Personal branding “Me 2.0″ style
Stop loosing opportunities. Be your strongest business magnet, exude authority, earn trust and enjoy more success today.

My friend Dan Schawbel’s new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success is out today. It’s a great read for its dedicated audience of young professionals, along with us older folks who act all different ages.

Here are some pointers I soaked up from the book and some inspirational, insightful thoughts from a couple of my favorite business experts.

Dan professes, “personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence .”

He also suggests you ask yourself this important question before you launch off into your Me 2.0 initiative.

Does your career path make you happy?

If yes, great keep working it. Make the most of your talents and skill set to achieve maximum success.

If no, change it. Find the right path for you and focus on making it work.

If you’re unsure about your future—define it. Weigh all the factors that matter to you and find the career path that fits best.

Dan believes it takes a four-step process to build a powerful personal brand for a successful career:
Discover. In the discover step, you will learn about yourself, figure out what makes you distinctive, and learn how to develop the right skills.

Create. In the create step, you will build a complete marketing kit that you can use in interviews or when networking.

Communicate. In the communicate step, you will take everything you’ve created and promote it to others.

Maintain. In the maintain step, you will perform routine maintenance so that your reputation is monitored and protected.

A big chunk of his book is focused on e-Branding through social media and online channels. Here are some great tips.

When applicable
-Always include your name, picture, and personal brand statement.
-Always include personal information, not just professional experience, so that the user can get a feeling for your eBrand.
-Always keep your site engaging, user-friendly, and easy to navigate.
-Always use aesthetic choices (font style, background color, logos, etc.) that will capture and hold your audience’s attention without annoying them.
-Always use design choices, including a color scheme, that represents your personal brand.

Dan knows first hand about creating a personal brand. For being on earth for only a short time, he walks his talk. Personal brand requires hard work and dedication. But if you’re dedicated and create an online and offline brand presence that relates to the demands of your target audience and delivers what they’re looking for, they will embrace it. When this happens, you’ll be amazed to see how many opportunities for success open up.

Just consider these cool, smart guys quoted in Dan’s book who have certainly earned their top places in business and society through their strategic and persistent online footprints.

“I kicked off my un-keynote at the first PodCamp by telling everyone there that they were superheroes. Why? Because through their use of social media, they had the power to bypass hierarchies, discover and connect to meaningful two-way conversations, and build value and brand without getting permission to do either.” —Chris Brogan, cofounder, PodCamp

“People should do what they do/love as well as they can. For me, it’s blogging and speaking. My thinking is that if you do good stuff, your brand will naturally come out of your actions. But if you focus on ‘what makes me look good,ʼ you’ll just be a slick and shallow persona.”—Guy Kawasaki, managing director, Garage Technology Ventures

Keep up the great work gentlemen and congrats Dan on a solid, valuable book!

That’s an interesting mix of subjects that should resonate with most of our readers. I must admit, I’m starting to really enjoy this blogging thing. Sharing what I know and what I believe with a bunch of creative-minded biz friends is fun and challenging.

Blogging.
As I sit down at my keyboard tonight and begin to write this week’s posts I ponder about some things.

1) Should this blog and Oddpodz for that matter be more narrowly focused, our content, tools and offerings?
Today, we strive to give creative-minded business people and organizations, from a 1 person solo practice to a 500-person enterprise, good ideas, free tools and a network to find and connect with other valuable resources and people.

Is diversity a good thing? Or is a more laser-like target better? Please tell us what you think.

2) What does it take to build a power blog?
In general terms, we know it’s about good content, ongoing SEO efforts and participating in other high traffic communities and blogs. But what are the top 10 most powerful actions a blogger can do to significantly move the reader meter.

I’m going to post both of these questions in our forum and invite you to add your feedback. I’ve been using my Linkedin groups quite a bit to have discussions on a bunch of issues. I’ll be compiling these soon and sharing them with in Oddpodz.

Headlines.
It was my intention to next blog about my friend Dan Schawbel’s new book Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

Me 2.0 teaches people how to use social media tools for personal brand building and is the first book of this kind written for the millennials generation. I suppose us older folks can also learn from this book, since we often act like we are 30 something. The book is great and I will be posting a review in the book review section in the Oddpodz forum and will dedicate our Tues. blog to some of the book’s highlights and the topic of personal branding.

Sorry, I got side tracked.
As I was crafting my blog title on personal branding, I discovered a very cool, free tool that analyzes headlines for its emotion marketing impact. As you know, reaching your customers in a deep and emotional way is a key to successful copywriting, and your headline is unquestionably the most important piece of copy you use to reach prospects.

The Advanced Marketing Institute provides the free headline analysis tool.
The Advanced Marketing Institute is a group of researchers, educators, and developers who have come together to provide real tools and knowledge to businesses and individuals who are tired of struggling to control their chaotic systems.

How does the Headline Analyzer work?
Simple go to: Headline Analyzer

Type in your headline. It must be under 20 words. Hit analyze this.
Your headline will be analyzed and scored based on the total number of Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) words it has in relation to the total number of words it contains. This will determine the EMV score of your headline. In addition to the EMV score, You will find out which emotion inside your customer’s your headline most impacts:

Intellectual
Words which are especially effective when offering products and services that require reasoning or careful evaluation.

Empathetic
Words which resonate in with Empathetic impact often bring out profound and strong positive emotional reactions in people.

Spiritual
Words which are especially effective when offering products and services that require reasoning or careful evaluation. Words which resonate in with Empathetic impact often bring out profound and strong positive emotional reactions in people. Words which have the strongest potential for influence and often appeal to people at a very deep emotional level.

So I tested out a few headlines. There is no limit to how many headlines you can get feedback on.

Remember this title is for a blog post for Dan Schawbel’s new book,and other personal branding insight.

My first headline: Be a business magnet Project Authority Earn trust Win Contracts
My Headline’s EMV Score: 40%

My 2nd headline: How to be a business magnet, project authority, earn trust and win contracts today
My Headline’s EMV Score: 42.86%

My 3rd headline: Stop losing opportunities. Be your strongest business magnet, exude authority, earn trust and win more clients today My Headline’s EMV Score: 52.94%

This score indicates that my headline has a total of 52.94% Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) Words. To put that in perspective, the English language contains approximately 20% EMV words. And for comparison, most professional copywriters’ headlines will have 30%-40% EMV Words in their headlines, while the most gifted copywriters will have 50%-75% EMV words in headlines.

Yahoo, I’m gifted! For at least a few minutes.
This is a cool tool and gets you really thinking about how to write more emotionally charged copy. But for a blog title, it also has me thinking search engine results. So my recommendation is: Headlines should be short and include keywords, use the highest rated title as a subtitle.

In closing, what does constipation have to do with any of this?
Well for starters, brilliant comedians have been leveraging this writing technique for years. It’s called a triple. Two words are normal, expected and could go together. The last word is goofy, unexpected and some times shocking. Which makes the choice and combination of these three words so effective in getting attention and hopefully a laugh. You can use this method when you are speaking or writing.

Last week I talked about dealing with creative brain freeze, which could also be described as creative constipation. This week I’ve been jamming, pumping out ideas and enjoying my favorite things, writing, thinking and problem solving. If my thawing your brain tips and the free ebook on creative productive we recommended didn’t help, start reading Mark McGuinness’ blog, it’s amazing! Or, eat more fiber.

Jeffrey Gitomer is a dear personal friend, has been a great mentor to me and even wrote the forward in my book, Brain Tattoos: Creating Unique Brands That Stick in Your Customers’ Minds. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of his latest book.

Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Teal Book of Trust: How to Earn It, Grow It, and Keep It to Become a Trusted Advisor in Sales, Business and Life (Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Books)

Over the past 16 years, Jeffrey has established himself a one of the most widely read sales authors of all time. His books have appeared on bestseller lists more than 750 times, and his LITTLE BOOK SERIES™ has sold over three million copies worldwide. In 1998, Jeffrey took a leadership position and wrote Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless when the rest of the world was stuck on satisfaction. More than 500,000 worldwide copies later, turns out he was ahead of the curve, and right on the money. Ten years later he is again making a statement. The next decade will be defined by TRUST.

Buy the book now, click the link in the text above, or the image below.

by Nettie Hartsock

In this week’s “Five Questions for Creatives” we turn to Lloyd Dangle, graphic artist, comic strip artist and blogger. Lloyd is widely known for his Airborne™ brand illustrations and at night he dons his comic cape and draws his highly popular Troubletown comic strip. Lloyd blogs at - www.troublogtown.blogspot.com/. Lloyd’s web site can be found at www.lloyddangle.com.

Lloyd is a multi-disciplined writer, designer, and artist whose works, over the past 20 years, have appeared in over 100 magazines and newspapers of every type. His weekly comic strip, Troubletown, was first published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 1988 and has grown to become a widely-syndicated cartoon feature in alternative newsweeklies and lefty political magazines. Lloyd is also widely sought for his live Dangle-tooning at corporate events and meetings.

1. What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to being a successful creative person?

Lloyd: To protect and feed your creative side while simultaneously squashing it into the box of corporate America. Seriously, being creative, while employing a marketing system and an effectively run studio is not easy. It’s almost like you have to become two people. Three would be more helpful.

2. What are three tips you would give to anyone who wants to empower their creative career, whether it be as a copywriter, web designer, artist?

Lloyd: It’s taken me forever to figure this out, and I am resistant to it, but you have to go out to public events and meet people face to face to get great projects and relationships.

Second, you should always market yourself with the idea of what you want to be doing, not necessarily what you think you do best, because that’s how you get stuck.

The most important tip is to really look at your creative endeavor as a business, develop your studio policies, terms, and contracts, have everything in place so that you don’t have to think about it and you’re ready to make a deal with the ultimate client tomorrow.

3. What is most rewarding about being on your own and working to grow your creative business?

Lloyd: It requires persistence, but after a while, if you’ve been doing your marketing, you eventually get to a point write your own ticket. You can choose the projects that offer you the chance to express yourself in the way you want, and you can make enough money, that’s important too! If your business is ramped up and working well you can enjoy flexibility. You can take vacations in the middle of the week and pick your kids up in the afternoon and play with them.

4. What inspires you to be creative?

Lloyd: Trying to provoke laughs, thoughtfulness, or irritation in the public, depending on the task at hand.

5. What is the greatest benefit to working as a creative professional?

Lloyd: I remember in some exercise I did one time years ago that I wrote the statement that I wanted to be able to go to work and tackle something creative every day. And that’s the greatest benefit for someone who feels compelled to make pictures, or products, or creative solutions to client’s problems. I just love being engaged in that way. I know people who like their corporate jobs and wouldn’t want the headache of running a business full time. But I’m able to live the kind of life that works for me.

Bonus: What is your favorite book about business or creativity?

Lloyd: Oh, I have an enormous library, way more books than my house and studio can hold. It would be too difficult to narrow down an inspirational book for creativity. In business, “Graphic Artists Guild Handbook Guidelines: Practical & Ethical Guidelines” had such a profound effect on me that I became the president of the organization.

About the author: Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist helping authors, creatives, musicians and companies create actionable how-to 2.0 programs to establish a powerful base for attracting both blogger and journalists attention. Her website can be found at NettieHartsock.com.

By Karen Post, The Branding Diva®

OK, for all you folks who love statistics, here’s one: 89.7 percent of all statistics are made up. This next one is actually true; 90 percent of all kids are considered creative—yet only 2 percent of all adults are. What happened to all those creative people? Did aliens come down and surgically remove their creativity, while erasing all memory of the procedure?

“As adults we are so conditioned by the four Rs of adult thinking; rules, restrictions, rejection, and reason,” Michael Michalko, explains in his book “Thinkertoys”, Handbook of Business Creativity.

Well the good news here is you can be a born-again creative with a little devotion. All humans have creative capacity. They just get kind of lame or lazy at times. Now there are few gifted folks that don’t give much effort to creative development, they are the lucky, natural ones. Some of you may be in this group and yes, we hate you.

Wherever you land on the creative meter, I’m going to share some ideas that can keep you in the brilliant, creative zone. Some of these creativity ways are from my experiences, some are from other cool thought leaders pals, and some I made up, because I can, I’m creative.

5 easy actions that can pump up your creative muscle.

1) Back into the problem.
Instead of thinking about the challenge as a big overwhelming project, start with your end goal first. From here section off the desired outcomes into small pieces that, combined, could be the ultimate solution.

2) Work in three-part timed capsules.
If I chunk out eight hours on one project, I spend 95 percent of the time thinking, procrastinating, and then feeling stressed. Not good. Instead, I’ve learned, block out a maximum of three hours at a time on a project, one hour thinking, one hour downloading or writing down my ideas, one hour tightening or different connecting dots. By scheduling these sessions, the deadline drives me to a much more productive outcome.

3) Exercise your mind just like you exercise your body.
Work both sides of your brain.
If you are a fluid writer, spend some time drawing and visualizing your ideas. If you are already visual, try crossword or number puzzles.

Practice thinking with flexibility.
See how many four-word sentences you can craft. Take a set of words (or use your own, just follow the type of word and quantity) like:

I apricots frogs enjoy don’t irritated eagerly anger

4) Pig out on new brain food
Expand your idea simulation bank with obscure publications, movies, and places. Start by going to a magazine or book store, pick up five or six publications not related to your industry or creative challenge. You will be pleasantly surprised at the abundance of new things you will see and then apply to your situation. The same goes for places to visit; try a flea market, a comedy show, a circus, or a specialty store for something that does not connect your problem.

5) Don’t be a duke of habit
Mix up your schedule, break up regimes, change your routine. You will be amazed at what you see, lots of new landscape, and ideas. Do you go to the same coffee shop to chill? Try one on the other side of town. Do you collaborate with the same folks on idea generation? Try a new group of minds, kids, a different lifestyle segment, or a special interest club.

Building creative muscle can be done. It just takes some discipline and work. Here are a few of my favorite books and tools on the subject.

“Creative Block” by Lou Harry
A small square book packed with big ideas.

Roger von Oech’s “Creative Whack Pack”
A deck of 64 ideas stimulating different perspectives to look at a challenge and find the solution.

“Juicing the Orange” by Pat Fallon and Fred Senn
A great read with lots of smart, inspirational thinking from two veteran ad guys.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

by Nettie Hartsock

Note: we usually publish this feature on Tuesdays, but had a hiccup this week, we’ll be back on track next week.

In this week’s “Five Questions for Creatives” we turn to Lisa Haneberg, author, blogger and management guru. Lisa is the author of the much-lauded book, “Two Weeks to a Breakthrough” and blogs at managementcraft.com. Lisa’s web site can be found at www.lisahaneberg.com.

Lisa shares her insight on all things creative.

Five Questions for An Author, Business Strategist and “Breakthrough Champion”

Q.What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to being a successful creative person?

Lisa: Giving yourself the time to allow you mind to wander. Often we expect creativity within a two minutes - and creativity doesn’t happen like that.

Q. What are three tips you would give to anyone who wants to empower their creative career, whether it be as a copywriter, web designer, artist?

Lisa:
1. Plan time and create a space that makes you feel good. This can be a home office or a favorite chair in the local coffee shop.

2. Create the context for creativity.

Q. What is most rewarding about being on your own and working to grow your creative business?

Lisa: Having choice about how I spend my time. This is also at times a burden and can feel like pressure (pressure to produce, pressure to get clients).

Q. What inspires you to be creative?

Lisa: Intrinsic satisfaction of something well-crafted.

Q. What is the greatest benefit to working as a creative professional?

Lisa: My mind stays fresh and I am always learning. After I crossed the 40 year old mark, it became crucial that I do work that helps me learn and keep my mind engaged.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite book about business or creativity?

“The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Zander and Benjamin Zander

“Make the Impossible Possible” by Bill Strickland*

*Note from the editor: Bill Strickland and Manchester Bidwell Corporation are friends of ours at Oddpodz! Check out his and the MBC story, both are truly inspirational.

About the author: Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist helping authors, creatives, musicians and companies create actionable how-to 2.0 programs to establish a powerful base for attracting both blogger and journalists attention. Her website can be found at NettieHartsock.com.

by Nettie Hartsock

In this week’s “Five Questions for Creatives” we turn to Lynn Kindler, freelance blogger, writer and life/career coach. Lynn is also the host of the show “Book It! Words for the Soul” on the popular Coaching Commons web site – coachingcommons.org. Lynn’s web site can be found at sacredpathcoaching.com.

Lynn shares her insight on all things creative.

Q. What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to being a successful creative person?

Lynn: Yourself. Once you get over yourself and get out of your ego and on to the business of fully realizing your creativity you can then hear and heed advice, recommendations, and suggestions given to you to help you sustain success. It’s about learning to engage the atrophying side of your brain that we don’t usually use when we’re creative.

Q. What are three tips you would give to anyone who wants to empower their creative career, whether it be as a copywriter, web designer, artist?

Lynn:

1. There may be over a billion people in the world, but there is only one “you,” be the best “you” that you can be;

2. Meditate or take 30 minutes of time each day to teach your mind how to quiet itself and align with divine order (this may be more challenging than you realize!).

3. Identify and hire people and/or their services to do for you what you don’t do well. Feed the business beast side of your work so that you can be free to create.

Q. What is most rewarding about being on your own and working to grow your creative business?

Lynn: Not having to “answer” to someone that I don’t have respect for (yes, I’ve had authority issues in my life!). I love being able to create my own day with systems, processes and an environment in place that enables me to do my work without the adrenal depleting stress. There’s nothing quite like working on your own book with a cat purring in your lap and dogs asleep around your desk!

Q. What inspires you to be creative?

Lynn: What I call my “higher power”. When I am taking care of myself (head, heart, body and soul) then I can align with this higher power and the creativity flows through effortlessly. There is a really, really big lie floating around out there that says in order to be creative you have to imbibe large amounts of mind altering substances. Not true. If anything I believe that dilutes our creativity.

The musician Stevie Ray Vaughn was just hitting his stride in sobriety when he was killed. I wonder what music he would have created after several years of a connection to a higher source?

Q. What is the greatest benefit to working as a creative professional?

Lynn: I’m in my bliss and amazed that I get paid for doing what I do. I believe really everyone is creative it just reveals itself in different ways. I love the combination of intelligence and heart that shows itself through the creative work of the professionals I work with…I’m constantly delighted.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite book about business or creativity?

Lynn: I’m going to have to say Mitch Ditkoff’s latest book, “Awake at the Wheel”, for both business and creativity. It’s got some great points, is a fun read and made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I also recommend Steven Pressfield’s book, “The War of Art” which is this thin little beguiling book all about resistance. He’s thought of it all because he’s been there, and it’s a must have for all writers.

About the author: Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist helping authors, creatives, musicians and companies create actionable how-to 2.0 programs to establish a powerful base for attracting both blogger and journalists attention. Her website can be found at NettieHartsock.com.

by Nettie Hartsock

Note from Oddpodz: we’re thrilled to add Nettie Hartsock to the idea engine blog. She’ll be authoring a new weekly feature, a Q&A with a creative expert. It will post every Tuesday. So, without further ado…

In this inaugural “Five Questions for Creatives” we turn to Meryl Evans, longtime Content maven, copywriter and web gal extraordinaire. Meryl’s web site can be found at www.meryl.net.

Meryl shares her insight on all things creative.

Q.What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to being a successful creative person?

Meryl: Getting inspiration on a regular basis.

Q. What are three tips you would give to anyone who wants to empower their creative career, whether it be as a copywriter, web designer, artist?

Meryl:

1. A creative career takes hard work like everything else.

2. A freelance creative career involves non-creative tasks like marketing, bookkeeping, and staying organized.

3. A freelance creative career requires you keep yourself motivated to get the work done.

Q. What is most rewarding about being on your own and working to grow
your creative business?

Meryl: Gaining a well-rounded life that lets me be a writer, mother, wife, daughter, friend, volunteer, and adventurer (not necessary in that order).

Q. What inspires you to be creative?

Meryl: Hearing from clients who love the work.

Q. What is the greatest benefit to working as a creative professional?

Meryl: Happy clients.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite book about business or creativity?

POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd by Sam Horn provides great tips for brainstorming ideas, names, and more.

About the author: Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist helping authors, creatives, musicians and companies create actionable how-to 2.0 programs to establish a powerful base for attracting both blogger and journalists attention. Her website can be found at NettieHartsock.com.

It is exactly what it sounds like, the most practical small business marketing tool around.

Learn more about Duct Tape Marketing

A while back we told you about one of our favorite books, Inspirability by Pash. It contains interviews with artists, designers, ad folks and others who create for a living. Scattered among the profiles are photos of different workspaces. They are not your standard 4ftx4ft cubicle. It’s easy to see how your surroundings can make a difference and amp up your creativity.

We also brought you a cool post from Alexander Kjerulf, the Chief Happiness Officer (and, an Oddpodz Pole Vaulter) that showcased some seeeeeeeeeriously cool office spaces.

Well, we spent the weekend cleaning one of the Oddpodz satellite offices, and lo and behold we uncovered a desk. Now, it’s time to re-energize that space, so we looked around the Web for some more cool workspaces.

We uncovered this gem of a blog and wanted to share it with you. Onmydesk.com is a site about “artists, illustrators, designers and creative folks sharing the stuff on their desks.” Lots of great ideas for sprucing up your workspace after some serious spring cleaning. Out with the dust bunnies and in with the brilliant ideas.

Check it out here.
Enjoy.