Building “Brand You”: 10 Easy (and Free!) Ways to Market Yourself

To be successful in any industry, you have to differentiate yourself from the competition. With new technology, building a personal brand has never been easier, and “Brand You” is what will make you stand out from your peers. “Brand You” is a concept that I learned from my mentor, Professor Bob Batchelor, at the University of South Florida.

You can build a spotless personal reputation with hardly any financial investment, but it’s setting aside the time that might prevent some students from developing their own brands. Here are 10 easy ways that you can start building your brand, even as a busy student or young professional:

1. Spring Clean your Social Networks: You’ve heard it before, but let me reiterate how important it is to maintain a professional appearance on Facebook and MySpace. It doesn’t matter if your profile is set to private, you should still take pride in who you are and the image you are portraying. Remove those keg stand pictures and tasteless bumper stickers now, please!

2. Use Google Reader: This is a valuable tool when it comes to starting a personal brand. Subscribe to news sites that are industry-related or about current events. I suggest PR Newswire, PR Week, the New York Times, and BBC, especially for an international perspective. To be a proficient communicator, you must know what’s going on in the world and in public relations. The only way to do this is to educate yourself. Google readers makes it simple—it’s free and easy to navigate, plus almost every site has an icon that allows you to subscribe to their updates.

3. Add to your Reader: After you subscribe to news feeds, search for blogs on topics that interest you, such as marketing or public relations. Read a few posts and see whether the material interests you enough that you’d want to read it on a regular basis. If so, subscribe! Some blogs that I suggest you read are: PR Squared, More with Les, Teaching PR, copyblogger, and the Bad Pitch Blog. Each of these sites link to other great blogs that will keep you entertained and informed.

4. Comment on Blogs: Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion! Bloggers love receiving comments, and most will respond back to you. Always comment using your full name so you can start building your personal brand. The more you comment, the more people will start to recognize your online presence. Make sure you bring value to the conversation—don’t just say “great post!” Tell the blogger why you agree or disagree, or point out something he or she may have overlooked or did a great job explaining.

5. Create a Digital Portfolio: It’s a lot easier than it sounds, especially if you use www.freewebs.com. The site has tons of templates that you can choose from, and is self-explanatory. It’s easy to upload your résumé and writing samples, which allows potential employers to view all your work online. Since your Facebook and MySpace profiles should be professional, link to them so that employers can see your other interests and get a glimpse into your personality. Potential employers are people, too! Most enjoy people with intriguing personalities, and you never know when you might share a common interest with the person interviewing you. Any possible connection could be to your advantage!

6. Make Business Cards: Personal business cards are a great way to pass on information about yourself when you first meet someone. Include your basic contact information, but also links to any sites you have created for yourself, such as a blog, digital portfolio, or LinkedIn profile.

7. Join LinkedIn: This social networking site is more professional than Facebook, and is a great way to interact with those already in your desired career. Check it out at www.linkedin.com, and then make a profile. I actually landed a couple of interviews through this network, including ones at Ogilvy PR and Fleishman-Hillard.

8. Experiment with Social Media Tools: There are a lot of interesting tools at there that can help you make your presence known. Twitter is simple, and helps initiate conversations with people you might never get the opportunity to speak to otherwise. It can be found at www.twitter.com. Another tool you should familiarize yourself with is www.ning.com.

This site is a group-based community that allows you to search for those with similar interests. For example, I am a part of the 20 Something Bloggers ning, which has helped drive traffic to my blog and allowed me to communicate with other young bloggers around the world. Another great forum is the new PR Open Mic, started by Professor Robert French at Auburn. The site has only been up for a couple of weeks, but it’s already a remarkable resource for students, professors, and professionals. I highly recommend joining!

9. Just do it! Start a Blog: Maintaining a blog is easier than you might think. Most of my posts are less than 500 words and take me no more than an hour each week to write. This minimal commitment has been one of the most beneficial and fun things I’ve done as an undergraduate student. The benefits are innumerable: I’ve received job offers and freelance requests, I’ve been able to communicate with top-tier professionals and professors, I’ve enhanced my knowledge about the industry, and I’ve been able to practice my writing skills.

10. Ask for Help: Building a personal brand can seem overwhelming, so don’t hesitate to ask for help. Both professors and older students are excellent resources to guide you through this process. It is never too early to start building “Brand You,” and I hope that all of you will start soon so that you can impress potential employers with your outstanding reputation.

(This article was originally published in the University of South Florida’s chapter of PRSSA’s newsletter, imPRessions, which can be viewed at our Web site: http://www.prssausf.com. It has been edited for the Internet and updated since the original publication date.)

I Aimed High, and So Should You

Let me give you some advice: apply for that job you think you aren’t qualified for, or submit your entry to win an award you think will probably go to someone else. You never know when the people selecting the winners will think that YOU are the perfect candidate.

Last fall, I was browsing the PRSSA Web site for scholarships and internships that I could apply for when I stumbled across the Daniel J. Edelman Award for the Outstanding Public Relations Student. I read over the qualifications, and thought it seemed out of my league. After researching past winners, I saw that almost all of them were presidents or vice presidents of their own chapters with impressive resumes that made mine look weak in comparison. Defeated, I clicked off that page to look for other awards that I might have a chance to win.

A couple of days later, I returned to the site. I thought– why not? What did I have to lose by submitting an entry? I respected the Edelman agency, and wanted to learn more about its culture, clients, and past work.

Once I sent out my entry, I thought that was it. I honestly wasn’t expecting to hear anything, and took the experience as an opportunity to learn how to piece together a portfolio.

I am very honored to say that I was wrong. In January, I received a phone call from Heather Crowley at Edelman informing me that I was a finalist in the competition. Only the friends who were with me that night can truly understand the shock, amazement, and joy that I felt upon receiving that call. It was an exhilarating moment that made me appreciate all the work I had put into my PR education.

From then, it only got better. I had a phone interview with Heather that went beyond discussing my qualifications for the award because Heather was so open to questions I had about Edelman and the public relations industry in general. Our forty-five minute conversation was one of the most informative and interesting talks I’ve shared with a professional, and that was reason enough to be happy that I applied for the award that I never thought I had a chance at winning.

A week later, Heather called and told me some great news: I was the runner-up in the competition, which meant I had won $500 and the chance to interview at any of Edelman’s offices for an internship position.

Just recently, Edelman posted a press release about the competition. It’s surreal and very humbling that an agency I have admired for some time saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself.

I can’t believe I almost passed up this opportunity when I thought about not applying back in December. I shared this story not to brag, but to encourage other students to aim high. I know a lot of my peers talk about not being qualified for certain positions they want, or not having the experience or achievements to apply for an award, but everyone feels that way. Half the battle is placing yourself in a position to succeed, and you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t try!

Dear College: Breaking Up is Hard to Do.

Dear College,

I knew it would be difficult to write this, but I didn’t really understand how hard it would be until now. Even though I entered this relationship knowing it would never last, the abrupt ending has caught me off guard. When I made this commitment in 2004, four years seemed so long— receiving a diploma as I walked across a stage was a distant dream, so was the fact that I would actually have to repay $7,000 in student loans one day.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it isn’t you, it’s me. I’ve been living in this fantasy world for long enough, and now it’s time to move on.

Don’t get me wrong—I will always look back with fondness on the times we shared: the 3:30 a.m. roadtrips with my roommate to get milkshakes, the days I stayed in bed until 1 p.m. because I had nothing better to do, the BBQs at the pool on a Tuesday afternoon, the midnight volleyball games, the tailgates before football games. Remember that one time a group study session turned into a mid-day happy hour at Chili’s that lasted until 2 in the morning? Those are great memories that will keep me going when I’m working 60 hours a week to afford my rent payment. And my health insurance. And my phone bill. And groceries. And…

They say that no relationship is bad because you come out of it with more experience, more wisdom. Well, I learned more from you than I hoped, whether it was from a professor in the classroom or life lessons that come with getting older and growing more independent. There was that time when I was a freshman who had no concept of budgeting money, and I accumulated $250 in overdraft fees. Or that time in Spain when locals tried discussing simple current events with me that I knew nothing about, so I started following international news more closely. Then there were the transfer students leaving behind homes destroyed in Hurricane Katrina who taught me to never take anything for granted, and the single mom working two jobs to pay her way through college that made me appreciate my own mother’s struggles.

All these memories make me wonder if I’m doing the right thing by ending this, but somehow, deep down, I know that I’m ready to take the next step. Even though it’s difficult, it feels right to trade in the keys to my dorm room for an apartment far away from any loud fraternity houses. I’ll exchange beer pong tournaments for dinner and drinks with co-workers. I’m ready to leave behind the 15-page term papers so that I can work on project briefings and campaign proposals.

It might sound a little crazy, but I’m excited for the challenges that the real world will bring. My relationship with you has prepared me well for the journey, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.

Until we meet again (I’ll be back for Homecoming next year…),

Meg