CampbellDuke Personal Branding

‘Tis the season for celebrating with friends and family and for making resolutions. If career improvements are on your radar for 2013, I’d like to encourage you to ditch the resolutions and set yourself up for career success instead!

Ah ha! You have a personal brand whether you choose to take control of it or not. As more people find themselves working as independent contractors or entrepreneurs, there is an increasing realization of the importance of taking control of our personal brands. It’s in the taking control of your brand, however, where it becomes apparent that a strong and effective personal brand is a LOT more than websites and marketing. It’s easy to jump in and set up a personal marketing plan...

I’m a career-changer. In my mid 30s, I left my job in biotech to retool as a high school teacher. When you make a significant change to your life, you expect to encounter challenges. The most interesting, though, came not from institutions (like the bank or university) but in the form of people’s sometimes negative and hostile responses. I upset not the people who were closest to me - but work colleagues and acquaintances. My decision struck a nerve that made a number of people defensive.

Try not. Do, or don’t do.  (Yoda) Yoda distilled the first rule of almost every self-help book down to one phrase.  In a previous post, I talked about moving from whiner to winner. Here’s one little change to your thinking and speaking that will give you a big payoff in becoming a dream-following success. “Can’t” is an excuse word that people use (and accept from others) to absolve themselves of res...

A big part of personal branding is in knowing and defining yourself and your niche audience. Your goal is to connect authentically with the people you can help. Establishing yourself as an expert isn’t about false and overinflated claims - it’s about using opportunities to share your knowledge with your audience. Most people I’ve met have difficulty in promoting the skills and knowledge they have. They undersell themselves and are reluctant ...

Whichever personal success self-help book you pick up, the first rule is always the same: Take Responsibility For Your Actions. Sometimes this gem of advice appears in other forms: No Whining Allowed, Put on Your Big People’s Pants, Step Up To The Plate…. etc. All other success habits in life are built on the solid foundation of this rule. When you find yourself overwhelmed, frustrated or just plain at the end of your rope for any length of time, chances are good that you�...

How quickly can you expect to get all kinds of followers on Twitter and Facebook? I’ve fielded this question from a few people recently – and there is a bit more to it than “if you build it they will come”. Building a “following” takes time, true, but there are some questions you need to be clear about before putting a lot of time into setting up social networking accounts “willy-nilly”. Back up a minute and ask yourself “Why”?

Last night I had 2 events that I wanted to attend: A savvy, sassy butt-kicking from Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, and A discussion evening about the importance of eliminating the clutter of overcomplication from our lives. Anyone who knows me knows that only a significant, catastrophic event would keep me from seeing the Sales Diva – IN PERSON – so it was really no contest (and she’s great in person, BTW. Look right for the link to he...

This short clip was made for my website. Becoming aware of your strengths and goals and then strategically putting your best foot forward is called “personal branding”. A personal brand incorporates free and low-cost online tools with more traditional marketing strategies so that your band message is available to anyone at any time. See how this clip is used on my own personal brand @ www.CampbellDuke.com.