Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a few people who’ve gone out of their way to support my blog and other online assets. The problem most people have when they start growing their online brand is that they spread themselves too thin or are unable to monitor and review all of their work. By trying to manage a blog, and several social network accounts, in addition to monitoring your online presence and proactively commenting on other articles, it’s really easy to make mistakes.
I for one have made a lot of mistakes, at least when I first started out, such as overly promoting my brand within comments and spamming journalists. I was never good at grammar or spelling, which is why I have a blog editor and two editors for Personal Branding Magazine. In addition, I’m fortunate enough to have a personal brand bodyguard, whose helped me revise words and sentences, so that they don’t harm my brand.
Blog recognition
I wanted to recognize my personal brand bodyguard today for all the Facebook messages he’s sent me about grammar and spelling messages on my blog. Brian C. Henry is a loyal Personal Branding Blog reader and has been a great source for discovering issues with some of my posts. He tends to message me on Facebook to tell me about the mistakes he’s found, so I can quickly revise them before more readers are unimpressed with an apparent “lack of care.” Brian has a Twitter, Facebook and a MySpace account if you want to connect with him. I’m not sure he’ll be your bodyguard though, unless you want to hire him!
Brian has again showed me that evangelists are willing to help you out for free if you’ve given them enough value over time. By blogging over 500 times, I’ve helped Brian and this is how he’s repaid me. Pretty cool, I’d say!
How to get a bodyguard
There are three paths to obtaining your own personal brand bodyguard. Each one requires either a lot of hard work, lots of money or a desire to strengthen your relationships.
1. Give value over time
The reason why most people don’t have these type of supporters is that they aren’t giving enough value to their readers over time, in order to convert the reader into a bodyguard. You really need to figure out what your readers want and continuously deliver it, without stopping for a second. You can’t get away with blogging or uploading podcasts every other month. To build a loyal audience, you need to pump your content out every single week. You’ll notice people who comment regularly and connect with you on your social networks. If you’re strategy is to use your networks to market your brand, then accept everyone as a Facebook friend. Once you notice someone giving you feedback, do whatever you can to make them happy because they’ll end up being an important asset to you.
2. Empty out your piggy bank
When in doubt, there are always people out there that will help you if you pay them money. Blog editors are all over the net waiting to be contacted. There are many consultants who have blogs that are waiting to take on new business. All you need to do is search for them and you’ll end up with a wide selection. When you’re first starting out, this might be a good choice for you because you haven’t had time to build evangelists.
3. Turn acquaintances into friends
If you’re involved in this space, you’ll end up meeting a lot of people, through online or offline connections. The majority of them will be labeled as acquaintances, until you show them you care. When that happens, you can befriend them and they are more apt to check up on you from time to time. I have a lot of friends now in the blogosphere, and I typically notify them if I catch their name somewhere on the web or if I’ve found a great resource for them. Make sure that the top 10% of your network is on your top-of-mind, so you can help them even when they are least expecting it.
The end result
By having people help you, you’re able to scale your branding operation, save money and drive business results. Your content is very important and is a reflection of your personal brand. By having people help you perfect your writing, it will make you look better, and your business look more refined. This is yet another reason why you should work as hard as you can and provide valuable content to your community. It will all come right back to you!
