Personal Branding & Blogging Blueprint Part 1

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I would guess that less than 1% of the internet and network marketers out there today are using this powerful cutting-edge strategy which would distinguish them from the pack but WILL establish YOU as both a leader and an authority figure in your niche.

Attraction marketing and personal branding go hand in hand. If you’re not familiar with either, let me fill you in. With attraction marketing you “attract” others by simply being yourself. If you’ve read any of the previous posts here on my blog, I talk a lot about authenticity which is an important component of this equation.

This business model can be referred to as YOU, inc. whereby you put yourself first before any company, product or service you represent. You must also focus on the needs, wants and desires of others before yourself by providing extreme value through useful content.

In fact, this can be taken so literally that you need to be giving 80-90% of the time. By helping others, you help yourself. If you’re familiar with the universal law of karma (cause and effect), this approach is very closely aligned with that philosophy.

This is also where the personal branding comes into play. People connect with people not brands, products or companies. They do business with those they know, like and trust, which is why relationship building is of the ultimate importance if you’re going to be successful.

More often then not, the brands, products and companies we involve ourselves with change over time. So as we build relationships by providing value, we become the brand. Perhaps now you can see why authenticity and value is so important here?

Keep in mind that the type of people that are the most attractive to partner or do business with are LEADERS! This is how you will position yourself right from the start so that right away your personal brand is synonymous with leadership. Simply put, you become an authority on what ever niche you are in.

So how does this relate to blogging and how to we go about creating our very own personally branded blog? First off, your blog becomes the central hub of all your online activities. This is your “nerve center” where all the people you meet online can have a place to go to get to know you and soak up your content.

This is also the place where you will deepen relationships and start to build an e-mail list. Building a list is key but even more so it’s building relationships with the people on your list that will enable you to monetize it.

So here are the steps you can take RIGHT NOW to position yourself as a leader and personally brand yourself with your very own Wordpress blog.

1) Get on over to www.GoDaddy.com or similar service and secure a domain. Since we are branding YOU, I would highly suggest www.YOURNAME.com. Definitely go with a “.com” as that is the most highly used, easily recognized domain extension.

2) Sign up for a web host. The one I recommend is Host Gator. Basic service is under $8 per month and for a couple bucks more you can host unlimited domains. Wordpress installation is a snap using their super easy installation process if you choose to do it yourself.

3) Next, you want to sign up for an autoresponder service. The one I use and recommend is AWeber. This service will allow you to create sign-up forms, capture e-mails, manage lists, send e-mail broadcasts as well as automated e-mail messages. For less than $20 a month, this must have service is worth it’s weight in gold.

A large part of internet marketing is based in part on automation, which makes much of what we do online so powerful! Remember, it’s your list that becomes your number #1 asset as an online marketer. E-mail marketing is where much of the MAGIC happens between you and your followers!

4) Now it’s time to get on over to Wordpress.org and create your account. The reason you want a Wordpress.org blog is because you will be self-hosting your own site giving you complete control over your blog and content.

Plain and simple, you do not want to be at the mercy of any service offering free blogs that can pull the plug on you for any reason at any time.

Wordpress is a powerful and easy to use platform.

4) Here’s the really fun part. Hiring a professional design service to basically handle much of the technical stuff for you while simultaneously working with them to make your blog look professional and really stand out.

I paid over 3X more than I had to and I was kickin’ myself for not finding out about the service I am going to share with you now before hand. In addition, these designers know all about personal branding and entrepreneurship and will give you exactly what you need without the guess work.

For $197 you can have your very own personally branded central hub that will be your “home” online. You can also get custom Twitter and YouTube backgrounds to match.

You’ll be using the Social Media sites to create relationships and drive traffic back to your blog and it’s important to have a uniform look for your personal brand as visual consistency is a vital part of your marketing.

http://bit.ly/DesignSolutions

They handle the set up for you which is why I didn’t go into more detail above with video tutorials or training. Many of my colleagues have used this service for their blogs so they get my personal endorsement and seal of approval.

6) Once you start working with the designers, you already want to have your personal photos ready, niche clearly defined and a unique tagline created as well. Defining your niche is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as the content you create and the products and services you offer are going to be geared toward that specific audience.

Blogging is as much an evolutionary process as it is a learning process, so allow your self the flexibility of change down the road if things are not going exactly as you envisioned. Nothing is etched in stone. Patience and persistence is key once you’ve already gotten over the hump and decided to TAKE ACTION!

7) Create Your Opt-in offer! This is the “FREE GIFT” you’ll be giving away through your autoresponder service when someone opts-in to your list. The gift creates incentive for a visitor to sign into your list and also creates value right out of the gate for your subscriber.

For example, you can create a video series, an audio training, an e-book or a pdf guide. If you don’t have anything to put together right away, it’s OK, as you can give away someone else’s content as long as you have permission. Remember however, when your looking to brand yourself as a leader in your industry, it’s best to create powerful useful content on your own.

8) Training/Coaching Programs: You want to become a student of blogging and marketing, an educational process that simply never stops. Get hooked up with the right program and start learning.

One of the pro-bloggers I follow is Yaro Starak over at http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com.

His FREE content is packed with value and if you really want to start learning both basic and advanced blogging strategies, you can join his coaching program here: http://fredricschwartz.com/BlogMastermind

If you would like to start with his FREE Blog Profits Blueprint, this is a resource I highly recommend to all: http://fredricschwartz.com/BlogProfits

If you don’t think you are ready to take immediate action because all the pieces of the puzzle don’t seem to be in place, don’t worry about having everything perfect to get started.

Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, so don’t fret about having all the stars aligned, just get moving! You will have just as many revelations as you do questions once you start the process and each little epiphany will bring with it joy and personal growth. Don’t fear but embrace the unknown.

I have a lot more to share with you in Part 2 about blog content and making your blog stand out. I would like to hear from you if you would like me to elaborate or provide trainings on any of the above steps. Please leave me a comment below as your feedback is an important part of the content I provide.

If you found this post of value, please go ahead and retweet it to your friends and followers using the button down below. You can also Facebook it, Digg it, Stumble it, or share this information on the social site of your choosing. This is valuable information for anyone looking to get started online.

Your Partner In Success,

You May Find These Posts Of Interest

• November 25, 2009 -- The 7 Deadly Sins Of Social Media Marketing (15)
• November 9, 2009 -- How Social Is YOUR Social Media? (9)
• October 13, 2009 -- Twitter As A Marketing Tool, Part 3: How To Build An Army Of Loyal Followers! (3)

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