What is Your Marketing Message to Networking Contacts, Hiring Managers and Business Partners?
What is your marketing message? What does your personal brand say about you? You may not have considered these questions, but everyone you interact with has asked and answered these questions for you.
You present your personal brand and send a message every time you interact with another person. Examples of personal branding messages include: your handshake, your personal commercial, and your LinkedIn profile. You can use each of these opportunities to either solidify or dilute your marketing message.
The next time you shake hands with someone, think about their impression of you. Do you reach out and extend your hand? Is your grip firm but not bone crushing? Do you look and feel confident? Did you combine your handshake with a warm smile? During the first few seconds of your meeting, your new contact will create a lasting impression of you. You can influence their perspective of you by your actions.
How do you answer when someone says “tell me about yourself”? Do you stammer and stumble through a few sentences? Before a networking event, take a few minutes to think about the people you will likely meet. Create a message that highlights qualities that will interest them.
With the growing popularity of online social media, the first impression is often developed through a web page. It is common for employers, recruiters or sales prospects to research new contacts by launching a web browser and “Googling” their name. Google yourself and review your results. This is what others see when they check you out. What assumptions might others draw by looking at these search results?
You control your personal marketing messages you send to your network. Determine what you what to say to your audience and create marketing messages that deliver your message effectively to all your contacts.
