At a Boy Scout ceremony last weekend, one of the new Eagle Scouts reminisced about building fires as a scout. So many fires of all kinds of wood. You could feel that he had loved every fire and he said that those fires would continue burning throughout his life as a result of his scout experiences.
In just a few seconds, a few sentences, an 18-year-old young man made the whole audience nostalgic for campfires. We could picture him as a young scout learning how to build those fires and we could imagine him as an older man, building fires with his own sons and grandsons, and sharing memories with them.
We felt something.
It’s an evocative branding story and the campfire is a significant icon of the scouting brand. The scouts are all about teaching boys life skills and every camping trip includes one of those campfires. That campfire is a key part of the brand experience for scouts: they work hard, they play hard, and when darkness comes, they gather, cook around a flame and keep that fire going for hours – for warmth, for entertainment. It wouldn’t be a scout camping experience without that campfire.
What is the campfire of your brand?
What is the centerpiece of your brand experience that draws people in?
How are you making people feel something about your brand by creating an experience?
Maybe you don’t have a raging fire or even a spark yet. There’s nothing wrong with picking up kindling to get started.
photo credit: zaps06
My friend, David Cohen, is offering a very affordable teleclass next week about personal branding (not an affiliate link). He’s the person who struck the match of branding for me and sparked these ideas about brand experience (stop me, Metaphor Police!). If you want to become intentional about your own brand, take his class and prepare to shift how you think and how you connect with people.
I am not a good housekeeper. In fact, getting a dog was the best thing that ever happened to our kitchen floor.
However, I do have an active fantasy life about being a fine housekeeper and, as in any good fantasy, I am thrilled by richly drawn characters. The star of my housekeeping fantasy is The Swiffer®.
Lean styling, no need for a power outlet, and a sexy little swivel to get the job done.
Occasionally, that’s what your online presence needs, too, because, admit it, a few corners of your online kitchen have got, well, hairballs.
It’s time to swiffer your online presence. We’re not talking about redesigning your whole website; just a quick fluff of the main ways that people are likely to find you. And it won’t take much more time than swiffering your kitchen. Ready?
First, Google yourself.
Put your name in quotes to get the most accurate results. Are those results as shiny as you would like? Are you surprised by what appeared?
Now that Facebook is indexing more things into Google by default, you may be less comfortable with what is visible to the whole world. This doesn’t mean you need to abandon Facebook; just take a few minutes to smooth out your privacy settings. When you are logged into Facebook, click “Settings” then “Privacy Settings” on the drop-down menu. Choose who you really want to see your information in your various profile settings. I prefer the “Only Friends” setting. “Friends of Friends” is pretty darned broad in the extended world online.
On the “Search” section of the Privacy Settings, you can set your Facebook search results and your “Public Search” results – this means Google! I decided that I do want to be found within Facebook but I’ve turned off public search for now.
Next, take a quick swipe at your social networking profiles.
What are your most active social networks? Which ones showed up in that Google search? Did some show up that you don’t intend to use anymore and could delete?
Assuming you’re on the Big Three, sign onto Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and just peek at your profiles on each. Do you have profile info that is current and relevant? Do you have a consistent, recognizable photo? Have you deleted things like your birth year on Facebook to minimize your risk of identity theft?
I hadn’t been as active on LinkedIn lately and was mortified at how much my profile looked like something that rolled under the fridge a year ago. It took a little scrubbing but the results are much more appetizing.
Lastly, set up Google Alerts.
You can activate this brilliant tool in just seconds to help you monitor your name, your brand and any other terms that interest you – with the results automatically delivered via email! Melanie Nelson has written a very clear description on Blogher about how to set up your Google alerts.
Crushed cereal debris…poof! Dusty corners…poof! Give yourself 15 minutes for a little online swiffering. You’ll be amazed by how much more effective your online presence can be with just a quick swipe now and then.
Do you have other ideas or questions about freshening your online presence?
image credit: nguarracino
It was such fun interviewing David last week that we extended our conversation for more ideas about personal branding. Here’s Part 2 with Davd S. Cohen, Brand Therapist, from Equation Arts, @davidscohen.
Listen to Personal Branding with David S. Cohen, Part 2
In this chat we covered:
- What does it mean to be intentional about personal branding?
- How your brand follows you around
- How being human adds value to your brand
- Pitfalls of personal branding
- What being uncomfortable about your brand really means
- Who is in control of your brand?
- How to discover your brand
- How your brand is like a tree
- …or is your brand a tumbleweed?
- How your brand can be a magnet and a filter
- Committing to your brand
- And a few impromptu case studies…
Have you checked out David’s class? Personal Branding Fundamentals: Be a Beacon. I love the idea of the “Personal Pitch Clinic” and highly recommend David as an engaging teacher and thinker.
I’m sure that David and I will do this again – what questions would you like for us to address?
Is your online presence energizing you or overwhelming you? Laurie Foley is an online presence coach who helps people and organizations thrive online. With more than 25 years of technology experience and 15 years as an entrepreneur, she is a resourceful and intuitive guide for those who want to flourish in a rapidly changing environment. 
