New Media Meets Old School
There sure is a lot of chatter about new media and how it can be used to enhance the brand, or spread the word, or engage the customer, etc. While there are millions on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, MyCitySpace; and millions of people are blogging and tweeting and texting each other, and many of those people are doing so with no clear objective or reason why. Don’t let me forget all of the web videos available as well. We want to stay “connected”, or have our voices heard whatever that means to the individual. Companies and marketing/advertising agencies are still trying to capitalize on these “new” trends as well.
Ford seems to be enjoying some success with their Fiesta New Media Campaign. Other companies are having success posting open and free blogs on their sites. Other companies are still learning as they go; going through the motions; feigning sincerity while still trying to control the message, control the conversation. This is clearly transparent and ends in the expected failure. While there are more people involved with new media and using it successfully, I believe there are still some time tested practices that can be applied to new media.
For the thousands of professionals using online profiles and new media to grow and maintain their “brand” as a part of networking, here are 4 vital things that are helpful to remember.
- All of these online profiles, blogs, web videos etc. are not your brand. They are a tool to communicate your brand.
- Your online profile is not a substitute for face to face contact, but a platform to make it easier for “buyers” to know you and your body of work and find you.
- Listen/Read. With all of the blogging and tweeting, are you reading others’ thoughts or feedback, or just selling your product or service?
- Quality will almost always outlast quantity.
For more on Your Personal Brand read my other article.
Yup, when you have to make it a full-time job just to keep up with the whales, tools and followers, you are not creating a brand or buzz. I write my own content and provide what I hope is useful information while giving people the forum for networking. Yet, because I have to work on it a large part of every day, do others think I am too pushy? If so, they don’t realize that I spent 5 years working on my business and helping non-profits (giving away freebies) while others were generating sales. Now that the sales have plunged, who will come out ahead? http://wisecareermove.wordpress.com/about/
Good article.
I love both articles. You are spot on. So many people get caught up in tweeting or collecting the business cards and connecting to thousands on linkedin with no real relationships being built. You can’t grow your brand or a business that way, let alone get a job.