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Super Session Spotlight: 5 Elements of a Powerful, Personal Brand

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Michael Hyatt At NMX 2014, we’ll be presenting several Super Sessions, which are longer and more in-depth sessions to kick off our Blogging, Podcasting, Web TV, and Business Tracks every day. Today’s Super Session Spotlight is all about Michael Hyatt, who will be presenting “5 Elements of a Powerful, Personal Brand” in the Podcasting Track on Day One.

Michael Hyatt is the author of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. His blog also helps thousands of people learn to become better leaders through leveraging their influence. So, who better than Michael to speak about developing your personal brand?

We’re excited to be welcoming Michael to the stage at NMX to present the Super Session “5 Elements of a Powerful, Personal Brand.” Get your ticket to the show here if you haven’t already!

Michael’s Super Session is one of the smartest time investments you can make at NMX 2014 if you’re interested in building your brand. Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some of Michael’s posts on this topic so you can get a feel for yourself about what to expect at this Super Session:

I also want to encourage you to check out this podcast episode with Michael (and one of our other awesome speakers, Chris Ducker) about the topic of personal branding. And of course, definitely check out Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, Michael’s latest book.

Why are we bringing Michael back to the NMX stage?

1. He does it all.

We’re a conference about blogging, podcasting, web TV/video, and social business. Michael is a master of all four. He writes a wildly successful blog, releases a new podcast episode every Wednesday (in addition to being a guest on others’ podcasts), records video interviews with experts like Guy Kawasaki, and is former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. Is there anything this guy doesn’t do?

2. He made the transition from old to new.

Our conference is all about new media, with respect to older media like traditional publishing. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be like pulling teeth to convince people in traditional media that Twitter, podcasting, and other online activities have merit. Michael has traditional publishing routes, yet fully embraces new media, and we love that about him.

3. You’re going to walk away feeling inspired – and with awesome tips you can put into effect immediately.

Motivation is important, but at NMX, we always strive to give you speakers who will not only inspire, but also give you actionable tips to implement. Michael delivers on both fronts. You can expect to walk away from his Super Session feeling motivated to make position changes and with sound advice on how to make those changes happen.

Will you be in the audience for Michael’s talk at NMX? If you don’t already have a ticket, make sure to secure your seat here! Michael will also be talking later in the conference on a Podcasting Track panel, so if you come to the show, you have the opportunity to hear him speaker twice. Hope to see you there!

Ramon Ray’s Five Steps for Personal Branding

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As many of you may have heard, NMX (BlogWorld) recently purchased a new conference: Ramon Ray’s Small Business Summit. We’re super excited to work with Ramon, who is an absolute firecracker.

Ramon was actually a speaker at NMX 2013, where he talked about personal branding and how this affects your company’s growth. Knowing Ramon on a personal level, not just seeing a faceless Small Business Summit logo, is part of what enticed NMX to want to work with him in the first place, so he was the perfect person to speak on this topic.

His session covered an incredible amount of information in just a short 30 minutes (and you can watch the entire session as a premium member of NMX University), but today, I wanted to cover his five steps for personal branding success. (And a big thank you to Jess Boyer for helping with this post by taking notes during the session!)

Step One: Establish Your Platform

People like to put other people and businesses into neat, little boxes. If you don’t define yourself, others will do it for you. So think about what your message will be, what your brand will be. What are your strengths? What do you want people to know about you? What makes you stand out?

Step Two: Show the Hell Up!

According to Ramon, you don’t have to tweet all day long. What you do have to do, however, is be visible online and in your community. Volunteer. Join your local chamber or business networks. Look for new opportunities for people to get to know you. You can’t phone in the personal connection factor.

Step Three: Be an Online Publisher

Ramon also stated something we know extremely well here at NMX: if you aren’t online, you don’t exist. You have to lead with your content online, rather than the sell. Get out there on social media and start a blog so you can tell your story. People will listen, and once they get to know, like, and trust you, they’ll also want to do business with you.

Step Four: Plan for Media Exposure

Once you establish yourself online and in your community, the media will start to contact you, and this has a snowball effect. Media leads to more media leads to more media – provided you are an interesting story to cover. So be ready. Be personable and have your story ready to tell in a quick easy-to-understand way.

Step Five: Organize an Event

This is by far the hardest step in Ramon’s plan, but it can also be the most rewarding. You don’t have to plan the next NMX or Small Business Summit. Even on a small level, events will help you network with others in your industry, attract media attention, and boost your credibility. However, it’s important to be aware that organizing an event can be stressful and expensive. If you work with people you trust, though, it can be an incredible personal branding tool.

Remember, you can watch Ramon’s complete session, along with dozens of others about business, online content creation, publishing, social media, and more at NMX University with premium membership (our 2013 virtual ticket). Check it out today!

Debba Haupert talks about Building Online Communities

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You’re a content creator. Yay you! So, now what? Just because you put it out, doesn’t mean people will come to check it out.

NMX speaker Debba Haupert knows the ins and outs of building communities. In this exclusive NMX interview below, Debba shares her advice on how to establish your personal brand, surveying your community, being true to your goals, and the mistakes that online community managers make. Want to hear more from Debba? Check out her session at NMX this January, called “25 Ways to be more Re-Pinnable – Engaging Content and the Power of Pinterest.”

Debba is just one of nearly 200 speakers at NMX this January. Come learn more about new media from some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry by joining us in Las Vegas. Register today!

Free Gift: Chris Ducker’s New Branding Bootcamp! [12 Days of Giveaways]

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A free gift from NMX Speaker Chris Ducker: How to Build Your Online Brand

Here at NMX, planning for our January event is in full swing…but that doesn’t mean we don’t have time for the holidays! That’s why, every day from now through December 25, we’re featuring a brand new giveaway for the entire NMX community!

Chris Ducker is an entrepreneur who has built a very successful personal brand online. How can you stand out online among all the noise? Here’s what his screencast will cover:

  • New Rules of Personal Branding: How you can take your marketing efforts online.
  • Importance of Blogging: Find out how Chris grew a huge following for his business with a blog.
  • Embracing New Media: Don’t be afraid of emerging branding tools like podcasts and video.
  • Selling Your Expertise: This bonus section covers how to make money once you’ve built a personal brand.

Like all of our 12 Days of Giveaways gifts, Chris’ 45-minute presentation is completely free for members of our brand new community, NMX University. (Don’t worry – membership there is also free!) He’s giving away both video and audio versions, so don’t miss out!

You can find out more about this presentation and register for NMXU here, of if you are already a member, simply log in to NMXU here to download your free copy today!

5 Tips to Get Personal on the World Wide Web

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The .ME team getting personal. Photo Credit: domain.me.

You know that devastating feeling when you’ve poured your heart, soul and coffee-infused brain into a piece of writing, just to find out that it’s been read by your mom (hey, mom!), aunt Gertrude, her book club and your cat  – and this last bit is purely based on speculation. Not only does it happen to the best of us, but it happens to most of us: very few Internet Gods have been able to achieve a following so strong that even (hilarious and amazing) taxidermy adventures can garner as much attention as a U.S. presidential debate – yes, I’m looking at you, Jenny Lawson.

This may be due to the fact that we’re all just small fish in the big Internet pond, and that it’s really hard to stand out in the blogging crowd. Or perhaps you’re writing about proper ways of brewing tea. Either way, one of the essential tricks to get people’s attention, in the blogging world just like in life, is to show your personality. You don’t have to just trust us on this; just take a look at the personal approach of pretty much any relevant brand ever. Yes, this one. This one, too. See, all the cool kids are doing it and, as an individual, so should you! There are really no excuses; instead, I’ll give you a few tips:

1. Personalize the look of your blog.

It’s not that much of an investment to pick a neat WordPress template, and make it your own. Because, let’s face it, every time I see a page that looks like it’s been pulled out of a blank notebook and glued onto the Interwebs, no matter how awesome the content, it just makes me a tad bit sad. I know you can do better! So customize, customize, customize – if the guys and girls on Project Runway can make it work, so can you

2. Personalize your blog’s domain name.

We’re past the point when .com was the be all and end all of internet domain names. There are so many cool ones around that’ll make you stick out – in a good way. A .me domain name, for example, is as personal as you can get, and chances are the one you’re looking for is available. Plus, you can make it work like whoa – CoffeeIsOn.Me, if you’re a coffee aficionado, or BrewingTeaWith.Me, if you’re that tea person. If you’re not up for a .me, there are many others to choose from (did someone say .im?)

3. Get an email address with your name, because you can (therefore should).

How cool would it be to have me@name.me as your email address? Very cool. Again, you can chose among a variety of extensions and between several registrars offering this service – currently, Blacknight’s promotion is one to consider.

4. Find your niche and stick with it!

Show some genuine interest and knowledge about a certain topic (alright, fine, it can be about tea brewing), and you’re bound to find a following in the community.  A great example of this is Mike Vardy, writer, podcaster, speaker and productivity enthusiast (“productivityist”), whose personal blog vardy.me is among my favorites.

5. Find your voice. Apply liberally.

This is one of the hardest and most important parts of a good online presence and sometimes takes years to master. Just when you’ve achieved that perfect blend of wit and sarcasm in real life, here comes the Internet with its funny ways to pose another challenge. However, once you master that unique voice, and are channeling the REAL you – not projecting an imaginary persona, your readers will know and will respond to that. That recognizable voice may even become your main online feature – again, looking at you, Ms. Lawson. All you have to do? Practice. It’s often hard to address an imaginary, and undoubtedly varied group of people who don’t know how awesome (and not weird at all) you are. I found that pretending to write to a friend – or to your cat – helps.

The take away points: be sincere, develop your own style and do everything in your power to channel your inner “me.” If it takes a few formal tweaks to your blog or your email – so be it. Your cat will be proud of you. And more importantly, you’ll find the right audience that’ll appreciate the writing and the person behind it!

Self-Publishing Secrets: Exclusive BlogWorld Interview with Rachel Thompson

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Today, I have a special treat for you all! I got the chance to sit down with Rachel Thompson to talk about her digital publishing success – and she has some awesome advice for anyone considering the self-publishing route. Let’s take a look at what she had to say about finding success on with Kindle publishing and personal branding for authors.

Allison: For readers who don’t know you, tell us a little bit about you and your content creation experience, especially with self-publishing.

Rachel: I started out as many of your readers have – a blogger, back in ’08. I still blog regularly, every Monday. As my posts became more popular as did my presence on social media, I pulled together many of my more popular essays, wrote original material never seen before, and published my first book, a collection of primarily humorous essays titled A Walk In The Snark in January 2011 which reached #1 on the Kindle Motherhood list in September 2011. I released my second original collection titled The Mancode: Exposed and that book hit the Amazon Overall Top 100 within one month as well as #1 on several key lists including Parenting and Families, Marriage, and Relationships.

It sounds like self-publishing has been good to you! Why did you initially decide to go the self-publishing route rather than the traditional route?

To be honest, I was so excited about the thought of putting together my own work with the fabulous help of experienced people in the field of publishing: my editor, a formatter, a graphic designer, another writer who’d helped many other writers go this route – it simply felt the right way to go. I encourage anyone who wants to indie publish to find others who know the way – there are tons of great resources out there now.

So, do you think digital publishing works better in some genres than others or is this something all authors should be exploring?

I think it can work for any genre. I’ve worked with a few authors who are hesitant due to the full-color graphics of their material, but in the end, the work looks amazing. The medium works better than print in most cases from what I’ve seen. I certainly can’t speak for everyone. It’s taken awhile to bring graphic novels to eBook format but many people are thrilled by it.

A lot of authors are intimidated by the digital self-publishing process. What advice can you give for those not technologically savvy?

To me, formatting an eBook is like math. And ‘Hello, writer here!’ So I hire someone amazing to format my books for me. It’s not that expensive and it’s always done correctly. Other authors I know are deeply involved in the formatting of their books and know every symbol and code (again, math). If it’s worth learning to you, learn it. If it’s not, pay someone. Bottom line: make sure your product looks the best it possibly can or you will hear about it.

You have a very strong personal brand. Can you talk a little bit about how that developed and why having such a definitive identity online is important for authors?

Yes, the Queen of Snark, BadRedhead, et al. Branding is key for any author. When I first started writing my Mancode pieces, there seemed to be, oh I don’t know, a somewhat snarky tone to them? People really responded to that and someone (I honestly don’t remember who) nicknamed me the Queen of Snark and it stuck. As anyone in social media or personal branding will tell you, if it ain’t broke…yea, that.

How has social media and blogging played a role in your success on Amazon?

I initially used Facebook like many do, to connect with family and friends. It was in 2010 that I discovered Twitter and learned the ins and outs and how it can be used to promote your brand effectively that I realized the impact it could have on my author platform. I really got into learning Twitter – all the different applications, analytics, ratios – and became the Collective’s resident expert, teaching free webinars monthly and helping thousands of tweeps online every month. Tip: remember content (no links). Twitter is social, social media is social. Link after link? #notsocial

The connection of Twitter to your blog is critical. Always have your Twitter button prominently displayed. People read left to right, top to bottom, so make it visible! Top right placement is best. If we have to search, we won’t find it, give up and you’ve just lost us as a follower. If we can’t RT (retweet) your posts, we become frustrated. You’ve written great content and now we can’t share it? Ack. And join Triberr! It’s the ultimate connection between Twitter and blogging. Your reach will increase dramatically.

As for my personal success, I participating in numerous blog tours, promotions, and did multiple guest posts connected to my blog and others where the sell links always lead back to Amazon. I’ve also been an early adapter of the Amazon KDP Select program. Absolutely, for me, the best move I’ve ever made, career-wise.

Your books have ranked #1 on Amazon in multiple categories. What’s your top tip for an author who wants to replicate that success but are brand new to digital publishing?

Realize your first book isn’t going to be your moneymaker. It’s your name maker. Pricing it above $2.99 will only upset readers and it won’t sell. If you’re in this to make money, think again. If you want to put out a quality product, make your name, and hopefully have people read your story, great. Pay for ads, pulse price at 99cents, do blog tours, work your social media constantly, be nice to people, give away without expectation to receive, and if you don’t know how to do something, hire someone who does.

All while writing your next book.

You are your own boss in digital publishing. Work hard, work smart. It won’t happen quickly (it took me nine months to hit #1 with my first book remember) but only a month with my second. My favorite quote is from my quietly brilliant genius writer friend who came up with the title A Walk In the Snark:

What is the best way to promote your book? Write another.
~ Ryne Douglas Pearson, screenwriter of KNOWING

If you could do it again – go back in time and self-publish your first book again – what would you do differently?

Well, the dreaded deadlines of course. Yea, yea, I know. (Hey, you asked.)

Many people think that just because you’re self-publishing you don’t have deadlines to meet but that’s completely untrue. I had a high-exposure blog tour to enter, my editor had another project to finish, and my formatter was about to throw my job out the window. So if I could have taken another month to add or remove an essay, would I? Perhaps. I did take greater care with the second book, removing those time constraints, other people’s desires and pressures to “get the book done already!” and it was a much more pleasant process.

I’m working on my next book in a similar manner – I don’t believe I need to publish a book every month or so which seems to be popular among many indie writers. I’m not criticizing in any way – it’s important to build up their backlist, absolutely. I’m simply not that prolific!

My next book will be out before summer and I’m quite comfortable with that schedule. I still have a social media consulting business to run, and I’m a wife and mom. My brain is always on, but at some point, even the redhead needs to rest!

I’ve been writing since age ten, and blogging helped me find my way back to my calling. I don’t think I ever could have dreamed people would be reading my books or interviews. I’m grateful for the help people have given me and inspired every day by ideas and words I can’t wait to write.

As long as I have coffee. And Nutella is nice, too.

Thanks for such great advice and information about self-publishing, Rachel! Readers, in addition to checking out her blog and the books listed above, you can also check out Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide To Self-Publishing Success, which Rachel cowrote with Carolyn McCray and Amber Scott.

The New About Me: Who Taught You How to Write Your Bio?

Author:

Session Title: The New About Me: Who Taught You How to Write Your Bio?
Speaker: Michael Margolis
Date: Tuesday May 24
Time: 3:45PM
Where: Jacob Javits Center 1A15

Your About Page is the #1 page people visit on your website. If you don’t know how to tell your story in a manner that sticks and resonates, you are loosing your audience, and you are loosing business too. Forget, the buzzword sleaze around personal branding, we’re going to discuss how to bring your unique personality to the surface through more storytelling. Yes, we all have a bigger and epic story to tell. And it’s the story everybody’s waiting to hear. You’ll be able to apply the insights from this workshop directly back to your About page, personal bio, and overall social media presence.

Key Take-Aways From the Session:

  • Take home a seven-step bio template for how to transform your bio into a story
  • Learn how to communicate about yourself with less ego and more mojo
  • Understand when and how to use external validators without being a jerk or douche
  • Transform the way others perceive your worth and value (with a better story)

The son of an inventor and artist, Michael Margolis is obsessed with storytelling and do you get people to believe in your story. As the Dean of Story University, Michael teaches online courses like The New About Me; designed for creatives who need a better back story for their brand. Michael also curates the Reinvention Summit, a virtual conference on the future of storytelling with 37 speakers and 500+ participants in its first year. His work and ideas have been featured in Fast Company, BrandWeek, and Storytelling Magazine. Michael’s book, Believe Me: a Storytelling Manifesto for Change-Makers and Innovators is available for free as a digital download. Michael is left handed, color blind, and eats more chocolate than the average human. His TV guilty pleasures include Celebrity Rehab and Millionaire Matchmaker.

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