What could be a more simple personal branding framework than the alphabet?
I couldn’t be more excited to tell you The Road to Recognition, my new book co-authored with Seth Price, has been completed and is due to ship in April. (However, you can pre-order it now.)
LIMITED TIME OFFER…
You can get the book free by joining the book launch team. Applications are due 3/19/17. Space is limited. >> CLICK HERE OR THE IMAGE BELOW
Here’s the back story (borrowed slightly from the book’s preface)…
The Road to Recognition began (unknowingly) about two years ago when I had the idea to create an infographic called The Complete A-to-Z Guide to Personal Branding.
Seth, whom I had collaborated with before, agreed to work on it with me. He guided the design and is the reason the graphic went viral. He promoted the hell out of it, pitching it to publishers relentlessly. He repurposed it as a SlideShare and gave it a wider set of wings.
While I did the occasional interview or talk on personal branding, the A to Z Guide was in my rear view mirror. But not Seth’s. Sharing personal branding lessons had become a bit of an obsession for my co-author. He created an amazing website entirely focused on personal branding. He made some big plans.
Then he called to tell me about them. Seth declared these lessons shall become a book. He said (or was it threatened?) he’d create it with or without me. So we did this thing together—me with the “I’ll get to it when I can” attitude, Seth with the whip.
I wrote the copy for that infographic in a few hours. I simply tossed my ideas down following my instincts, drawing from experience, and sharing ideas I had picked up from Michael Hyatt, Dan Schawbel, William Arruda, and Karen Kang (all authors of inspired personal branding books).
But the book was no high-speed affair. We’ve been bouncing ideas around, writing chapters, collaborating on the design (which we’re immensely proud of), changing and making up our minds, and scheming launch and promotional plans for nearly two years.
Each chapter of the book covers a big and important topic. Our aim is to give you the skinny on each—the need-to-know stuff that’ll rev your engine. We created an infographic to give you a mini-preview of each chapter. Here you are: 26 strategies to build brand recognition—and, as the book’s subtitle says—accelerate your professional success in the age of digital media.
A IS FOR AUTHENTICITY
Understand your brand’s all about the real you
You, my friend, are a brand. Anything other than the real you won’t do. Discover exactly what makes you fascinating. Build your brand on your true strengths and allow it to navigate your road to recognition.
B IS FOR BLOG
Build your personal brand with a blog
Publish your point of view. The most important personal branding development in the age of digital media is the power to publish at will and express your ideas. Start a blog and keep building on it.
C IS FOR CONTENT
Create content to connect with your target audience
Valuable content has magnetic power. On your blog—or in addition to it—create an interesting mix of content in various formats to earn the mindshare and trust your brand needs.
D IS FOR DESIGN
Design a smart and stylish identity
Look good. Everything you create should be presented with class and continuity. Develop a tasty logo, color palette, and design standards that reflect well on your brand.
E IS FOR EMAIL
Establish and expand a list of email subscribers
Own an audience. Email is your ace, the money medium. It’s private, permission-based, and pervasive. Commit to developing an email list and using it to nurture relationships with your subscribers.
F IS FOR FOLLOWERS
Grow a following and lead the conversation
New media is a two-way street. You can’t have a brand without an audience. Social media makes it possible to develop a tribe of followers—like-minded people with common interests—you’ll aim to educate and inspire.
G IS FOR GOOGLE
Assess how the world sees you
Search yourself. Think of Google as the business card the entire world has instant access to. You need to “Google yourself,” evaluate the results and create and execute a plan to look good in the eyes of the searcher.
H IS FOR HELPING
Offer what you can, whenever you can
Put goodwill to work. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Find ways to be helpful. Be the first to volunteer, connect people, or get behind meaningful missions.
I IS FOR INFLUENCERS
Look up and connect with the people you look up to
New friends will open doors. Influential professionals have prominent friends. Seek out leaders, surround yourself with them, and find ways to be of value to them.
J IS FOR JOINING
Join communities where ideas are incubated
Make your way into social circles. Affiliations are all-important to the growth of your brand. Find groups you’d be proud to be a part of, get involved, and make your presence known.
K IS FOR KEYWORDS
Position your personal brand with some choice words
Got a personal glossary? When surfers go a-Googling, which words will lead them to you? Build a short list of relevant keywords and use them often on your site and across all your social media profiles.
Every chapter of the book features personal branding insights from an expert on the topic.
L IS FOR LINKEDIN
Master the personal branding epicenter of the Internet
Cats and dogs don’t belong here. LinkedIn is the social network that means business. It’s the personal branding epicenter of the Internet. Take LinkedIn seriously and learn how to work it.
M IS FOR MEDIA
Channel your energy into the right channels
The web is wide. Media is more complex than ever and more vital. Identify the outlets that are most valued in your field and use the tools available in them to elevate your brand.
N IS FOR NETWORK
Connect with professionals—and with purpose
Make friends. Make connections fearlessly and frequently—locally, regionally, and globally. Have a business card or something of even greater value to distribute. Follow up and follow through.
O IS FOR OFFERS
Offer your visitors great value—for free
Meet readers where they’re @. Expand your email list, build relationships, and position yourself as an authority by offering your readers value-added content—or lead magnets—in exchange for an email address.
P IS FOR PODCAST
Turn on a mic and say what’s on your mind
Get people to listen to you. Top professionals appear on podcasts and create their own shows to capitalize on the format’s growing popularity and to leverage the power voice offers for making genuine connections.
Q IS FOR QUESTIONS
Ask your audience to join the conversation
Everyone loves a good listener. Identify the questions your audience seeks answers to. Ask questions. Ask people to tell you their stories. Ask for their ideas. And listen closely.
R IS FOR RECOGNIZING OTHERS
Point to the people who empower you
Share the spotlight. You won’t achieve your goals on your own. Privately and publicly, recognize the contributions of every person who’s played a part in your brand development.
S IS FOR SPEAKING
Get in front of an audience
The power of the podium is undeniable. Public speakers gain credibility as subject-matter experts and enjoy many networking benefits. You need to step up to the mic and share what you know.
All throughout The Road to Recognition are personal branding tips from accomplished marketers and entreprenuers.
T IS FOR TARGET
Develop keen insights of your target market
Who cares what you have to say? Develop a clear understanding of your target market. Create personas with a focus on the needs of your audience and their pain points. Conduct interviews and surveys to learn as much as possible.
U IS FOR UNIQUE
Identify your unique value proposition
What makes you special? Every meaningful brand has a unique value proposition. Though you may be one of millions specializing in your field, you need to develop and nurture a one-of-a-kind point of differentiation.
V IS FOR VIDEO
Look into the lens and engage viewers
Roll video into your media mix. Video increases trust and helps you come across as human and sincere. It’s become easy to make and distribute video. Look in the lens, relax, and let it roll.
W IS FOR WEBSITE
Construct a home on the web in your name
Master your domain. Your website is the mousetrap and your content is the cheese. Work with professionals to plan, design, write, and publish a website that is the HQ of your personal brand.
X IS FOR eXAMINE
Keep close tabs on your progress
Measure what matters. Your x-ray for all online efforts is analytics. Deploy Google Analytics and/or additional tools to stay informed of how visitors behave on your site and what you can do to improve their experience.
Y IS FOR THE “YOU DO” LIST
Make a plan to achieve your personal branding goals
Know what you’re doing? The development of your personal brand is a perpetual exercise. Create a plan for getting started as well as a list of proactive actions YOU DO regularly.
Z IS FOR ZEAL
Let no roadblock slow you down
Shift into overdrive. Zeal is a “strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes one determined to do something.” There is no more essential ingredient of a successful personal brand.
Click on the book cover to order your copy on Amazon today. 
Comments
Ericka
You can’t control what people say or think about you, but you can get the conversation started by making and marketing your own Personal Brand. Personal Branding – Is how we market ourselves, how we want to come across to the people we meet and the impression we want to leave of ourselves. If you need help constructing your Personal Brand this guide will help.
Emmerey Rose
Interesting stuff Barry! The book looks great visually and based on the infographic, there’s a lot of meat inside! Do you ship in the Philippines?