Tim Bursch

Chris Brogan had a great piece today on creating a listening post for your organization.
Great idea.

I think these tools open up a two way conversation with customers. They give organizations additional ears, maybe even better than a suggestion box or feedback email. What Chris describes is proactive listening.

Are you listening?

Tags: conversation, customers.

Times are tough. Lots of job loss. And I am also hearing stories of creative start-ups.

Here is one great example (plus I got to check out a cool shirt):

CreatedbyMom is a simple business (chic boutique in their words) where moms can sell things they create. They’ve made an easy to do business by finding products made by enterprising people. I tried this shirt and got a thumbs up from my friends. Creative revenue. I like it.

Thanks createdbymom.com for letting me try an awesome shirt.

Tags: creativity, entrepreneur.

As I said yesterday, job hunting and career management requires more than a resume and face to face.
If you want to do more and you want to stand out, here are several tips you can follow:

1. Know yourself and have a focus. Before you start Tweeting or Facebooking, ask yourself some tough questions.
-Who am I? (good tips here)
-What do I care about?
-What do I want to stand for?
-What is my overall brand? (am I a pc or Mac)
-What is my value proposition?

2. Develop a basic marketing strategy. Companies don’t just put products on shelves. They develop a plan for who, where, and how they will sell their new product. In the same way you can’t just put your resume out there. Think it through:
-Who is my target market?
-Where will people find me?
-How will I present myself online?

3. Start (or upgrade) your digital footprint. In marketing to you most brands have a consistent message. TV, paper, internet ads will have the same look and feel. For example, do you want to be Ms. Business on Linkedin and Party Girl on Facebook? I would suggest building a similar profile on these tools:
-Linkedin
-Facebook
-Twitter
(There are many more social networks to join that might be industry specific. These are the minimum.)

4. Be real. We all like to trust the brands that we buy and recommend right? Trust is built on authenticity, honesty, and transparency. So, be yourself.
-Have a real picture. Especially on Linkedin for job hunters.
-Use your own voice. Don’t try to impress, kiss-up, or copy. People can tell if you’re fake.
-Be a resource to other people. Help others find connections. Share your network.

5. Practice Daily. This social networking stuff takes time and effort. You can also get distracted.
-Block your time.
-Find your favorite tool and do it well.
-Consider starting a blog. (My favorite resource is Problogger)
-Comment on other people’s blogs.
-Build a resume website.
-Remember: consistency.

Check out Gary or Seth or Laura. They certainly are not you and you won’t become them in a week. But then again that’s not the point. Become you. Your next great adventure might just be around the next tweet.

What’s your tip? How are you building your brand?

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Does it matter if you have an online brand?
Good question. Why would I need to care? Just send out your resume, do some networking, and get a job.
Probably not that easy in my experience.
With less jobs available, you need to stand out.

What is an online brand?
Your online brand is your presence in digital space -  Linkedin, Google results, web page, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. You have a brand whether you like it or not. Recruiters and managers will Google you.

Remember in the Matrix when Morpheous was explaining to Neo that the Matrix was, “…your residual self image. It is the mental projection of your digital self.” Whoa.

The reality is that a paper resume is no longer the whole, it is just a piece. You need a solid resume. And you also need to have a brand. For more on online personal brands watch Gary Vaynerhuk.
If you are looking for a job and want to build an online presence, check back tomorrow for more ideas . . .

Image credit: Pixelsior

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