As many of us get into summer activities, one thing we need to remember is that as a small business owner, we are always creating an impression of our business, affecting our brand and reputation. Whether we are out to dinner with family and friends, socializing at the golf course, tennis courts or beaches, how we behave at all events, whether fun or business oriented, is something we need to recognize as part of our marketing activities.

I attended a great event last night held by Next Level Executives on personal branding. This event got me thinking that developing your reputation is nothing new – but doing so on such a global basis is what brings the overwhelming nature of personal branding to many business owners. Throughout my entire career, I have had to manage my reputation and “brand” from job to job. How many times were we told never to burn bridges because you never know when you will cross paths with that person again.

In this era of social media and our ability to effectively connect and build relationships with so many folks around the world, why do some people think that by filling out my contact form, I would ever consider outsourcing client work to them?

In the workshop I gave last week: Personal Branding: Promote Your Expertise using Social Media, we discussed the importance of being authentic and transparent when developing your personal brand. With the ease of social media, what you do exposes a little bit more of your personality each time. You no longer can put on a false face and get away with it. 

I had the opportunity to be a guest on the morning show at WCRN 830 True Talk Radio hosted by Maurice Lewis who was in for Peter Blute. Joining me was Jack Cutone. The discussion centered around the presentation I did last week on the value of personal branding at Jack’s class at Quinsigamond College called “Business Administration Capstone”.

At a recent presentation I gave to college students about ”Marketing Yourself”, we talked about what it takes to create your personal brand and how social media marketing plays a very strong role. Everyone needs to think about how they are perceived in the market, both from an offline and online perspective.