Steve Campbell is a Penn State University graduate and the creator of Social Branding Blog, which provides readers with information and resources on social media, marketing and brand management. As a Gen-Y’er, Steve realizes the importance of maintaining a strong online presence and taking control of your personal brand and turning it into an effective marketing tool. Here’s a sampling of what we discussed:
Tell me about your personal brand.
My brand represents my passions and interests. I am someone who appreciates the ideals instilled by the social media revolution and web 2.0 experience. I believe that everyone has a chance to make a living doing what they love and that they can accomplish this by sharing their knowledge with others.
I’m big on social media. I feel like we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to realizing the power of such media and how it has leveled the playing field for all of us. I want to become an authority in this space and be able to help as many people as I can do the same.
What kind of clients do you typically work with?
While I try to keep the knowledge I share relevant to everyone, sometimes I can’t help but lean towards the 18-24 year old demographic. As a fairly recent college graduate myself, I understand the immediate benefits of brand management for recent grads, especially in a tough job market.
I am concentrating my efforts on creating a sustainable consulting business in which I can help coach others in brand management and social media. My client is everyone.
Lastly, as a freelance writer I try to create as much content as I possibly can online, and I’m willing to help anyone in any way that I can.
What is social branding? Why is it so important?
Social branding is the art of utilizing marketing techniques to promote a product and increase brand awareness using social media and web 2.0 properties.
This is the definition for social branding that I came up with because, frankly, there wasn’t one before. Unlike traditional marketing where companies/brands market “at” us, it’s important to keep the social aspect in perspective and communicate with others effectively.
I preach engagement. If you do your homework, engage the right people on social networks, and create your brand using the tools and knowledge of an efficient communicator, you will see positive results. That’s social branding.
Tell me about Social Branding Blog. What was your inspiration behind it?
Social Branding Blog is what I started to be part of my personal brand. I took what I was passionate about—social media and brand management—and used the skills I’ve learned to come up with the idea of social branding. I always knew that having a blog was an important part of getting found online, so the Social Branding Blog was born.
It exists as the platform from which my ideas are heard. I blog about what I find interesting and I try to share as much helpful information as possible. While I spend a lot of time on social networking sites and other blogs, the Social Branding Blog is my home base, and everybody needs a home base.
What’s the difference between personal branding and social branding?
People have different definitions for it, but when I hear the term personal branding I think of individuality and self-improvement. While self-promotion is an important aspect of branding/packaging one’s image, I like the idea of a social brand better.
If you have a social brand, you have a network of friends that become a part of your personal brand, and you can build healthy relationships with like-minded people in your field. If the idea is to get noticed, I would consider growing a community over a personal brand any day.
There’s a lot of information on the Internet about personal branding. Perhaps even too much information. What advice can you give a recent college graduate who wants to create their own personal brand? How can they create an effective personal brand without going overboard with it?
The first–and perhaps most important—thing you can do is claim your name. Go buy your domain name if you can or get some variation of it (e.g. stevenjcampbell.com) so you can set up your home base. Also, it’s important to reserve your name on any and all social platforms and networking sites you can think of. Use a service like Knowem for this. My username on a lot of sites is stevecampbell, or stevec, or even just steve.
Next it is important to create content. Blog on your domain and share all of your content across your social profiles. You can blog about anything you want. Just be yourself, and always make sure your social profiles link back to your blog.
Lastly I would say engage with others. Join groups you’re interested in and make an attempt to stay active on social networks. Not only will you get noticed easier, but you will make lasting connections with your network as well.
Aside from purchasing the domain, managing your brand is free. As a recent college grad, you can effectively control how you are perceived online. If you do everything I’ve mentioned, your profiles will surge to the top of search engines, even if you have a common name. Companies will Google you, so make sure they find something worthwhile.
Describe some ways Gen-Y’ers can increase or improve their social brand?
As a Gen-Y’er, I’ve noticed that we tend to spend a lot of time on Facebook. Facebook is great for keeping up with your friends and family, but it isn’t the only social game in town. In most cases, you wouldn’t share your Facebook profile with potential employers.
Most of Gen Y hasn’t taken to services like Twitter and LinkedIn yet. The ones who have are usually in the public relations or marketing field, which is the mindset everyone needs to have when managing a brand.
Gen Y seems to be pretty good with creating and viewing content. If we can learn to collectively participate in some of these other online forums and social networks, our brands will be better off. We’re very attached to our cell phones, so that may be a good place to start.
Are employers checking out prospective candidates personal brands? Does having a personal brand increase your chances of getting a job?
Everyone has a brand, whether you like it or not. Right now there are people on the Internet with the same name as you that may be tarnishing your brand. When employers Google the name on your resume, what will they find?
If you take control of your brand you will turn your name into an effective marketing tool. Your pages and profiles exist as an extension of your resume, so if the goal of applying for a job is to get interviewed, it helps to make a good first impression.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would just like to thank Brand-Yourself for interviewing me and giving me the opportunity to increase awareness for my brand. Everyone is an expert when it comes to something, and it’s great to be noticed and recognized every once in a while. Branding can help you get noticed.
As I stated before, I am in the business of helping people. If you ever need any advice or help with something, don’t hesitate to contact me on my blog and I will do my best to accommodate you.
Katharine’s Final Thoughts
Steve provided a lot of valuable information and resources on social media and personal branding. With the economy still down, a lot of Gen-Y’ers are looking to break into the entrepreneurial field. Personal branding is very important when it comes to starting your own business and getting your name out there.
Want to know more about Steve and how he can help you build your online presence? Connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIN and his blog.
