Personal Branding: How to build a powerful reputation

Cristina Baciu - LinkedIn | Website | Twitter

Why?

Is personal branding even worth it?

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PB Misconceptions

• Folks are skeptical
• Don’t want to oversell themselves ...
• Or pretend something they’re not

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But that’s not what personal branding is about!

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Branding = Reputation

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Branding = Presence & Profile

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Does your current reputation match how you’d like to be seen?

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Go to menti.com�Code: 43 95 19 09

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Big Picture...

• You already have a brand!��� �
• Who is managing it?�

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Your personal brand

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Website�LinkedIn

Social Media

In-person Interactions

Create your brand narrative

• Core values (e.g., who am I, what do I want to promote, what are my passions, what makes me unique?)��
• Reflection/self discovery�- 360 exercise: click here for template�- self-discovery: click here for guiding questions��

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Create your brand narrative

• Your personal brand workbook: click here����

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��How to build a personal brand online: click here to read the article�Personal Branding Dos and Don’ts: click here�49 Personal Branding Questions to Ask Yourself: click here

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Brand narrative in practice...

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Social Proof

Content creation

Networking

Things to think about

Content Creation

• Blog posts
• Guest articles
• LinkedIn/ Twitter posts
• Papers on your website

Social Proof

• Resulting from content creation
• Speaks about you in your absence

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Your Network

• Emerging from the previous two categories

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Tools

What tools can one use for personal branding?

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Personal branding DOs

• Audit your online presence �- Google your name�- Set up a Google alert for your name�
• Be intentional (what goes online stays online)�
• Consistency is gold!�- use the same profile photo across profiles

- create usernames unique to your name

- always make sure that posts add value to your branding & are authentic

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Personal branding DON’Ts

• Get into arguments online �- Take the conversation offline�- Or remove yourself from the conversation
• Lecture folx�
• Overshare �
• Abandon your accounts�

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Activate your LinkedIn

• Must have for internships, job seeking, & even grad school�
• Customize your url: see here how (ex: www.linkedin.com/in/cristinacbaciu �
• LinkedIn Profile Checklist: click here�
• The student job hunting handbook: click here�

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Example of an excellent LinkedIn profile

www.linkedin.com/in/mikailavsmith ��For more examples, click here

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Create your own website

• Helps you control the narrative & showcase your work�- include groups project & papers�- include volunteering work & community engagement �- talk about your hobbies & passions
• Invest in your own domain (usually firstlastname.com/.org etc.)�- Strikingly is very user friendly and has free and paid options: https://www.strikingly.com�- Google sites is free and seems user friendly: https://sites.google.com/new �- Carrd.co - neat one page free websites: https://carrd.co�
• Use your website to centralize all your online presence�
• Read: Why Every College Student Should Create A Personal Website (And How to Do It)� 50 of the Best Personal Website and Portfolio Examples in 2021�

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Example of an excellent website:

https://www.jacobbuttry.com ��For more examples, click here

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A case for Twitter

• Disseminate knowledge �
• Learn about opportunities�
• Connect with various people �
• Edu Tool: increased engagement and grades (click here)�
• Keep it professional at all times!�

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Branding = Reputation

• No one else has your unique perspective�
• Build your presence & be consistent�
• Keep an elevator pitch ready (or more)�- 1-3 sentences that describe your uniqueness �- see here for examples �
• Reassess & refine

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Thanks!

What questions do you have ?

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You can find me at

• cbaciu@asu.edu
• @CristinaCBaciu
• www.cristinabaciu.org

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