How to Use Social Media Marketing to Promote Yourself as a Brand (part 1)
August 11, 2008
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Not everyone interested in Social Media Marketing is a big company or start-up business. There are a lot of freelancers, artists, and performers out there who can really get some great benefits from utilizing all that Social Media has to offer when it comes to marketing.
You as a Brand - The first step is thinking of yourself as a brand. If you love doing what you do enough to market yourself, you have to treat yourself as your most important client. Despite whether or not you are working for other people, you should always come first. If you can’t help yourself, then how can you help others? Whether you are a musician, actor or street mime, you have to believe in the product you’re putting out there.
Think about your attributes and what makes you different than anyone else in your genre. It takes a bit of confidence to know that what you’ve got to give to the world is worth their time. Once you figure out just who the heck you think you are, it’s time to recognize what makes you unique. What makes you tick? What makes you special? Chances are likely that what you do is something someone else is already doing, so find out what makes you stand apart. You might not even have talent, and you can still market yourself as an individual. Look at Tila Tequila for crying out loud.
It takes some work and some self-examination to get through this part of the process, but once you realize the things that you can give to the world, you can begin to know how to best sell yourself. Don’t rush, because your craft will likely change as you become more accustomed to promoting you as your brand, but this is the first step in getting your name out there—knowing what it means to you. This is just the first step of many, so stay tuned for the next installment, which is equally as important—“Know Your Audience.”
For more on establishing yourself as a brand, check out this article from Fast Company, or this video with Gary Vaynerchuk. Inspiring.
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7 Responses to “How to Use Social Media Marketing to Promote Yourself as a Brand (part 1)”
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This looks to be a promising series of posts. I am relatively new to blogging myself. I am determined to take something that I naturally love to do, write, and market my talents to allow myself to work independently.
I think taking the time to self analyze is the definitely the first step in realizing what you plan to promote to begin with.
There are a lot of people out there with no talent who seem to market themselves on that very aspect alone and make it big. For me it’s not a matter of being wealthy, but rather, the ability to make a living off a natural talent and still be able to share worthwhile insight, wisdom, and experience with others around me.
I look forward to “Know Your Audience.”
Luis Sandoval Jr.’s last blog post..Barcamp Houston
Very nice…
Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series - social media has been a great help in taking people from the shadows of obscurity to the forefront of their passions, allowing them to be effective tools in their field.
Its basically a quicker and better (plus definately cheaper) of marketing. For example, a musician can send his stuff out online so much faster than he can by making a bunch of tapes and mailing them to people, aswell as having to perform all the time at whatever venues he can get when he first starts.
Definately the creative arts are some of the major beneficiaries of this new web 2.0 trend, but that does not mean it is limited to them.
Anyone can promote themself.
And I totally agree with your comments about ‘know thy self’ - before jumping in head first.
I think social media is, first and foremost, a branding tool. Even if you’re doing it unknowingly, the second you enter the social media space (like walking into a room) you are projecting an image. The benefit of social media is that, if you’re brand conscious, you can carve one hell of an image.
If you’ve got something to offer, if you’re an expert at something, you stand to create an extraordinary brand. It takes patience, honesty, knowledge and passion.
Brandon Carlos’s last blog post..On PR Tricks and Tech
Thanks for the comments, all.
Hopefully I can help give you some ideas to start branding yourself using the myriad social media tools out there.
Let me know if there is anything you wanna see in this series.
Just found this in my RSS and think you make a very good point.
Especially in relation to musicians, where there seems to be less and less relevance for traditional records labels!