it.

and then we get “seventeen” by sharon van etten as josh begins to assault brianna. i first heard this song in sex education, where it played as a group of girls supported their best friend after she was sexually harrassed on the bus, and i wanted to use it here as kind of a parallel to that, but also as a reminder than bree is seventeen years old, a child, and josh knows this, purposefully got her drunk and is assaulting her, because he is a disgusting human being.

episode seven

we open with “interlude iii” by tessa violet, as bree wakes up and leaves josh’s bed again, a parallel to the first clip of the season, but this time we saw the before that presumably happened. it’s just a really pretty song that vibes with the lonely emptiness of the scene.

and then we get “the ballad of mona lisa” by panic! at the disco as bree walks into school. it’s just a really vibey bree song, and the whole “i’d pay to see you frown” line is just about the always masking around people and never showing your real emotions. 

we then get “out tonight” from rent, but the movie version, purely because i just prefer the music production on that version. it just slaps. also, i just used this scene to talk about my love for my interpretation of mimi marquez. she’s just a teenager with a lot of problems who needs proper professional medical help, very much like bree. also, i have always seen “out tonight” as mimi having a manic episode and using the number as a distraction from her actual problems (literally what bree is doing) and i love her. (also the scene of bree watching the scene from the movie and having gay panic is just an Iconic moment)

we then get “funeral” by phoebe bridgers as bree lies in bed, deeply depressed and barely able to move. it’s just about a beautiful and deeply sad song. like all of the lines just vibe really hard with bree and the deep loneliness and emptiness of the song, and the underlying panic really outline bree’s actual emotional state.

and we end with the titular song of the episode, “will i?” from rent. i chose this song because, despite it being very repetitive, it’s always been deeply meaningful to me. and the only lines being “will i lose my dignity / will someone care / will i wake tomorrow / from this nightmare?” playing after bree talked about having to deal with her pregnancy, and following the dream imagery used in funeral, because all of the music Is connected…….. quite genuinely one of my favourite moments, because it’s so understated

episode eight

we begin the music of this episode with “everything i own” by the front bottoms - just a really fucking sad song for a really fucking sad time in bree’s life. with like like “just try to appreciate what you got while you got it” and “sometimes i don't feel like singing / i don't really like these songs / sometimes i don't feel like dancing / dj please, don't turn the beat on / let's keep it quiet, keep me honest, keep me true” just really vibing with her.

and then we get “even my dog” by kathryn gallagher, another one of my personal favourite songs, as bree walks through the hospital. first of all, kathryn gallagher’s character in jagged little pill, bella, does parallel bree quite a lot - being from a poor family, being talented at art, being slut-shamed by her school and dealing with the trauma of being sexually assaulted. the song itself has lyrics describing depression, with lines like “i don’t know how i’m gonna get better / i just know that i’m supposed to / i don’t know how i’m gonna get better / but i’ll tell you i’m good ‘til i believe it too” and “everybody wants me to be happy / everybody wants me to be” and “i can feel it / the life i knew before you / it’s beautiful to be so naive” which i feel just Really fit bree and her situation

then we get a little bit of “musetta’s waltz” played by james, because it’s a rent thing, and rori sings a bit of “over the moon” because it’s a maureen song and i just wanted to include it for a little bit of fun in the hell week

and then. oh and then. we get the funeral scene from rent and “i’ll cover you (reprise)” performed by milo and everyone else. the reason i chose this song is because a) it’s one of the most beautiful and heart wrenching songs in musical theatre canon, and b) i wanted to use the imagery of a funeral to show bree quietly making the decision in her head to go through with the abortion, even though she has many doubts. and the line “a new lease you were, my love / on life” is about the baby bree might have had may be being her ticket to a new life, the way she was for her mother, but bree knows that’s not what she wants and not what she can handle right now. and the moment bree finally break is the climax of the song, the moment death is said out in the open “when your heart has expired”. she hears that, is struck by the reality of what she wants to do, and just runs because it’s a lot for any person, let alone a seventeen year old, to handle.

and then we get the girl squad picking bree off the ground, quite literally, and helping her go to the doctor, all of them together, as “sign of the times” by harry styles played. all of the girls are involved, organising rides and where to go and comforting bree, and al’s staying behind, doing ground control at the rehearsal, because al and bree are siblings and they love each other god damn it. ans the song itself is just. simply epic. and the lines “you look pretty good down here / but you ain't really good” really get to where bree is in regards to her self image and it’s about her finally opening up and accepting help and doing what’s right and good for her, not being self destructive or doing things for someone else.

episode nine

we open with a slowed down piano cover of “knee socks” by the arctic monkeys, simply because i liked the sound of it and it’s a quintessential sad british time, but it’s also about girls being pretty.

and then we get one of my favourite songs from rent being sung by bree, “without you”. it’s a genuinely beautiful song about addiction and the struggles that people can go through with it. the song has a double meaning to bree, as she’s been struggling with her alcohol abuse problems recently and going clean, but the song is also about bree imagining life without her hypothetical child. “but i die / without you” is how bree is seeing it, still thinking she’ll be rejected by her mother, and partially by god, if she goes through with it, but the song goes on. she knows the world will go on without her child, but she’s unsure of how she’s going to be after the child is gone. (we also see james come in and sing too, as he plays roger, but him singing is also a reference to him dealing with his own addiction, as mentioned before in this season, to nicotine).

we then get “you gotta be" by des'ree playing as we go from bree getting herself together after josh gets fired to bree and her mother sitting together and watching ladybird. i wanted ladybird to be playing because it’s a very bree movie, in my opinion, and the “give me a number” scene playing is a really good feel, for me, of what it’s like to be a working class child and feeling the need to pay back your parents, which is something bree also feels immensely. and the song has lyrics such as “challenge what the future holds / try and keep your head up to the sky / lovers, they may cause you tears / go ahead release your fears” and “stand up and be counted / don't be ashamed to cry” and “you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger / you gotta be cool, you gotta be calm / you gotta stay together / all i know, all i know, love will save the day”, which just really vibe with where bree is in this scene, trying to figure out all the things she has to be and can be and the whole thing about standing up is just very bree, because, despite us seeing her insecurities and weaknesses, she’s always been a confident person 

and then we get a scene that i wrote just to make myself cry. bree gets her hair cut by her mother after deeply connecting to her as “slipping through my fingers” by abba plays. it’s a song about a mother watching her daughter grow up and trying to stay close to her despite her always growing and changing, which is how i see audrey. she’s a woman full of love and she will do anything to support her daughter and make her happy, and it took bree until now to see it. and then we see bree’s hair literally slipping through audrey’s fingers, because haircuts are often used as a way to regain control over one’s life, and i’ve used bree’s hair throughout this season as a way to represent her trauma. when she gets morning sickness, she throws up in her hair. josh pulls on her hair when he assaults her. her cutting her hair off is a metaphor for her cutting off her trauma, but then from the hair cutting we transition to:

the abortion clinic, where “soon you’ll get better” by taylor swift and the chicks is playing. a song where a daughter sings to her mother to get better, and we see a mother supporting her daughter as she gets ready to go through surgery. the song itself, though, feels more about bree’s mental health than her physical state. she knows that through this surgery, she will ultimately end up better, but it’s going to take a lot of time.

and then as bree and audrey sit at home, they watch another movie: this time “grease”, representing bree’s desire to get back to her younger, happier self.

and then. we get “wake up” by alanis morrissette as bree gets ready for the rally in support of sexual assault survivors. a song, when used in the jlp musical, is used to talk about how it’s easier to not stand up and speak out against sexual assault. with the line “it’s so much easier not to / and what goes around never comes around to you” being used in regards to the cishet abled white man who will never get back all of the harm he puts out into the world, but we see bree reclaiming the song and her own body, putting on makeup in a way that makes her happy and marching out to the streets as it plays, focusing on her and only her

episode ten

WE OPEN WITH!!!! a moment most pleasing to me - “i did something bad” by taylor swift playing as the girl squad slow mo down the street together, a united front. i chose this song because it’s literally about society saying a woman did something bad, but she doesn’t give a fuck and wishes that she could do it again, which is how bree feels about fucking up a rapist’s life. also, once again, bree rolling a nat 20 on her deception roll as she gets proof of josh having the pictures of her on his phone by pretending to be the manic pixie damsel in distress josh wanted….. and we also get josh using the term “witch hunt”, the same phrase bryan used when he went off on bree, to show that they’re both the same character archetype, but in different flavours (bryan coming in asshole jock and josh coming in adult man incel).

(note: i also wanted to include the girl squad in this scene, because in the og when noora when to go meet nikolai on her own i was just. So Scared for her because she had No One. also, fun fact, i included the fact that the squad call nick “nickolai” as a nickname in season 2 so maybe there would be a theory that he would be nikolai, but i was just playing 4d chess with myself and he’s just a nice guy)

and then we get “seasons of love” from rent, which is, yes, a basic theatre song, but you can’t deny how good it is. and the whole “minute” thing in it lining up with the “minute by minute” iconic skam speech, and we get annabell on the big soloist lines because they’re the person who also heard the “minute by minute” speech before from the same place as bree, because it was said in their group therapy…. and it also parallels “i’ll cover you (reprise)” with them all standing in a line, but this time bree stays because it’s about love and being supported by your friends and not being sure if you’re okay, but knowing there’s always a safe place for you to go where you’re loved.

(also, we get a throwback joke of sandy, once again, being surprised by how strangely sexual all of these musicals are. i love her so so much)

and then!!!!! we end the episode with rori and bree confessing their feelings for each other and kissing for real for the first time, and it ends with “dress” by taylor swift playing. literally just the most homoerotic song, and the whole “i don’t want you like a best friend” line…… they deserve to be in love with each other and i have been building up to them finally admitting it for four seasons. literally the longest slow burn i’ve ever written. 

episode eleven

WE! OPEN! WITH! “watch you sleep” by girl in red, a song i discovered in 2018 and wanted to save for a good moment, and then the whole “do you listen to girl in red” thing exploded, so. (james from derry girls voice) i support wlw, though i myself am not wlw. also it’s just a really sweet song that i like a lot. and we’ve seen bree wake up a lot at the beginning of episodes, and we see her wake up from a nightmare this time, and she calms down instantly when she realises she’s home and with rori…..

and then we get a moment MOST PLEASING to me!!!! we have canon swiftie alistair fletcher streaming “daylight” by taylor swift in the bathroom as bree and rori wait for him to be done. and then they start to dance together to it, with them referencing rent before they start dancing, and rori begins to sing along because rori, as a character, has such “lover” energy. and we get rori singing “i once believed love would be black and white”, which is a reference to her and james’s relationship, with her thinking it would be simple and easy, and then “i once believed love would be burning red”, with her and nick’s quick, passionate relationship “but it’s golden like daylight” and we see her and bree together, calm, best friends who are now lovers, no big dramatics, no fireworks, just two people who care so deeply about each other, holding each other, having seen each other at their worst and still adoring them with every part of their being. and we get the “you’re so pretty”, “no, you”, “no, us” exchange, which is just saying “stop comparing yourself to other girls, just be in love with them and yourself”

and then we get “number one fan” by muna, which is just a really fun boppy song, and just big bree core. with lines like “so i heard the bad news / nobody likes me and i'm gonna die alone / in my bedroom / looking at strangers on my telephone / well, wouldn't you? / wouldn't you like if i believed those words?” is showing her development, going from believing all of the bad shit people say about her, both online and to her face, and standing up for herself and believing in herself

(fun fact, there was originally a clip in this episode where we see bree going to the police about josh, but as i was getting closer to publishing it, i thought “fuck that, i’m not giving them any screentime”, and just gave bree some fun exposition about reporting josh to his school)

so we get “icu” by phoebe bridgers as bree’s walking down the street, just vibing, very happy because she just got her rapist expelled from his university. we get lines like: “and i get this feeling / whenever i feel good / it'll be the last time” which vibes with my perception and bree and her relationship with her mental health, which is currently, in the episode, in a good place because of goos things happening, but she knows that it’s going to come back down eventually, but she’s prepared for it now, she’s not as scared of herself anymore

then we get al’s film of the rehearsal process - which is, once again, him using art and music as a way of expressing his love - as “heroes” by david bowie plays. this is a direct reference to “the perks of being a wallflower”, a very inspiring piece of media to me, writing wise. the film that al makes is just a love letter to being teenagers and making art and noise in a world where people are constantly telling you to shut up.

and then, following two deeply philosophical speeches i wrote at 3am one night, we get the last 15 minutes of act one of a musical because it’s my show!!!!!! and if i want to have a character yell about love and then sing a song i can!!!!!

we begin with “la vie boheme”, the iconic act one closer of rent. quite genuinely, this song has the same meaning here as it does in rent, only with the added layer of “this is the last clip, so we’re just all having a fun happy ending” on it, so i’m just gonna be talking about my favourite fun parts of it.

we got al and bree sharing a laugh as al sings “not to mention, of course / hating dear old mom and dad”; we got al high-fiving jake as he talks about “fruits”, because they’re both gay; we got one of my favourite lines: “to being an us for once instead of a them”; we got milo and bree messing around because i love their friendship; we got bree and nick singing a verse together; we got al making it canon that mark cohen gets pegged with the “mucho masturbation” line; we get rori making eye contact with bree while she kisses another girl, because we love a call your girlfriend reference and we love her character development; we get james finally perfecting “musetta’s waltz”

and then we get “i should tell you”, a song i hated upon first watch of rent, but now i love it so so much. while james and bree are singing it together as roger and mimi, bree is very much dedicating the song to rori, because it’s a song about being scared of starting a relationship but doing it anyway because you’re learning to trust the other person. we also see audrey and patrick in the audience, both so happy and supportive of their children, because i love them so much. i love all of the parents, but audrey is definitely my personal favourite so fa.

and then!!!! we begin “la vie boheme b”, literally one of the biggest bangers of musical theatre history. 

we get rori singing the first fast verse, literally raising a middle finger to the idea of perfection and eating disorders, because while those ideas may be a part of her life, she’s happy to say “fuck you” to them; we get nick voguing to the camera as he sings his fast verse, goofing around like usual; and then we get milo yelling out their verse to the audience, serious, because they genuinely believe in the words they’re saying

then we get the cast all yelling out their lgbt identity in the form of a reclaimed slur. i also changed this part of the show because there’s two terms referring to lesbians in the song and i wanted to a reference just for bisexual people. 

then we begin to shift all focus away from bree and her story, beginning to move onto nick, as he and james dance together as al yells out the title line of the episode: “the opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation”. and i decided to edit the closing monologue because i felt that it placed too much focus on roger and mimi’s romance and wanted to end the season with a focus on revolution and positive social change, ending with the line: “the riot goes on and on and on and on…”

and then we end the season with the line “we will now take a short intermission” as nick looks into the camera, because it’s time for a break between seasons babey!

and that’s another well over 10k essay on my music choices!!!!! also, as of writing this, i have officially finished production on skambr season 5!!!! i’m way ahead of schedule, which is really good for me, and the trailer will be coming out in about a month’s time!!!! until then, thank you for reading my infodump <3

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[unifiedsocialblog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing published first on https://getfblike.tumblr.com/

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Girls’ Last Tour 8 - 9 | Houseki no Kuni 8 - 9 | Netjuu no Susume 8 - 9 | Mahoutsukai no Yome 8 - 9 | Juuni Taisen 9 - 10

Girls’ Last Tour 8

Why do I get the feeling the girls will lose the camera soon?

I noticed the names on the drawers before the girls did. I just never mentioned it.

That snow transition to Chi was…weird…

I think at least a small part of the problem with this show is that it’s drab. Another part is that your appreciation of the show depends on how you view it as relaxing or mind-numbing when you watch it week-to-week. Yet another aspect is that it rides upon, also, your appreciation of the philosophical content that you’re allowed to wade in as part of the show.

“Pumped up” doesn’t seem to be the right word, subbers. I don’t know why (maybe context?), but I don’t feel pumped up when I see the moon. The moon, to me, would be motivating if I were in their situation, but it sure wouldn’t pump me up…

“Magic power”? Judging from the mouthflaps, the word was mahou which just translates to “magic”, and would’ve done decently here too.

Please don’t ship the lolis…

Please don’t make the lolis drunk, either…

Underage drinking! Censor it, censor it! (half-joking tone)

Huh? There’s a small after-credits segment. Keep watching…

Uhh…*thinks about a compulsive habit involving hair eating* Yeah, no thanks.

Girls’ Last Tour 9

If humans are the only living things left, what about the fi-yeah, spoke too soon.

Why did a robot want to protect a fish anyway?

Yuu has discovered the human capacity to float after kicking.

Chi’s favourite conversant is a box. A grey box. Amazing… (sarcasm dripping)

Chi has discovered the thing from One Piece known as Super Drowning Skills.

As they said in Finding Nemo, “fish are friends, not food”! Hahaha.

These robots look like something out of a Shaun Tan book, yeeps. (Didn’t see the construct-o-bot too clearly the first time he appeared.)

It’s like a mother talking to a daughter, only this time it’s in robot-speak. All 1s and 0s…

I did not come here to watch robots explode. But these robots exploding…cool! Like an action movie!

What was that last part with the robot communication circles and patterns for? I guess it made more sense with the volume on, huh…

Houseki no Kuni 8

Why do I get the ominous feeling the biting “ice floe” was Aculeatus or someone like that (and not Ventricosus, the king)?

I love how grumpy Antarc is when they’re like, “Tha failure is all mine” and they’re just holding their hand like it’s no problem. The hand really is no problem, especially in contrast to Phos, come to think of it.

It’s hard to convince someone when you literally have no hands to do it with…

“I raise my hands in defeat.” – Phos in on my level of puns. I was going to make a hand pun and then they come up with this, which is much better than what I could think up on the fly.

Notice Phos is the only colour in this winter world…

I knew gold was soft and platinum too, but…what does that have to do with-oh wait. Never mind.

It’s like something out of a horror film…it’s sheer genius.

Oh dear. It seems I’ve fallen for a sensei-only yandere. What a problem…

Hey, doesn’t this look familiar? Like a kagune, for instance?

U---uwahhhhhhhh…My boy Antarc was taken and now he’ll be Lunarian weapons…Plus with those cracks, Phos looks sadder than usual…

Huh? ED change? “Liquescimus”?...Oh, I see.

This next ep preview…is weird. Especially because you see Kongou-sensei smash his head into a wall…

Houseki no Kuni 9

When they said spring was a time for change, I’m betting they didn’t mean this…(what happened to Phos)

Interestingly, the gold looks like a rapier. Or some other old-timey sword. Then it becomes a spider lily, which is a symbol of death.

Phos’s eyes look like Antarc’s used to…plus they’ve gained a personality like theirs too.

Crying? A defect? No, no…

A bit of a mess? No, Phos, you’re more than a mess.

Phos is still wearing the old uniform, huh. Mourning clothes.

Ah, so that’s where Phos mentions it’s gold and platinum. No wonder Karandi knew…

So it’s not “with great power comes great responsibility?” Or is it just the subbers having fun?

Cinnabar seems to be a lot like Bakugo. Just without the extreme “I’ll beat you up!” stuff.

Phos’s jerk face, LOL. Haven’t seent that in a while…

Netjuu no Susume 8

I’m really unsatisfied with the fact I’ll have to say goodbye to this show in 2 episodes…It’s been my favourite for this entire season, and when the competition is strong, that means this show – with all its fluff and misunderstandings – has done itself more than enough to deserve a spot on my favourites list.

This is Netjuu no Matome (Summary of an MMO Junkie). Honestly, my translation works a lot better than CR’s this time don’tcha think?

Hayabusa (Falcon) Moving Company. Makes sense if Amazon is its RL counterpart…

…then it turns out they wrote Hayabusa backwards on the moving van (Sabuyaha). LOL wut.

The ep title seems to be “[I] took a step forward”.

Harth? Well, spoilers. You just ruined my life…sort of.

I half-expected Yuki’s hat to blow off, but hey, this is an MMO. Hats don’t blow off unless you want them to.

Notice Sakurai uses keigo.You use keigo with people you don’t really know, by the by.

Dammit! Sakurai’s hot but Harth is better! Argh, such a simple artstyle. I shouldn’t be worked up over hot guys when there’s such a simple artstyle…

The eyecatches are so good. Why would you get rid of them in this episode, of all episodes???

T-They could’ve been lying to each other, like in And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online? ??? Gah, but this show is so sweet, I’ll forgive it.

As soon as Sakurai’s battery died, I swear I just heard The Entertainer in my head. As if it’s all some big dream I’m bearing witness to. But of course, it’s fiction. It’s basically a shared dream for the lot of us who know about it. A sweet shared dream we can access anytime.

Every time I look at that credit list and see Maeno as Harumi…yeah…not gonna think about it. But it seems double-Sakurai even got Harth as a role. Wowee, Sakurai!

Netjuu no Susume 9

One episode and one OVA to go before these guys are gone…

“I Call That Feeling Marble” – Why “marble”?

Sono Kimochi Ma-buru…so they weren’t quite lying when they said “marble”, eh? Sono Kimochi would translate to “that feeling”. However, ma-buru could be “marvel”, so it could be “I Call That Feeling [a] Marvel” (which makes a lot more sense).

I swore Morimori-chan would’ve asked to be partners! The fact that she didn’t was so disappointing…

There were some ducks drifting along in the foreground of one shot.

What happened to Harumi, come to think about it?

Is there an equivalent to TGIF in Japanese???

*Morimori-chan jumps out of chair* That’s me whenever I get a text, hahaha.

The show shows its Comico roots – that park background looks like it came out of a visual novel, which is a sort of trademark of Comico series like ReLIFE and it. Nanbaka, on the other hand…if you’ve seen it before, you’ll be aware of what that show’s visual quirk is.

So the woman’s name isn’t Sendai, but Yashiro? Okay then.

I want a Fujimoto-centric thing now. Please, someone? Do it for me?

I feel like Sakurai and Tenya Iida would be good brothers in an AU. They act in similar ways to each other.

Mahoutsukai no Yome 8

The shot to the head (Cartaphilus received) was so brief, I actually found it funny.

“This girl [Chise] has strange taste.” – Indeed, she does. But that’s why we follow her.

“But you don’t hate it, do you?”

Joseph…?

Mahoutsukai no Yome 9

(looks at shop sign when Chise sits down) Someone can’t spell “biscuits”…

How did Ruth learn the familiar binding spell anyway? Does Elias have a familiar, too? Or does he not have one since he’s part fairy?

It’s really hard to see what Elias’s monster form no. 3 (or is that no. 2?) looks like.

The humour in this show is somewhat unwarranted. It doesn’t always work, either. (I like a majorly consistent show best. Incongruous mood whiplashes don’t always work, after all.)

Is it Silver or Silky? I still don’t understand…

These roses must mean something in flower language…

Apparently there used to be an old trend of lesbian vampires. It’s a pretty old-fashioned trope, so it feels quite at home here. Update: Scratch that, a Leanan Sidhe is apparently more of a succubus, which was the exact vibe I was getting from her. Lesbian succubi? That’s a new concept.

That dragon!!!

Juuni Taisen 9

I think I’ve seen some spoilers saying Rabbit dies. I already knew everyone bar one *eyes Rat* will die anyway, but the game is in seeing how they die.

Were CGI models the best for this moment? Probably not, but there was some good movement from Usagi there.

Did you notice the shining light when Ox repositioned his sword (after he jumped)?

100-person…that reminds me of the SekaTsuyo “Hundred Throws” thing, but please don’t talk to me about SekaTsuyo…

Of course Kanae’s backstory has drinking in it. Her tagline has to do with “drunken rage”…(half-sarcastic)

Hey, this episode is titled after Rabbit. Isin’s genre-breaking strikes again. Also the scribbles on the faces is a nice touch, but not as good as the marionettes from Rampo Kitan.

I swear they’re relying on CGI models for the Ox and Tiger in this episode...

I’d like to headcanon Eiji is good at soccer. Not as the Ox, but just as himself.

Well, “CGI models” was definitely true right there when the Tatsumi bros attacked.

Those ice effects got put to good use, at least.

If you sit a bit of a distance from the screen, you can see they really are CGI models, the Ox and the Tiger. Graphinica’s really pulling out the stops – after all, didn’t they just say “don’t do what you’re unused to doing”?

Juuni Taisen 10

*as some insigificant sniper falls to his death* Yeah, let’s ignore the bad quality of that…

Dangit, Ushii hasn’t been given a birth year! No, why Isin??? Why??? (But does Kanae use Chrome on her iPad?)

Slicing the bridge is a bit much, y’know, Ushii - even for my suspension of belief.

Who knew a stab to the heart could be more touching than any other death in this show? Maybe it’s a stab…to my feels. (You’re all groaning now, aren’t you?)

So…no explanation for home boy Usagi, then?

I think two of the kanji from “To Treat A Man Beef From His Own Cow” (the title, not the episode) are from Gobouken (the name of Ushii’s sword, and the name also means “bayonet”), which is interesting.

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

The post How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing appeared first on Top Dog Social Media.

Source: https://topdogsocialmedia.com/build-a-personal-brand/

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-with-content-marketing/

How to Build a Personal Brand with Content Marketing

There’s never been a better time than now to build a personal brand with content marketing.

Not only is content marketing outperforming traditional marketing but also personal brands are becoming more influential than big brands with much larger budgets.

With consumer trust in corporate brands at an all-time low and an increasing distrust of online advertising, personal brands are at an advantage. The Internet has made it easier for people to build their own online communities through marketing methods based on trust, value, and reciprocity.

Just how important is personal branding? Personal branding is becoming more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get their dream job, or level up their career. 

84% of business decision makers start their buying process with a referral. Their next step is Google. And 65% of people feel an online search is the most trusted source about people and companies. We’re living in a world where strong personal brands (aka influential individuals) are making a bigger difference in sales and marketing than brands themselves.

Companies even recognize the importance of a good personal brand. Reputation damage is the number one risk concern for business executives, with 88% finding it a key business challenge and 87% rating “reputation risk” as more important than other strategic risks that their companies face. A strong, positive personal brand minimizes risk for these executives and their companies.

What is Personal Branding?

Before we talk about building a personal brand, let’s discuss what the term means.  “Personal branding” refers to the practice of marketing and packaging yourself, your career, and your experience as a brand.

When you think of branding, you probably think of images and slogans from big companies. For instance, there is Nike (“Just do it” and the swoosh icon) or Apple (“Think different” and the apple with the bite out of it). These are successful brand campaigns that have become as iconic as the companies themselves. Personal branding isn’t much different.

With your personal brand, you establish an image, impression, and position. With this identity, you develop your own brand assets, which may include a resume, website,  writings, products, services—even a logo, tagline, and visual images. Just like a big corporation, you create a value or mission statement that represents your “why” and your purpose, either as a personal mantra or to describe your business’s overarching goal.

The Internet and social media have increased one-to-one interaction, which has made personal branding more popular and increasingly imperative. Even CEOs of massive companies invest in their personal brands as individuals and as leaders.

How Does Content Marketing Build a Personal Brand

Now that you’re more familiar with personal branding in general, let’s discuss how content marketing promotes your brand identity.

Content marketing is the consistent, strategic creation and sharing of relevant, valuable content that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but stimulates interest in its offers, ultimately driving profitable consumer action. “Content” refers to the blogs, social media posts, videos, podcasts, eBooks, infographics, webinars, and other material that you publish to represent yourself and your personal brand.

Content marketing is highly effective when it comes to:

Increasing authority

Promoting trust and likeability

Building influence

Improving SEO

Generating leads and conversions

As ads become less effective and consumers’ expectations increase when it comes to perceived value, content marketing becomes more important in the brand building and sales process.

The Power of Personal Branding + Content Marketing

More people—90% in fact—trust product or service recommendations from people they know while only 33% trust messages from a brand. When you’re building your personal brand, you’re really becoming a more widely known and trusted individual rather than a typical brand. And that’s what makes personal branding so powerful.

Just like people’s recommendations are more valuable that advertisements, so is content marketing, which increases consumer trust and brand affinity (especially over time). Consumers who read branded educational content are 131% more likely to purchase from that brand. And that’s what makes content marketing so powerful.

With this in mind, content marketing is a logical, effective method to build and maintain your personal brand. Content communicates who you are, what you do, and your values to your audience while increasing trust—all without coming across as promotional or self-interested.

Over time, your content builds a loyal, connected community that follows you and is more likely to trust your recommendations, including the products and services you offer.

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand with Content Marketing

Personal branding and content marketing are a powerful duo when used together. Let me share some effective ways you can build a personal brand with content marketing.

1. Write an eBook

One of the best, fastest and most effective methods to build a personal brand with content is to author a book.

Writing a book shows off what you know about your industry and niche. Through your extensive writing, you share valuable, personal insight as well as your own voice and perspective.

Book authorship is a powerful form of content marketing. Publishing a book boosts your credibility, visibility, and authority and helps grow your community.

A book calls attention to you since it’s an accomplishment that not many have achieved. Additionally, writing a book sets you apart as the person “who wrote the book” on a topic, which makes you the expert. It’s an excellent marketing tool not just for building your personal brand but also for attracting leads and clients. It’s exactly why I wrote my book LinkedIn Unlocked.

Writing a book may seem overwhelming and out of reach, especially if you’re short on time or don’t consider yourself a good writer. Don’t worry, you have options. And, you don’t need a book publisher.

If you have a lot of blog content, consider compiling your most popular posts into an eBook.

Are you a better speaker than writer? Use your slide notes from a previous presentation or jot down notes about your topic. Then record yourself talking into your computer or smartphone. Outsource the transcription, editing, and formatting of your recording so that it’s ready for online or print publishing.

PRO TIP

You can easily turn your eBook into a print version using options like Lulu and CreateSpace. These services allow you to print on demand rather than having to order in large bulk quantities. Keep printed books on hand to give out at networking events. You’ll make a memorable first impression.

2. Blog Weekly

One of the best aspects of our digital world is that you have the ability to publish content with the greatest of ease. By regularly blogging on relevant topics that interest your target audience, you build a community and position yourself as an authority. Over time, you become a trusted resource for information on your niche.

Blogging is a form of content marketing that has proven results. Check out some of these convincing blogging statistics:

81% of U.S. online consumers trust blogs for information and advice.

96% of B2B buyers want content from industry thought leaders.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more leads than small businesses that don’t blog.

Blogs have been rated the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.

61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

B2B marketers who use blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those that don’t.

(Source: Hubspot)

To build a personal brand with blogging, focus on topics that you know about and that pertain to the audience you want to attract. Talk directly to your reader and share personal stories, experiences, and anecdotes. Offer valuable information with the goal of educating, entertaining, and motivating your readers.

It’s important to publish consistently since it takes a long time for blogging to reap benefits, especially when it comes to search engine ranking, visibility, and authority. Writing only a few blog posts on your website won’t have the results that regular blogging offers.

What about blogging on other platforms? Having your own home base (aka your own website domain) is preferred when it comes to online real estate and blogging. You don’t want to build a house on rented property!

However, platforms such as Medium and LinkedIn offer content publishing and increase your chances of getting noticed.

But beware. You don’t own these sites, so if they go away or change their policies, your results could be negatively affected.

Consider guest blogging on authority sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or the Huffington Post to reinforce your personal brand’s credibility and authority. Writing for these websites gives you access to their wide-reaching audiences and gives you social proof.

PRO TIP

Medium and LinkedIn allow you to publish your blog content on their platforms. If you’re short on time and can’t create new content for these sites, re-publish your existing blog content on them. You’ll increase your content’s impact, reach, and visibility.

3. Answer Questions

Your ideal clients are often looking online for help. They’re not only asking questions in Google but also going to other platforms for answers. In other words, they’re searching for your expertise. 

Assisting people with their most pressing questions is a gesture of goodwill that shows off your knowledge. In the process, you’re forming online connections and trust while building your personal brand through content marketing.

Go to the platforms and places where people ask the most questions. For example, Quora is a website dedicated to answering questions. Create an account, choose your topics of interest, and then start answering questions. It’s as simple as that. You can even include links to more information in your answers. But don’t be spammy or salesy with those links. Your goal is to attract an audience and build trust, not to sell anything.

Twitter is another platform where people are looking for information. Performing an advanced search in Twitter helps locate tweets with questions and conversations that you can join in on. Searching popular hashtags in your industry is another way to find people on Twitter who need assistance. It does take some digging around. Again, avoid any sales pitches. You’ll grow your personal brand when you act as a resource rather than a salesperson.

Don’t overlook your own blog comments as a potential treasure trove of opportunities to answer questions from your audience. After someone has read your blog post and asked a question, be sure to reply with an answer. Other website visitors check the blog comments too, so don’t ignore questions. Take advantage of these types of online conversations since they contribute positively to your personal brand.

PRO TIP

Need content ideas? When you’re answering questions, take notes because these are also potential topics to cover in your next blog post, lead magnet, video, or podcast.

4. Post Consistently on Social Media

Whoever your target market is, it’s likely that they use social media. According to Statista, in the U.S. alone over 70% of the population uses social media. The number of worldwide social media users is expected to grow to some 2.95 billion by 2020. That’s a substantial audience. Social media is your chance to casually network and interact online with potential prospects.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of noise on social media. To stand out and attract the attention of your ideal audience, post content that represents your personal brand’s values in a way that educates, entertains, or motivates people. This type of content maintains an informal vibe which people prefer in their feeds. Your consistent effort with targeted content will entice the appropriate people to you and grow a community.

Pay attention to your goal of building a personal brand through your content. Since you’re packaging and marketing yourself as a brand, think of social media in those terms. Although you may shy away from being up front and center, you are the CEO and leader of your own brand, so act like it through your content.

Don’t be afraid to publish posts or photos of your everyday life. Take advantage of the casual tone to publish more personal content, including your opinions and unique thoughts relative to your industry. These practices position you as a wise but relatable thought leader and innovator in your niche.

Your content should start conversations because social platforms are a terrific place to meet people and build bonds. Interact with your prospects one-to-one. Social platforms are one of the best ways to build a personal brand. Engagement is as important as publishing content, so make time for it in your daily schedule.

PRO TIP

Social media platforms rely heavily upon good visuals. To keep your personal brand identity cohesive and consistent in color, style, and format, use a free graphics tool like Canva. With Canva, you can develop templates, which makes creating themed and branded content much easier and faster.

5. Incorporate Video into Your Strategy

Video is a form of content marketing that will boost your personal brand quickly and effectively. And, as a form of free content that users don’t have to pay to watch, video is easily accessible.

Since video is extremely engaging and personal, it often builds emotional connections much faster than blogging or other forms of content. Your face, voice, and personality come alive and captivate with video. It’s more similar to in-person interaction, so it’s terrific for relationship building.

You may notice that video “shows” are popping up on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Anyone, anywhere has access to create an online show (just like a television program). You don’t need to be a celebrity or have any audience to begin video recording and publishing.

Video is often overwhelming due to the production costs that most people associate with it. However, there’s no need to get fancy or technical with your video. Use your smartphone to record or broadcast live video. People today want to see you unedited since it’s more authentic, transparent, and real.

Not sure you’re ready for live video? You don’t even have to broadcast video–live or recorded–to the public. Incorporating video on a smaller scale is still a good idea. Use free video apps like Zoom and Skype for your meetings to reinforce your personal brand and solidify your relationships with face-to-face interaction.

PRO TIP

Sometimes you may wonder what topics to discuss in your videos. Your blog is a terrific resource for topics. Conversely, if you don’t have a blog but have videos, you can turn your videos into blog posts. Repurposing content will save you time while amplifying your reach across multiple platforms.

6. Start a Podcast

If you’re unsure about video, podcasting is a good alternative. You don’t have the pressure of showing your face on screen, which makes podcasting less unnerving. And, people still hear your voice with podcasting, which is almost as good as video when it comes to humanizing yourself and building trust.

Podcasting statistics illustrate that the medium is increasingly popular.

Podcast fans listen to an average of seven shows weekly.

48 million Americans listen to podcasts (more than double the number of people who watch NFL Sunday Night Football, one of the highest-rated television programs).

More Americans know what a podcast is than know who the Vice President is.

Listeners are downloading podcasts on their mobile devices to listen on the go. Almost 70% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device. The mobility factor makes this type of content accessible, convenient, and appealing.

Since podcast listeners enjoy your authentic voice and personality, this platform is another excellent option to build a personal brand with content marketing. However, podcasting’s technical requirements and investment of time may be a barrier to entry for some.

PRO TIP

If starting an official podcast is out of the question at the moment, then an alternative is recording your blog posts as audio files. Creating an audio file is as easy as reading your blog posts into a microphone or headset on your computer and recording your voice. Use an app like Stitcher or SoundCloud to neatly add the audio file to your blog post.a

7. Appear in Guest Interviews

There’s a reason celebrities appear on interview shows in tandem with their movie releases. It’s a way to promote their product in a more conversational manner. Meanwhile, movie executives capitalize on their celebrity star power (aka their personal brand).

When you appear on people’s blogs, podcasts, and video shows, you’re gaining more reach and higher exposure for your personal brand. Interviews give you access to other people’s tribes and introduce you to new audiences.

One of the biggest advantages is that you gain immediate influence and authority through association. In the process of being interviewed, you will be viewed as a legitimate expert in your field by the interviewer’s community. In other words, there is a bit of trust transference that occurs from the interviewer to you as result of the interview.

Interviews are also a networking opportunity. You foster relationships and increase rapport with industry colleagues and leaders, which further promotes your personal brand.

Interviews are not a selling opportunity. They are the chance to build your personal brand with content marketing by spreading your message, knowledge, and personality to audiences outside of your own.

PRO TIP

Everyone knows it’s polite to say thank you. After someone has interviewed you, reciprocate the kindness through the offer of a customized freebie, which you give to your interviewer’s audience as part of your guest appearance. This gesture generates positive feelings from both the interviewer and their community.

A Few Final Tips About Content Marketing to Build a Personal Brand

Here are a few reminders about building your personal brand with content.

Make Your Content Original and Distinctive

Don’t bother with topics that have been covered too frequently unless you have more to add to the conversation from a different perspective. Now’s your chance to show off your expertise and experience.

Be Authentic and Personal

You’re growing a brand identity that represents yourself. Communicate from your heart and from a position of authority to attract and grow your own targeted, niche-based community.

Create Relevant, Valuable, and Educational Content

People are interested in consuming content that applies to them and helps them solve their problems, even if in a small way. Always lead with value first and avoid content that puts your product before your audience. (Sell your brand, not your product.)

Be Consistent

Content marketing is a long-term effort that requires consistency, especially when building trust, recognition, and influence as a personal brand. Don’t expect results without investing time or money.

Finally, don’t forget that a clear definition of your target market, strategy, and goals makes building a personal brand with content much more effective.

Using content is essential to build your authority, but don’t forget the importance of having well written social media profiles and custom branded images as people will often look at your profile before or after reading your content. Your social media profiles, especially your LinkedIn profile are a very important part of your personal branding.

There hasn’t been a time when it’s been easier and more important to build a personal brand. I hope you have found these tips helpful.

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