Personal Branding | Rosetta Thurman

Four Ways to Use Social Media to Build Your Personal Brand in the Nonprofit Sector

November 2, 2011 by rosettathurman · 1 Comment

This post is part of my ongoing Social Media 101 series to encourage leaders to learn more about social media and use it effectively in their life and work.

“Brand yourself for the career you want, not the job you have.” – Dan Schawbel

One of the things Trista and I talk about a lot in our book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career is the importance of establishing a great personal brand in your nonprofit career. If you’re having trouble landing that dream job or leadership opportunity, it may be because your personal brand needs some work! The good news though, is that in our evolving digital world, there are infinite opportunities to build a reputable name for yourself in your field - online.

This post explains the basic concept and origins of personal branding. Below, I go a bit deeper to share a few ideas for how you might begin to use the four main social media tools to accelerate your nonprofit career. How can you deliberately grow your professional network and become known as the “go-to” person in your field using blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn?

Start Blogging

Blogging offers a powerful entry point for anyone who wants to gain greater visibility in the nonprofit industry. In my experience, blogging is hands down, the very best social media tool to use in building your personal brand. It gives you a platform to talk about your expertise and experience. No, not bragging, but simply showing people that you have something meaningful to offer to the field. Blogging also showcases your writing skills, social media savvy, and utter brilliance to your colleagues and future employers.

If you don’t have a blog yet, you can get one now for the low, low price of $0! Sign up at Blogger or WordPress to get a free blog set up and start writing about nonprofit issues that you care about. Or even better, get a more professional-looking self-hosted blog through Bluehost (the web host that I use). For more in-depth blogging advice, download my free 37-page ebook, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Blog. Geared toward newbie bloggers, this easy-to-read guide will take you from soup to nuts in terms of your blog concept, software, design, content, promotion and analytics.

Create a LinkedIn Profile

If you’re seeking to build your personal brand in the nonprofit world and you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a TON of connections and opportunities. It’s an easy way to get your name ranked favorably in Google search as well as an avenue to meet other nonprofit leaders in your community. LinkedIn is also great for getting the attention of hiring managers and headhunters as 86% of recruiters use social media to research applicants.

Once you join LinkedIn, be sure to fill in your profile completely with a picture, your resume and your bio. To really use the site to its full potential, join some LinkedIn groups associated with the nonprofit industry. I recommend joining the following LinkedIn Groups to build your nonprofit network as well your personal brand: Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Commongood Careers and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Get On Twitter

A lot of nonprofit folks are still skeptical about why they should be on Twitter, but as someone with almost 14,000 Twitter followers, I’ve learned a lot about navigating this tool for my own networking purposes. If you’re not on Twitter yet, get an account here and use your real name as your username. Using your real name makes it easier to associate that name with your personal brand as well as the unique value and expertise you bring to the sector. If your name is already taken as a handle (or is too long), you can always use a variation, or even a combination of your industry and your name, such as @nonprofitnicole. Right away, you know she works in nonprofits and her name is Nicole. Brilliant! (And yes, if you’re using a weird username right now, you can go ahead and change it without losing followers. Go here to learn how.)

After that? Get to know thought leaders in the field like @robertegger. I love how Robert uses Twitter to share his thoughts as a nonprofit CEO and a courageous advocate for change in the sector. You should also keep up with the latest nonprofit news and trends by following @Philanthropy (Chronicle of Philanthropy) and @npquarterly (Nonprofit Quarterly). Then? Set aside tine to tweet at least a few times every day to establish your personal brand and market yourself as a resource in whatever your nonprofit expertise might be. If you share what you know, people will begin to respect you as a professional, regardless of your age or years of experience in the field.

Develop a Facebook Presence

With almost a billion people on Facebook now, the site represents a huge pool of potential folks to promote your personal bran (as well as your blog). But if you’re like me and you don’t want your readers to friend you on your personal Facebook profile, you can create a “page” instead where people can keep up with your blog updates. I started a Facebook page for my blog about two years ago and I’ve been able to use it to connect with my readers and share updates from not only my own blog, but posts from other bloggers in the nonprofit field as well.

Ready to start? Go here to create a Facebook page for yourself. Use one of the following categories for your page: “Artist, Band or Public Figure” (author, writer, public figure, business person) OR “Brand or Product” (website). Next, link to your Facebook page from your blog so people can keep up with your updates. For extra credit, install the Networked Blogs application (it’s free!) to automatically pull in your blog posts to your Facebook wall. Again, your ultimate goal here is to use your Facebook page to build a vibrant community around your personal brand, so stay consistent on your page by posting links, questions, quotes and articles related to the nonprofit sector.

9 Tips for Using Twitter to Build Your Nonprofit Network

November 22, 2010 by rosettathurman · 10 Comments

As part of the Nonprofit Rockstar Book Tour, both Trista and I recently gave presentations to Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) chapters in Minneapolis and San Diego about how to build your nonprofit network from scratch. In my presentation to YNPN San Diego, I really emphasized the importance of leveraging your social networks to advance your career. What surprised me is that so many of the young nonprofit professionals in attendance were not even on LinkedIn, let alone Twitter!

A lot of nonprofit folks are still skeptical about why they should be on Twitter, so today, I thought I’d share with you a few of my tips for using it effectively to build, create and expand your nonprofit network. As someone with almost 10,000 Twitter followers, I’ve learned a lot about navigating this tool for my own networking purposes. If you’re not on Twitter yet, read this first. And follow me if you don’t already. Otherwise, on to the tips!

Use your real name as your username.

Twitter has a maximum of 15 characters that you can use for your “handle” (no spaces). I know you want to be cute and all, but I recommend using your REAL NAME. Please don’t make it difficult for people to find you if your name is abcd123. Plus, using your real name makes it easier to associate that name with the particular value and expertise you bring online. If your name is already taken as a handle (or is too long), you can always use a variation, or even a combination of your industry and your name, such as @nonprofitnicole. Right away, you know she works in nonprofits and her name is Nicole. Brilliant. (And yes, if you’re using a weird username right now, you can go ahead and change it without losing followers. Go here to learn how.)

Upload a great photo.

Every Twitter profile should have some type of photo, otherwise people will think you’re an evil spambot. The picture should ideally be a photo of your face. Smiling. Why? Because it’s easier for people to build a personal relationship with you when they can actually see who you are. No good pictures of yourself? This would be a good time to ask someone to take one for you. ALL your social networks require a great headshot, not just Twitter!

Fill out your profile completely.

Once you choose your name and upload a photo, take a moment to tell people about yourself! Enter a brief (160 characters is all Twitter allows) profile that describes who you are and what you do. And, this is a biggie: don’t forget to enter the url for a web site people can visit to learn more about you. That could be your blog, organization website, or your LinkedIn profile. Empty urls on Twitter are a missed opportunity to allow people to find commonalities with your work. But whatever you do, please don’t use your Facebook profile if it’s not public! That’s just frustrating for people who are not yet your friend and aren’t sure yet if they want to be.

Follow other nonprofit leaders.

People always ask me how I got so many followers and my best answer is that I followed A LOT of people! I’m following almost as many people as are following me. Which should tell you that most of the people you follow will also follow you back. If you don’t know who to connect with in the nonprofit Twitter world just yet, here’s a list of the top 30 nonprofit news sources and thought leaders on Twitter to jumpstart your following.

Talk to people.

That’s right, the best way to get to know your newfound Twitter followers is to @ reply them and say something! You can respond to one of their tweets or ask them a question about their work. No need to feel like you’re “butting in” to conversations. That’s what Twitter is for. It’s one big networking party and you’re always invited!

Tweet often.

No one likes following or @ replying a person who only comes on Twitter once a month. A good rule of thumb is to tweet a few times a day, with a mix of personal and professional updates. Also, make sure you respond to as many of your @ replies as possible. Be an active part of the community and people will consider you a resource!

Use hashtags.

When you post an update or link on Twitter, you can make sure it reaches more people in your network by using relevant hashtags like #nonprofit or #philanthropy. People will take notice of your interests and begin to connect with you on that basis.

Participate in Twitter chats.

A great way to engage in productive conversations with your Twitter network is to be active in the Twitter chats that are relevant to your work or interest area. Here’s a huge list of almost 250 Twitter chats to get you started! Surely, there’s at least one on the list that can connect you to some great people in your field.

Meet your followers in person.

I recently met @janebozarth in person (who just happens to look exactly like her Twitter avatar, by the way). We’ve been following each other for awhile and it was great to be able to chat with her in real life and learn more about her work. Often, you’ll meet people on Twitter that live or work near you. Or, you both may be in the same town for a nonprofit conference. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your Twitter peeps for a cup of coffee or lunch if you’re in the same vicinity! It’s really the best way to turn online connections into offline relationships.

What Twitter tips have worked for you in building your professional network?

Filed Under: Career Advice, Personal Branding, Social Media · Tagged With: Career Advice, Personal Branding, Social Media

7 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Without Releasing a Sex Tape

August 5, 2010 by rosettathurman · 27 Comments

Unless you’ve found some way to completely avoid stupid celebrity gossip, you’ve probably heard about how world-renowned actor Laurence Fishburne’s daughter is breaking into Hollywood…via sex tape. 19-year-old Montana Fishburne is going to star in a porn film and it’s interesting to hear her reason why.

“I’ve watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sex tape.”

While it’s true that Montana’s idol – reality TV star, model and now business mogul Kim Kardashian – has skyrocketed to celebrity, I wouldn’t count on Montana’s personal brand achieving the same effect. Sure, she’ll get her 15 minutes of fame (and the clock is ticking), but a good personal brand requires much more than one bootleg movie. Here are 7 better ways that you can build your personal brand…without releasing a sex tape.

Start a Blog

Yup, you knew this one was coming. There are a lot of reasons why every young professional should have a blog (hell, every professional!) but one of the biggest benefits to having a blog is that even if you’re not a bigshot CEO of your company, blogging can allow you to become well-known in your field. Need help getting started? Check out my FREE ebook, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Blog, a resource to help you get you up and blogging in no time. Geared toward newbie bloggers, this easy-to-read guide will take you from soup to nuts in terms of your blog concept, software, design, content, promotion and analytics.

Get Your Own Business Cards

This is one of the most important things you can do for your personal brand (especially for jobseekers). Ever since I was 18, I’ve had my own business cards. And even when I was working a full-time job, I kept a stack of business cards in my purse to let people know about my blog and where to contact me outside of my 9 to 5. My favorite place for business cards is Vistaprint. I’ve used them for the past 10 years because of their low cost, easy-to-use website and quick delivery. And when I say low cost, I mean low cost. New customers get 250 premium quality, color business cards free! (You just pay for shipping.) Click here to order yours. They also have a ton of professional business card templates, but I always keep mine very simple. (If you can’t see the images below, click here.)

And don’t be afraid to tell people how you want them to interact with you. For instance, the backside of my business cards say “hire me” pretty prominently. People always comment on how bold it is. But you have to remember that marketing yourself is a lot like marketing a product. You have to tell people what action you want them to take after they see what you have to offer.

Attract Fans and Followers

If you want to build your personal brand and you’re not on Twitter by now, I don’t know what is wrong with you. You can get started using my Twitter 101 guide if that helps. Once you’re on Twitter, you should be following other people in your career field or niche as well as tweeting insights about those specific topics. If you have a blog, you should also set up a Facebook fan page for yourself in the “writer” category and link to it from your blog so people can keep up with your updates. Don’t forget to put your Twitter and Facebook names on your business cards!

Get on YouTube

People like TV. People like movies. People really like to connect with other human beings by face, so it makes sense that millions of people watch YouTube videos everyday. Yeah, you could wait until you get interviewed on TV, but in the meantime, the best way to let people get to know you by your face and voice is by posting video updates on YouTube. It’s easy and free! Pick a topic that you can share your expertise and opinion on and post a brief video about it every week or every month. It’s up to you. Just be sure to spread your videos far and wide once you take the plunge into YouTubeland. Need inspiration? Look no further than Kim Love. For the past year and a half, the natural hair enthusiast has used her YouTube channel, KimmayTube, to share her expertise with the world and recently leveraged it to launch a successful retail business.

Think Local

Chances are, your personal brand is never gonna be world-famous or even nationally-known, and it probably doesn’t have to be. If you want to become well-known in a particular career field, for instance, it’s probably more useful for you to connect with those in your immediate community instead of trying to be too broad, too soon. Blog about how local issues tie into your niche and introduce yourself to influential people in your city and state that can help you build your professional reputation. Samuel Richard does this very well and has built up a great reputation for himself as a young nonprofit leader in Phoenix.

Network With a Purpose

Networking is such a misunderstood term that we took some time to define it on our recent Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals. @ShannonRenee put it this way:

Networking is meeting people to develop a mutually beneficial professional relationship.

Sounds good to me. The only problem I see is when people go to happy hours and conferences without a purpose in mind. They go, they drink, they go to workshops and then they go home without ever exchanging a single business card. Why go to an event in your industry and not connect with the very people who can help you further your career and vice versa? Remember: you don’t really need to work the whole room, just the parts of the room that apply to what you want to be known for in your niche or career field.

Dust Off Your Email List

Chances are, you don’t email people outside of your workplace as much as you could. Yes, it’s nice to post updates on Facebook and Twitter, but alas, everyone is not on those social networks, and even if they are, you can best believe that they don’t read every single update you post. So, take a couple hours every few months to use email to update your network on what you’ve been doing with your career and what your future goals are. Give them a reason to sing your praises or connect you with people in their network who may be doing similar work. I guarantee that there’s someone on your email list that will be interested in your progress or willing to help you get to where you want to go.

Wanna learn more about personal branding? Purchase your copy of my popular 90-minute webinar training, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career.

Filed Under: Career Advice, Personal Branding · Tagged With: Personal Branding

50 Young Nonprofit Influencers You Should Be Following on Twitter

July 19, 2010 by rosettathurman · 16 Comments

Ever since I was acknowledged as one of the Top 25 Online Influencers in Leadership, I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership, personal branding and online influence as it relates to Generation Y, Generation X, and young professionals in general. One of my dear readers emailed me over the weekend to say it was wonderful “to not only see a person of color, but a young person of color” on the list. I’m glad she said it because I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking about how the web levels the playing field in any niche, regardless of age.

Especially on Twitter.

Here I am again, #14 on this list of the 25 most influential nonprofit tweeters, ranked by WeFollow. And while it’s great to be able to measure online influence in these two very concrete ways, my focus is on a different kind of ROI.

The return on online impact. Sure, the more visible I am, the more opportunities I have to get hired and make money. More important to me, though is that I’m better able to use my voice to bring attention to issues that I care about, like racial justice and career empowerment for young people. Best of all, I’m able to showcase the stories of so many other unsung leaders working for social change.

While I may be one of the most visible in the online space, there are many other young nonprofit leaders and social change agents out there on the Internetz that are not only leading the way to make the world a better place, but influencing others to do the same. They are the rockstars of today and tomorrow. Follow them. Follow us. We’re going places. And trust me, you want to come with.

50 Young Nonprofit Influencers You Should Be Following on Twitter

Here’s the full list in a handy dandy format that you can auto-follow simply by clicking “select all” at the top and then entering your Twitter name at the bottom.

P.S. I spent a lot of time compiling this list, so please do me a favor and spread it far and wide. Thank you. And you’re welcome.

Like this post? Please subscribe by email or subscribe via RSS so you never miss an update! And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @rosettathurman!

Filed Under: Personal Branding, Social Media · Tagged With: Personal Branding, twitter

Nobodies are the New Somebodies

July 16, 2010 by rosettathurman · 15 Comments

HR Examiner has just published a ranked list of the Top 25 Online Influencers in Leadership. The list ranks the Top 25 voices in leadership based on their online footprint. They used a tool called Traackr to discover which 25 people are the most influential on the subject of leadership. And lo and behold, yours truly was ranked #10 on the list! But what’s even more exciting than the fact that I actually made this list is how I made this list.

Dr. Todd Dewett, a professor at Wright State University who specializes in leadership and organizational effectiveness, helped tailor the algorithm HR Examiner used to crawl the web to figure out who matters on the topic of leadership. Here’s the process they used.

First, they build a set of relevant keywords. Then, Traackr scavenges the web to capture all of the results of searches featuring those terms. Then, they mine the data to determine the names that reoccur most often. Those names are then evaluated to determine a score across three different variables:

Reach: An estimate of the size of the person’s audience. Website traffic, connections and friends on social media and other factors are weighed and calculated.
Resonance: A measure of inbound links, mentions in other peoples’ content and other proxies for credibility.
Relevance: A measure of the way that the person’s content maps against the original key words. A score of 100 indicates a perfect correlation.

Then they combine the three measures together into a single score which is the foundation of ranking. Here’s how they computed my online influence.

As you can see, my highest score was on the “resonance” measure, which means that I have a ton of inbound links as well as mentions in other peoples’ content that gives me credibility online. Apparently, my content is relevant enough to people for them to share it with others. Which is great news for other young people who want to build their personal brands in any given niche: focus on sharing useful information, and people will spread it far and wide.

But wait just a minute. How is this possible? How was I able to get ranked #10 on a list of influencers like business guru Tom Peters? He’s published more than a dozen books, while I’ve yet to publish even one.

Here’s one explanation from Guy Kawasaki who explains this phenomenon quite succinctly in his remarks about Fast Company’s new Influence Project:

“…nobodies are the new somebodies.”

The old landscape of only having a few influential people at the top of any industry – the CEOs, the authors, the PhDs, the gazillionaires – is over. As HR Examiner found in this project, the implications that social media has on influence are enormous. Specifically:

Established authors and thinkers are losing ground to newer voices.
Older and more established voices need to learn new communications channels in order to stay relevant.
Communicating in the new media is critical to being heard.

While the online influencers will certainly keep evolving as new people enter the space, one thing is pretty clear. The web belongs to the little people now. Hey, I’m living proof.

Filed Under: Personal Branding, Social Media · Tagged With: HR Examiner, Personal Branding, Social Media, Top 25 Online Influencers in Leadership, Traackr