Zeroing in on your brand

I've had a lull in my postings lately because I've been in rebrand mode, for myself that is.  After becoming a 24-hour expert of just about any capability in the online marketing world, I finally just realized last week with the help of a friend (thanks Boni!) where my real interests lie.  I'm a brand communications expert, in every platform. 

You may be wondering HOW this applies to you. If at all...

I'm calling this out because I've noticed many people tweaking their titles to social media expert, and I'm just realizing that getting too far up in one platform may not be a good idea. I mean, if that's really what you do--if you actually ARE Chris Brogan or are implementing social campaigns with Federated Media's social tool kit or something, then you should claim expertise in SM. But personally, when I actually sat down to define my skillset, I realized that I had more than one niche capability. I've got experience in pitching traditional (print, TV, CRM) and new media (internet, social, mobile) communication campaigns. The overall goal across all these mediums is brand building. Hence, my new blog tagline: Brand Building by all Means Possible. 

So I found this little personal rebrand moment interesting because there is value in sitting down and rethinking your elevator pitch every now and then. If you need help in this process, check out Dan Schawbel's Personal Branding site. 

Also, on a sales and business dev level, this point is huge because in this new world of brand conversations, it doesn't make sense to initiate a conversation without a very clear understanding of the brand tenets. So in order to market a brand in the current ecosystem, you have to put the company/product before the customer. It will pay off in the long run when the conversations have a basis in a fundamental truth.