How well branded are you? One way to find out is to use metrics – something you can measure against.
The metrics below don’t necessarily measure how effective your personal brand is (go to a personal branding consultant for that), but they do measure your online visibility and engagement.
1. Do a Google search for a leader in your field. Try searching for their name, plus:
- [First Last] +blog
- [First Last] +article
- [First Last] +author
This gives you an idea of how your content creation efforts stack up against theirs. It also shows what they’re writing about, and where they’re doing it. You may want to piggyback off their efforts if they’re publishing on popular niche sites you haven’t heard of.
Next, do same thing for your name and compare your results. How well are you doing? If they have twenty more blog posts under their belt, set out to bridge the gap. Also, where are they showing up that you aren’t?
2. Use grading tools to measure your engagement.
- If you use Twitter, measure your Klout score. Compare it to an industry leader’s score.
- If you have a website, measure your website grade with WebsiteGrader. Compare it to an industry leader’s grade.
- Calculate your Google Grade. Compare it to an industry leader’s Google grade.
3. Set goals for yourself. Now that you have tangible metrics to measure against, it’s time to set goals.
You may want to set a goal like:
- I will post one new article on a website in my field every week
- I will comment on two blog posts in my field every week
- I will read the latest bestseller in my field and write a review on Amazon.com once a month
Start small and work your way up. It’s easy to gain momentum if you set concrete, achievable goals. The more you start achieving smaller goals, the more you’ll be motivated to continue onto bigger goals. Start getting out there in front of people in your field and demonstrating your value in a memorable way!
Author:
Pete Kistler is a leading Online Reputation Management expert for Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30 Definitive Personal Branding Experts on Twitter, a widely read career development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal Brand Awards. Pete manages strategic vision for Brand‐Yourself.com, the first online reputation management platform for job applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College Startups in the U.S.
