There is no greater gift your personal brand can receive than a recommendation, referral, or testimonial. I’m currently reading a great book by John Jantsch called The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself. Although clearly a business book and not a personal branding book, so many of its principles can be applied to both. So how do you acquire said coveted referrals?
Talk with, not at
Engage and listen, don’t just push out information. It’s really that simple. Social networking sites in particular allow you to do this relatively easily. Before you know it, referrals will be coming your way.
Educate your audience
As Jantsch says, “Referrals are helpful only if they’re given to the right people.” So, educate your audience about whom they should be spreading the good word to about you.
Don’t be boring
When you build your personal brand, make sure it accurately represents you – but keep in mind that nobody talks about boring brands. Have a great story to tell, and make sure others know that story. Create “buzz” around your brand by being quoted frequently in the traditional media and by blogs.
