With social media marketing gaining rapid speed in the world of business, both big and small, you want to be prepared to use it, and do so correctly. Social media marketing can make a significant difference within a small business that has minimal budget funds.

Before signing up for every social network on the market, you should have a plan in place. You’ve written your business plan, now it’s time to create your social media marketing plan.

1.       Decide Where To Become Involved

Most companies assume that they should be relevant on every social media platform out there. This is a wrong assumption, and one that can hurt your business, rather than help. You should be choosing a platform that works best with your business model and targets your audience.

If experience is an issue, using a platform you are familiar with is recommended. Regardless of what social media sites you are affiliated with, it’s most important to be current, fresh and relevant. However, you do have a number of options.

• Facebook- The most popular social networking site, with over 800 billion users world-wide, you can be sure that you’ll reach customers. With Facebook, you can reach your customers on a level that is familiar to them.
• Twitter- Many may consider this the second most popular social networking site. Twitter has been the site of many breaking news stories, some that have damaged the reputation of popular companies. When you are able to be a part of the conversation, you have the opportunity to guide a negative conversation in a positive direction, instead of watching it spin out of control.
• Pinterest- While this site is just recently coming into the limelight, its popularity is finding its way into the business world. Pinterest explicitly states that businesses are not allowed to use their accounts for direct advertising. Though you may immediately think otherwise, this can be a positive stipulation for you. This gives you an opportunity to reach your customers on the level of the average user, as opposed to looming, un-relatable, marketing machine.

2.       Make a Time Commitment

While 59% of businesses only spend about 1-5 hours per week on social media efforts, according to the Social Media Marketing Report 2011, it is becoming increasingly more evident that this may be due to a lack of knowledge or skills. It was reported that long time users dedicate 6-16 hours a week.

• If you don’t have the skills or knowledge, build a learning curve into your plan. It is critical that you use your social media outlets correctly. As a small business you can reach out to a variety of resources to learn from, such as tutorials or friends.
• If you have extra spending in your budget, consider hiring a social media consultant. With a social media consultant you can be sure that you’re getting quality work, catered to your business.

3.       Make It Worth Your While

If you’ve decided to dedicate a significant amount of hours in the workweek to creating your online presence, you want to see results. Simply signing up will not bring you traffic, new customers, or more business. To make an impact there are a variety of suggestions you should bear in mind.

• Stay current: Customers don’t want to search out your Facebook page to find stagnant information from last year. With more than 60 million status updates happening every day, you need to keep up.
• Be Exclusive: Users want exclusivity. They expect to be compensated for their loyalty. You should be providing breaking news about the company, offers for your Facebook fans or Twitter followers, and frequent deals or coupons.
• Engage: Being on social networks is about interacting with your customers in a way that is familiar and comfortable. According to Facebook, more than 250 million photos are uploaded every day. Offering deals for those who pin or upload pictures of themselves using or buying your products is a strategic way for them to connect with your page and product.

4.       Plan To Measure Your Results

Once you’ve put in the hard work, you want to see your results. There are a variety of ways to assess your ROI, effectiveness of customer engagement, etc. Social media monitoring allows you to assess how your customers see your brand, how they are finding you, and what they are searching for. Programs like Radian6 and Google Analytics offer you extensive monitoring services, which will give you an accurate picture of how your efforts are paying off.

Social media marketing can have a profitable impact on your business.  By creating a social media marketing plan, you are setting in motion an important aspect of your marketing efforts. While many companies have an online presence, not very many are able to use it to their advantage. If you make the time investment, it is likely you’ll see significant results.

About the Author: Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics ranging from social media to merchant services. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including credit card processing for b2b lead generation resource, Resource Nation.

Photo Credit: Watt_Dabney

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Planning an office move can be a daunting and time-consuming project to execute successfully.  With so many tasks to juggle, deadlines to meet and people to organise, these 10 practical and easy steps cover all the important issues to help you plan, organise and execute a smooth and hassle-free office move.

 Step 1: Define your reasons for moving

Expanding, downsizing, reducing costs or the need a better location are all contributing factors to businesses needing to move office. By having a clear understanding of your reasons for moving will help you to set your goals, new office requirements and communicate a clear and consistent message to staff and clients.

 Step 2: Get a Checklist

A Moving Office Checklist is the starting point to planning a successful office move.  It will guide you through the entire office move process from start to finish and become your “roadmap” to organise and execute a smooth office move without any disruption to business.

 Step 3: Know your Key Dates

Once you have determined when you will be vacating your existing office, you can then begin to work backwards to establish what important tasks need to be done by, and when.  Prepare a timeline of events and set yourself daily or weekly reminders so you ensure you never miss a deadline.

 Step 4: Set a Budget

When your business is relocating you need to know roughly how much your office move is going to cost and more importantly, where all your money is going.  Setting a realistic budget from the outset will help you keep a track of what’s being spent and avoid any unnecessary overspend.

 Step 5: Brief your Property Agent

Select a local Property Agent to help you find the right office space and negotiate the best office lease terms.  They’ll be able to advise you on the right size of office to look for, assess what facilities you need, and determine the best location for your business.

 Step 6: Book your Office Removals Company

Choose and book an Office Removals Company.  A meeting with them will help you to establish which office furniture items are going to be moved, what needs replacing and what can be disposed of.

 Step 7: Plan your new Office Design & Space Layout

The design and delivery of your newly found office is central to the continuing success of your business.  Good office design helps to improve productivity and increase staff morale. Appoint an Office Fit-Out Company to help you transform your new office space into an effective and functional workplace.

 Step 8: Plan your IT Relocation

Work out the logistics of moving and re-commissioning your PCs and telephones in the new office.  The right IT infrastructure will need to be in place in the new office so that your IT equipment is working as should in the new office without any disruption to services.

Step 9: Finalise your Office Lease

Ask a Property Solicitor to check through your office lease to make sure everything has been documented correctly before you sign the office lease.

 Step 10: Dilapidations

Before you hand over your “old” office back to the Landlord, ensure that all dilapidations have been carried out and that the office is in a good state of repair so there will be no dispute in returning your rental deposit.

About the Author:  Help Moving Office is the free website that guides companies through the office move process. It offers free Moving Office Checklists & Office Relocation Planning Guides to ensure that office moves happen on time, to budget and with the minimum disruption to the business.

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Focus on Material

As a business owner or CEO trying to broaden your internet target and get recognized, I’m sure you are aware of the significance of new, fresh, recurring material on your site of all kinds. When it comes to written material on page copy or blogs and articles, you need to have the ability to write well, be informative and entertain, that’s obvious. That’s for your audience. But if you can’t write as well for Google and the other search engines to maximize your subject matter for Search Engine Marketing, you are the proverbial tree in the forest that falls when no one else is around. This post provides an often talked about yet misunderstood tool to help you make your subject matter applicable and explode your SEO online.

Google Adwords

Perhaps you’ve heard of Google Adwords, Google’s key pay for placement tool on their mother of all search engine returns. You may have run a campaign or I bet you’ve at least been petitioned by Google Adwords “experts” to run your campaigns for you to help you pay less per click, otherwise known as PPC.

Well, Google offers a free instrument to help you choose keywords and phrases depending upon how much they are searched every month and how much opposition there is from other marketers. It’s called the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and while it is designed for advertisers, it exposes plenty of clues about search engine optimizing your written content (or video tags) for your page copy and blogs. Unlike what many think, you do not have to have an Adwords account to utilize this tool, and here is the link, so keep this:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

I could tell you about it, but why don’t I just show you. Watch this instructional Vlog video:

Awkward Wording

When I write I like to write for the people reading. I’ve seen too much content composed for search engine optimization that really stinks to the point of being unintelligible, cramming keywords unnaturally into sentences. It’s uncomfortable to write like this in my opinion, and perhaps for you, because it just feels weird and you can end up with a write-up or blog that seems bogus. Here are a few ideas for getting adjusted to it:

1. Utilize the Adwords Tool first and uncover 3-5 keywords (phrases) for your content, using high-traffic, low-competition keywords where available. Write them on a list in front of you.

2. Lay out your paragraph or article in light of the phrases you picked out for SEO. It may provide a different angle than you first had or take you down a different direction that you know interests the people out there.

3. Write your article dropping in the key phrases on your list where they click. Add a check mark each time you use a keyword, and you can use variants of a keyword to not sound too redundant (spot gold, spot gold prices, spot gold pricing, gold prices).

4. Proof-read for sanity and information flow, and revise where needed.

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That’s it! Get used to that process and it will get easier and easier.

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About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms build competitive advantage in an online world of sameness.  He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in theSmartShop.  Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.

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Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee

Big businesses have always had an advantage when it comes to reaching customers. This was because of their big marketing budgets and their ability to utilise large long-term contracts. Whilst these advantages have not disappeared, they do not matter as much anymore and there is a simple reason for this: Social Media. Social Media has enabled the smallest of companies to compete with the largest of companies and it is all free. This article will consider how you can make your business look bigger and more prosperous than it actually is through the use of clever network management and free social media.

1. Become a Trusted Field Expert

Blogging will allow you to establish yourself as an expert in your field. By providing free and accurate advice you will create an ideal relationship with your customers and trigger an increase in email opt-in communications. This method will help to generate leads for your sales team and demonstrate that you are capable in your field.

Additional benefits come through the promotion of your site through Search Engine Optimisation. Google and other search engines provide great website ranking benefits to those who write blogs.

2. Build a Custom Facebook Page

Facebook provides a huge potential market but it is important that you approach this area correctly. Your Facebook page will need to offer the customer something which will make them want to return to it. Include interesting discussions, engaging materials and relevant information about your business. By including an email communications opt-in on the page, you will be able to generate a greater customer contact list.

3. Professional Videos

Video marketing is easy. What was once out of reach for most small businesses is something which can be produced at a very low cost now. The advent of Youtube allows you to present your business to the world through the medium of video. Video hosting is free, so all that you need to do is create the material to place online. Website visitors who watch an online product video are 85% more likely to make a purchase than those who don’t, so it is wise to seriously consider this option.

4. Give It Up For Free

By providing e-books, tips, guides, and other methods of free help, you will be able to demonstrate your expertise and convince potential customers that your business is the right place to go. Customers are far more likely to utilise a business which has offered them a high quality free trial than they are to trust in an unknown and untrusted source. Providing free services is a great way to generate custom.

5. Dominate the Search Engines

Part of your business’ IT service should focus heavily on Search Engine Optimisation. Social media channels will enable you to optimise your SEO ranking. The number of times that a link or video that you have created has been shared will directly impact on the prominence of your company in search engines. If you can make it so that your business is the first result for your industry keywords then you will be able to easily and effectively get a step ahead of the competition.

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“Congratulations. You’ve been promoted.” All of your hard work has paid off. All of those long hours you spent in the office did not go unnoticed, and you’re rising through the ranks. So what’s next? You know that making the transition from employee to manager will take some work.  However, you’re also making the transition from peer to manager, which poses an additional set of challenges that you didn’t anticipate.

Prior to my current position as Vice President of Consero Group LLC, the events services company that I co-founded last year, I had the good fortune to be promoted on several occasions. In each case, I was put in the position of managing individuals who had been colleagues of mine, or had even been more experienced.

 In one case in particular, I was asked to manage someone with whom I had started at the company on the same date some months before.  Following each promotion, I was confident that I had the skills to provide direction and lead by example; however, I was not prepared for the emotional and political strains caused by my supervising former peers.

Having been through this situation multiple times, it is clear to me that management status comes at a price.  It is also clear that there are certain strategies and methods that are critical to employ when you find yourself in a new position in charge of people who were once your peers.  Here are a few pointers that may help you as you take a step up the corporate ladder:

 3 Steps to Going From One of the Gang to the Boss

1.     Be confident in your own abilities. When you are promoted from a group of peers, it is easy for others to question the decision or harbor resentment.   The best way to overcome these sentiments and garner respect is to take the reins and lead with conviction.  Your new reports will need this in order for the team as a whole to succeed.  Be confident in your abilities to handle the management duties expected of you. 

2.     Clearly communicate your new role and expectations. Don’t be afraid to sit down and talk with your team members. Understand that your new role is not just challenging for you, but for them, too.  Make sure you clearly communicate your new responsibilities and the metrics by which you will be evaluated; setting clear expectations of what is required of you, and what you need from them, is critical from the very beginning.

3.     Draw boundaries and stick to them. While there is nothing wrong with remaining friends with your former peers, by going out for the occasional lunch for example, you will need to set a new, professional tone and create boundaries among your relationships.  Perhaps for the first time, the company’s needs and interests take priority, and you may well encounter some rule-breaking that will require you to discipline or terminate a friend.  If you draw appropriate lines ahead of time, you’ll be much better off when such situations arise.

If you follow these simple steps, moving up the corporate ladder will most certainly be easier.  If at any point the transition becomes overwhelming, always remember that you earned this promotion.  Now, it’s time to lead in the way that you know you can.

About the Author:  Jessica Druckman is a Founder and the Vice President for Program Development of Consero. Ms. Druckman is responsible for conducting market research, writing program agendas, and organizing the faculties for Consero Forums. Through carefully-planned programming, Ms. Druckman ensures that Consero delegates leave each Forum with practical business skills that spur corporate growth. 

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Lot of ways to make your small company competitive and gain a lead over the other guys battling it out for your clients. One of the best techniques is, when you have an innovation or strategy to offer consumers, be sure you arrive first. You’ll gain a competitive advantage that will be tough to overcome unless your product or service is a failure.

The One That Got Away

As a young guy in my 20s, I’d been going to the beaches in Maryland every summer season looking for useful things to do, like party and pick up chicks (that is girls or women for the mature yet unwashed masses). Most of the time you end up on the beach soaking in the sun and getting as dark as possible because of how intelligent it makes you look. But Houston, I had a problem. My ethnic background is German, Eastern European, and by now you know that if I don’t get the sun block on in a major way, my summer vacation goes up in the flames of red, burned skin– the anti-chick magnet.

Big problem: How do I get sunscreen on my back at the beach to prevent sunburn while being a bit too shy to ask every passing girl? It is an inescapable conclusion that, in public, your buds can NOT apply sunscreen to your back. Anti-cool points to the max, no chance with any women within 5 miles.

No worries, I thought, I am innovative and imaginative. I take a paint stick (untouched) and glue a foam pad to the end of it. I take it to the beach, apply SPF 15 on the pad, and proceed to apply sun block to my back like a champ, preventing the burn and maintaining at arms distance from my male friends. A true win-win.

“Hey Karl, that’s a great invention dude, you oughta patent it. Toss me another Bud Lite dude.” And so I tossed the beverage and forgot about guarding the idea. Go forward 5 years later, I am preparing for an adult getaway to the Bahamas in the winter by doing the reasonable thing: going to a tanning booth. I walk in and the first thing I see is “The Back Applicator”, a 18 inch long plastic stick with, get ready, a foam pad at one end to self-apply overpriced tanning salon sun block.

I walked out, kicking myself for not getting rich on being the first guy with this idea, knowing the other guy or gal was a flipping millionaire by this point.

My Wife’s Big Idea

About 3 months ago my spouse presented me with an idea while she was two sheets to the wind on Pinot Grigio. I can’t tell you the suggestion because, in my view, it was a game changer. Virtually, as I told her, something that we’d need venture capital to execute but would change society as we know it if carried out. Stop asking, I can not reveal the idea.

Well, we’ve been talking about it for the past few months. I helped out and did some investigation, and guess what I found? Three other companies are test marketing this very idea, maybe not exactly but close enough for intellectual property sake.

Missed again! We’re talking about a spin on the idea now that includes cell phones. What can potentially go wrong?

Our Little Beach

When my kid was four or five years old, there was a little strip of land about two miles from our waterside home via the river that we would take the Jet ski to and hang out. We’d cruise over with my son in my lap doing about 10 miles an hour to keep his head from getting whiplash and spend the whole day there, wading in the water and drinking non-alcoholic drinks. Since we were the only ones there we named this little venue “Jack’s Beach”, named after said kid.

My spouse Lora gets a mural painter to paint Jack’s room that summer, and she indeed paints Jack’s Beach, with surfboards embedded the sand and a street sign marking the territory. Pretty cool.

Now Jack is ten. We continue to go to Jack’s beach. I am not making up this next part, I swear. We went there this year and there is an 8 foot high wood street sign embedded in the sand on Jack’s Beach, with absolutely nothing on it! We did NOT put this there, but it was just too poetic.

Well what do you imagine I did? I got a can of paint and a small paintbrush, Jet skied over to the sign in broad daylight, and gave it the proper name. You can read my kid’s name from 30 yards in the water.

A couple of weeks down the road we meet a couple of new friends while out for dinner in a neighborhood restaurant. They tell us they take their boat to a private little beach for fun and so do their friends. “Where may that be?” I ask, feigning interest. “Oh, it’s called ‘Jack’s Beach’ over on the other side of the bridge.”

SCORE.

Create Your Own Competitive Advantage

OK, I’m not promoting tickets to Jack’s Beach … yet, but these three little vignettes tell a story. Don’t be the doofus who didn’t safeguard his idea of a back sun block applicator to watch someone else get all of the splendor. If you have a plan, even a little one that helps your consumers or does something in a different way or better, claim it.

Is it patentable? Find out at http://www.uspto.gov/ and doing an investigation. Invent a logo and copyright the artwork. Go get 5 sites that other people might want to copy and promote your concept with. Most significantly, don’t hesitate in taking action if you really think it’s a winning concept.

ASSERT THAT SUCKER FIRST! Be the company that sets the new standard before your rival does. Ask yourself these easy questions:

The Development Acid Test

1. Do I see this out there in the current market? (Internet search)

2. Can this genuinely aid my customers?

3. Is this cool and unequaled?

4. Can I visualize somebody purchasing this?

If your answers are N-Y-Y-Y (as in no-yes-yes-yes) to these questions, go claim that beach my friend! If your concept is awful and no one replicas it, you can still make money at it or at worst, you lost a few bucks and a little time. If you get copycats, you know you’re on to something. If you’ve done it right and yield value on the promise, your opponents will always be behind and you ‘ll be patting yourself on the back, with either your hand or your $10.99 Back Sun block Applicator.

About the Author: Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms build competitive advantage in an online world of sameness.  He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in the SmartShop.  Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.

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Photo Credit: The Happy Rower

Business travel expense can take up a huge amount of a company’s annual budget. Travelling to attend meetings, seminars and trade events can prove a costly procedure, especially when accommodation, food and salary are all included.

Although much of this travel is necessary for the development of a business, it’s not only the company’s budget that is under threat but the environment as well. Planes, trains and motor vehicles all release harmful emissions and fumes into the atmosphere, spelling disaster for plant, animal and human life alike. Cars alone discharge around 4 tonnes of harmful chemicals into the air every year which affects people’s health and well-being. Businesses need to address this matter as they are potentially harming the people in which they serve.

Although businesses are becoming more and more open to the idea of ‘going green’, it is a surprise that most haven’t picked up on the benefits of video conferencing. Whilst many have adapted to procedures involving recycling and reduced paper waste, journeys that could be eliminated through the use of this technology are not being practised by the majority.

Video conferencing gives businesses the ability to set up client and colleague meetings without the need to leave a desk. Via an internet connection, people are able to undergo real-time face-to-face interaction whilst situated at opposite ends of the world. Whether it’s communicating with present clients, potential clients, work colleagues or giving a talk at a seminar, businesses are able to conduct compulsory and necessary activities without the hassle of arranging transport and accommodation.

Helping the environment whilst saving valuable money is just one of the many advantages associated with video conferencing. Although the initial cost may seem steep, the increase in productivity and reduction in paper usage cannot be ignored. This is due to the fact that all footage can be saved and downloaded, meaning there is no need for hand-outs or copies of slides because all of this can be done electronically, over the internet.

Businesses should not neglect the benefits of such equipment. It has already proved extremely useful for those who have already implemented it into their routine. Necessary conversations regarding the general running and the future of a company can still be done but without the travel and expense.

About the Author: This is a guest post by Nicola Winters on behalf of LifeSize, a leading supplier of video conferencing equipment.

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Photo Credit: linh.ngân

Having an attention-getting sign is critical for your local businesses – no matter the industry.  Your business signage identifies your business and location and it establishes your business image. Your business signage is the core of your brand identity strategy, whether it is proudly mounted on the building, on your booth or display at a trade show, or on your company vehicles.

It’s also the most cost-effective advertising you can do.  The Small Business Administration says, “…signs are the most effective, yet least expensive form of advertising for the small business.”  Building signage is often taken for granted, but signs are always on the job, advertising 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How Improved Business Signage Will Help You Brand Your Company, Communicate with a Highly-Mobile Society & Leverage Your Advertising Efforts

1        Your business signage is the only indicator that you exist and would like your prospect’s patronage.   

2        A frequently-noticed business sign sends your message to more people per dollar invested than any other form of advertising.  For example, if you display a $200 sign for one year at a location where 10,000 cars pass every day, you’ve reached over 3.5 million people (not counting passengers), at a cost per person of less than $.000057. (Less than six hundred-thousandths of a dollar.)  Even a high-end, lighted or monument sign that costs $5000, still reaches those people at a cost of $.0014, or a little over a tenth of a cent each.

3        95% of retail business is location-based.  As consumers pass by your place of business, an attractive and effective on-premise sign will leave a positive impression. When the time comes to make a decision or purchase, consumers will be attracted to you.

4         About 40 million Americans move annually to a new home, all needing to buy goods and services, and looking for brands that stand out.

5        Enhanced sign technology allows sign faces to be easily changed to match evolving marketing circumstances.  New developments in lighting, plastics, digital printing resolution, and color profiling mean signs can now achieve the same visual effect as four-color magazine advertising.

6        Your company does not need to be a national franchise with a major advertising budget to “brand” your site with effective signage.  If appropriately designed and placed, your sign can develop top-of-mind awareness of your products and services, no matter the size of your business.

7        Many communities and cities have strict sign codes requiring that signage remains attractive and in harmony with the look and feel of the community, while encouraging business activities.  Advances in sign design and technology means that via signage, your company can communicate more effectively to potential customers in a way that enhances both your site and the community at large.

8        Purchase habits can be influenced with effective signage.  Pricing or product information can influence a purchase decision or prompt an unplanned stop, which is critical, since nearly all businesses rely in part on impulse visits.

9        A well-designed sign can provide a positive perception of quality and service and create the image of a leader, even for the smaller business.  For the national franchise or chain, on-premise signage reinforces all other media advertising, and maximizes advertising effectiveness at a low cost.

10    By adding your business signage to your car and “wrapping” your company vehicles with striking vinyl, you can generate over 600 visual impressions for every mile driven  At about $0.35 per thousand impressions for a typical vehicle wrap, the cost is almost trivial compared to $3.56 for outdoor advertising or over $20.00 for typical magazine advertising. 

About the Author: Orange County Business Signs Specialist Martin Neil contributes value to businesses and non-profit organizations across the United States by increasing their brand awareness with the very best sign solutions. He specializes in custom requirements for commercial building signage, vehicle wraps, office inside signage, trade show displays, promotional banners & flags, and large-size wall graphics. Improve your business signage by going to: http://www.Calibersi.com/Building-Signage.html

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Building your personal brand to a form that appeals to employers will help you get hired and get paid more when you do get hired. Your employers will percieve you as being a better asset for the company and will see you as indispensable. The first thing employers see about you is your cover letter and resume, which is why I am going to explain how to go over two aspects of your resume to improve your personal branding.

Work history

“Work history” does not mean dusting off your resume, nor updating your LinkedIn page; it means looking back at the jobs you’ve had, the projects you’ve worked on, and the people you’ve worked with.

Throughout your work life, you’ve been exposed to many work opportunities, situations, and challenges. What you’ve enjoyed, what you’ve been successful at, and what you have continued to choose to do all play a role in where your personal brand stands right now.

Taking stock of your entire work history will give you a sense of the beginning of the arc of your personal brand. What you’ve done up to this point is the launching pad for what you will do in the future.

Work history to-do list

• List all the jobs you have ever had.
• List all big projects you have worked on in the last five years.
• List all leadership positions you have held in the last five years.
• List all public speaking opportunities you have had.
• How would you describe yourself?
• How would you describe what you do?
• What are the areas you have worked in?
• Which areas have you enjoyed the most?
• What areas would you consider yourself an expert in?

Current Interests

The work history you’ve just assembled is a good starting point for your personal branding, but it is only that—a starting point. Whether you are in a job or a position that you enjoy, between positions, or looking to build your personal brand so that you can move to a new position you will enjoy more, the next step is to figure out your current interest set.

When you ask people what they are interested in, it is a lucky person who is able to say that what they are interested in is what they do at their job. Is this the case for you? If so, congratulations, and prepare to figure out how you can grow in that area. More likely, you’re not doing exactly what you would list out as what you’re interested in. Personal branding is not about completely changing what it is that you do. Nor is it a way of shifting within your field or using your current work as a springboard into the future.

When you think about your current interests, don’t just limit them to what you are interested in as part of your work life. Take this opportunity to expand into what you are interested in outside of work. In the process of building your personal brand, you can often set the stage for working some of your interests from outside of your work life into your personal brand, and eventually into the work that you do.

Current interests to-do list

• What are the most interesting projects you’ve worked on recently?
• What about them was interesting to you?
• What interests do you have outside of work?
• Which of these interests would you like to incorporate into your future work?
• If you could be working on anything right now, what would it be?

Think about your personal brand

When you do all of these things, think about your personal brand and how that effects how other people view you. There are lots of online resources about personal branding, but if you’re serious about getting that killer job then you should pick up a few books on Amazon or in a bookstore:

What is Personal Branding?
by Jim Kukral & Murray Newlands

About the Author: This is a guest post by Murray Newlands. Murray is an online marketing expert who founded Influence People, a San Francisco-based online marketing and blogger outreach consulting firm. Jim Kukral and Murray Newlands recently wrote What is Personal Branding? How to Create a Memorable & Powerful Brand that Sells YOU! to help people learn how to market themselves.

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Attending trade shows and job fairs can be important for any growing business. Events such as job fairs allow for recruitment of personnel through face to face interaction and spontaneous interviewing, whilst trade shows allow companies the time to interact with colleagues and other companies inside their industry as well as attract the attention of potential new customers. As a result, these kinds of exhibition can be very competitive, making it ever more important for your business to stand out from the crowd. One proven way of doing this involves the use of pop up displays that showcase new and upcoming products or services, including information about how they work, as well as general information and history of the company.

In addition to display stands and use of eye candy to attract customers, good solid representation from the company is also necessary. It is not uncommon to see HR personnel conducting interviews and processing initial paperwork next to managerial staff who represent the departments with vacancies to fill at a job fair. At trade shows, a spokesperson should be present in order to provide support and add a degree of professionalism to the overall presentation. Interaction with the CEO of the company is also preferable for small or medium sized companies.
It is safe to assume that your competitors will be employing all of the above techniques as well, so these are strictly the minimum requirements for successfully competing at an exhibition. Other proven methods include free samples, raffles, giveaways, and Q&A’s should the event sponsor allow it. For these kinds of occasions, a well-crafted speech and a great deal of preparation can help your company stand out from the competition. Ensure that you verbally communicate your company’s name, goals, history, and any other relevant information relating to upcoming products or services.

Before the event, be sure to announce it on the company website well in advance, including any useful information that might attract customers or those looking for jobs. This might be the names of those who will be there to answer questions, as well as the company’s reasons for attending the event. If the event has a site or forum then be sure to have your company listed in the attendees section. Where possible, get a full page representing your company. As this might cost money, make sure to allow for it in the company’s budget.

Events such as trade shows and job fairs can be vital for a company to achieve its desired strategic growth. Businesses willing to capitalise on the attention these events bring are in a position to stay at the forefront of their specific industry, gain qualified new employees and most of all maintain a transparency and interaction with colleagues and the target audience that might not otherwise be possible. Regardless of industry, it is important to be represented well, and exhibitions are a great way of allowing thorough and efficient brand representation.

Trade shows, job fairs, and other exhibitions are very important to the strategic growth and vitality of a company. Those who capitalize on such attention are in a position to stay at the forefront of the industry, acquire the best new employees, and maintain a transparency and a dialogue with colleagues and consumers that would not otherwise be possible. No matter what niche your company is in, it’s important to be represented by the industry, and exhibitions allow for this in a highly effective way.

About the Author: Dane Cross is a freelance writer, regularly blogging on the subject of trade show and event marketing. He currently writes on behalf of Marler Haley

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