When I am asked questions at the end of speaking presentations or workshops, I answer – well, the best I can, of course! I also take note of the questions afterwards and write out my responses to keep a list of FAQs and material for blogs and newsletters. Recently I was asked what would be my top tips to personal branding communication. I answered with a few of the following. Word of mouth reputation An editorial story is a lot more likely to be read and recognised than an advertisement. Seeing a story on the TV news, reading it in the paper or online, gives your product or message a lot more clout. Word of mouth is one of the most credible forms of promotion. We believe what our friends tell us and we like to receive our information from our favoured forms of the media. For instance if we hear from our friends that a movie is great and read a terrific review in a newspaper or blog we’ll be more likely to believe that it is actually a good movie and therefore go to see it. The right package A story that appeals to readers of a weekly business newspaper is not necessarily going to appeal to readers of a young women’s fashion magazine. You must tailor your message to fit. You need to come up with the right content, angle, storyline or approach relevant to you and also to your target audience. What you’re telling or selling must have meaning to the receiver and must be relevant. KISS (keep it simple, sweetie!) The message must be put in simple terms. Words must be clear and the interpretation unambiguous – they need to mean the same thing to the receiver of the message as they do to the sender. We are bombarded with so much information these days – it is hard to keep track of it all and we often get confused and overwhelmed. So the less effort required understanding the message, the more effective the message will be. Repetition You want your name to be seen by your target audience and seen often. This will create an ambient sense of familiarity. Whether they are reading stories in the media or receiving e- newsletters, posts, blogs or other forms of communication, this continued delivery of your message will in turn create more awareness. Advertisers rely almost solely on this form of communication often repeating the same message over and over. Consistency In building your personal brand you need to have uniformity with your message. Even though your “job description” says you do a number of things – your overriding message or brand needs to be consistent. All your communication materials need to be delivering the same message. You can’t have confusing messages that mean different things to different audiences. You need to be very clear with who you are and what you represent and remain true and consistent to that message. Delivery There are many ways for your message to be heard. There’s traditional media, social media and the Internet of course with e-books, e-newsletters, podcasts and webinars. You can also participate in special events; trade shows sponsorships, pro-bono work or public speaking. Whatever form of communication you choose (and ideally a mixture is good) as the sender you must use communication tools that the receiver uses and respects. Text messaging may not suit everyone! These Rules of Communication are personal branding principles I share in my eBook The Power of Personal Public Relations. Visit www.SueCurrie.com.au to learn more. The power of personal public relations is in communicating your message so that it has meaning to others and in turn brings you credibility, more public awareness and an enhanced profile.
