Online Branding Platform By Cynthia Johnson Book Summary
If you can make a digital investment on the internet, its on building your personal brand.
Platform by Cynthia Johnson reveals how you can lay the foundation on how you are perceived online in your favor.
How you communicate reveals opportunities from those who would like to work with you.
However, its not just on what you say, but how you come off.
Is your message aligned? Does you image go with your message? Are you credible and trustworthy?
All of these factors come together in a passive way! It may not be discrete, but it operates in the background whenever someone looks you up!
Taking Control Of Who You Are Online
An important concept to note about personal branding is that if you don't take control of it, others will.
If you are passive in building it, people will take it out of your control and see you as they see fit.
On the other hand, if you are actively shaping how people perceive you online, you create the virtual reality of who you are and can be.
This means that if you are in control of what your personal brand is, you can drive it into all the different transitions you'd like for it to be.
Peronal branding is built on FOUR main factors:
- Personal Proof
- Social Proof
- Recognition
- Association
Personal Branding is like credit, people only pull it up in certain contexts.
Take a look at successful business brands, and you'll see what they are trying to do is become people.
This is to your advantage, so be yourself out loud.
Personal Propaganda
Whenever you are in business or have a financial goal that involves selling something, its better to think about an understanding of the potential buyer. And not about you.
This takes more than just a message, you have to gain insight on what they think about you, your services, who they trust in hearing from, and what their passions are. And figure out if the solution you offer matches to it all.
Th more human a brand is, the more they identify with it.
The more time you spend communicating to your audience, the more relatable you can be.
If you are able to build an audience and a recognizeable brand, it doesn't end there - you have to manage them.
If you do the thinking for yourself, then brand yourself as such.
When you think for yourself, your ideas become the base value of your brand.
Unique ideas are valuable!
How Do You Define Successful Branding?
Did you know most people will spend more time avoiding what they don't want in exchange for pursuing what they really want?
Getting in touch with your boundaries and aspirations is a great starting point in your path to success.
When you know what you don't want - you can flip to towards what you do want in contrast.
"Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort" - Fred Rogers
Creating value for others shows you know how to creat value for yourself.
Knowing What You Say Allows You To Be What You Say
Get a story together about who you are - as a matter of fact, develop multiple stories from different phases in our life.
A summary of who you are reveals also what you think!
TIP: Don't be all business in your message, let your personality shine through.
Think of personal branding as an art where your story is cultivated through intention.
Your Personal Brand In FOUR Elements
- Education
- Experience
- Credentials
- Achievements
All of these come together like a puzzle forming who you are.
With these factors in mind, begin developing a growth strategy for each.
Learn more and bring up your skill levels.
Experience by doing what you want to do, and finding avenues to share those experiences.
Gain credentials along the way (reviews, feedback, publications etc.)
Gain noteriety in what you do - share your achievements while being you out loud!
Association Rules The Nation
It is no secret that who you interact with has a direct impact on who you are and who you are becoming.
Apart from taking control about your personal brand, make a conscious decision to become associated with people who will help you develop.
Its a win-win activity to grow as an individual and have your personal branding grow along with you through association.
All it takes to change the status of your network is one good connection.
Recognition goes along way, and it takes people who know you to recognize what you've done and will be doing in the near future.
Digital Investments Are A Thing
Your brand statement, an elevator pitch or a slogan is something that goes along with you for the ride.
Online assets you should consider:
- Define your niche.
- Who are the leaders within it?
- Discover your uniqueness.
- Who needs to know about you?
- What is your virtual voice?
A little known asset that can be capitalized on is your knowledge.
And refining that to useful skills.
Don't see little opportunities as a waste of time, all of these are small increments to continue building your digital assets.
Blog mentions, interviews, awards, events, speaking engagements etc.
Reality VS Rumors
As your personal branding grows, rumors will become inevitable.
What you don't put online is just as important as what you do.
The more you put out there, the less room you leave for rumors to fit in.
Evoke authority and say what you mean in a serious manner. Provide more than less.
Peripheral cues are important.
For example, smiling while relaying a message allows you to be more credible in what you're saying.
A third party website provides more credibility that your own, because someone else is sharing your message as a recommendation putting you in a good light.
However, according to a study by Lisa Feldman Barre,t brains are wired more to notice faces who are associated with a negative or pejorative statement.
Considering both negative and positive reactions based on these examples, people are more likely to click a link that is shared by someone they know.
What You Perceive You Believe - Take Advantage Of That!
Knowing what you know up until this point, you can become more aware on how others perceive you.
Fully understanding these qualities allows you to be in the drivers seat of personal perception.
This can be aggregated by a simple post, sending a friend request, and deleting unwanted posts.
To get a strong holding on how to capitalize on perception, know your strengths and weaknesses.
Take personality tests, get feedback, and ask others how they perceive you.
Don't talk about what you can do, talk about what you have done.
99% Of People Create Content, Only 1% Create It
Most Communication Fails
Wilo's Law
If your message leaves anything open for interpretation, it will be interpreted in the most negative way possible.
The Streisand Effect
Anything you censor or try to delete will be valued by others.
Segal's Law
If you have a public opinion, state one at a time.
Cunningham's Law
The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the worng answer.
Skitt's Law
Any post correcting an error in another post will contain atleast one error. The more you let them affect you, the more you will make.
The Law Of Exclamation
The more exclamation points used in an email or post, the more likely the message will be perceived as untrue. Same for all caps.
People care more about how you made them feel instead of what you do.
Reach out to people outside of your immediate circle to make a more profound impact, because people who are closest to you take you for granted.
A Final Note
As you take control of your personal brand, allow it to have room for changes.
You will change, and you will grow.
It's better to have this in mind as you build your personal brand so you won't get holed up in one perception of who you are.
Allow your digital assets to be flexible enough to fill in more definitions as you continue your journey!
