William Aruda in his Personal Branding Trends Special Report for 2011 highlighted 11 key themes that he believes will affect personal branding this year. One of these is the Pret-a–Regarder trend.

What is the Pret-a-Regarder trend?

With the rise of the use of video in how we do business; from publishing our thoughts to communicating with colleagues and clients; being ready for film is something that we need to consider before we sit at our desks.

Working from home might mean wearing a tracksuit for some, but if video is going to form a key part of how you communicate, then you need to make sure you look the part on camera. And I’m afraid for me, that doesn’t mean looking like you’ve just got out of bed.

There’s a lot to be said for putting yourself into a good state of mind by wearing the right clothes. If you dress yourself in “work” clothes, you’re more likely to be in a “work” mindset.

But, you’re not the only one you need to worry about. What about what’s behind you when your camera’s on.

It’s behind youuuu!

There are a few people who publish videos regularly that I watch, and sometimes I can’t believe what I can see in the background. Whether it’s a mucky dressing gown hanging on the back of a door or a messy shelf of unfiled papers and books, the impression that these things create cannot be ignored.

Some people choose to shoot videos with corporate looking banners in the background. In my previous life as brand marketer, we would have called this “on brand”, but I think that for people, it’s a little impersonal. A bit like those who film with a blank nothingness behind them. It’s a bit bland. But, when we’ve been in the corporate world for so long we get used to wiping away all parts of our personality “to blend in”. Well now it’s time to bring it back!

We can’t ignore the fact that we’re a nosey bunch. It’s not just me is it? And if we could just find out a little bit more about someone then we just can’t help ourselves.

It’s like when people come round to your house, they are immediately drawn to the book shelf. They’re curious, but also they think that by seeing which books you read, they’ll get a better idea of who you are. And, if you’ve read the same book, you have something else to talk about. It creates an opportunity to connect even more.

By opening up and communicating who you are, you’re providing others with another way of feeling connected to you. If they feel connected to you, you begin to build trust.

So, the next time you make a video, think about how you’re presenting yourself. And I don’t just mean your face and clothes. What could you use as a background that supports who you are, but also reveals who you are?

If you’ve got any more tips that you’d like to share, feel free to post them in the comments below.

Want to learn more? Read 10 Key Considerations When Recording a Blog Post

I remember a time in my twenties when most of my friends had itchy feet and wanted to see the world. Looking back it was interesting to see how different their experiences were.

First of all, there was my mate Jon. He seemed pretty sorted. Not only did he have a load of money saved up but he was so sure of where he wanted to go that he pretty much had the itinerary all sewn up; he was going to bike across Africa then fly over to India for 4 months and then trek in Nepal. He’d already booked his flight out to Africa. There was no stopping him! That trip wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but that was his thing. All he needed to do was find someone to go with him. He wanted to share the experience with someone, which was understandable.

Then there was my mate Sara. She had some money saved up too, but she had no idea where she wanted to go. For her, she just had to leave HERE. But she wasn’t really bothered where TO. But she definitely DIDN’T want to go to Africa or India! Especially on a bike! She had ideas about some nice beaches in Thailand, checking out Singapore or Hong Kong, and then maybe heading over to Australia. The thing is, she’d been talking about this for years.

My mate Jen on the other hand was a different story altogether. She desperately wanted to go travelling. Being the sensible one of the group, she was the only one out of us that had bought a flat at that point. The problem was; her flat was full of crap. She was a bit of a hoarder. She had the money saved up, but she still would have to rent her flat out. And that would mean sorting through her crap and probably getting rid of most of it. For some reason, this never seemed to happen.

I was jealous of all them, but was caught in the career ladder. At least that was my excuse! Big regret now, let me tell you! Anyway..

Jon had the trip of his dreams! He managed to find someone to cross Africa with too. Some guy who he found him through some biker site. They came home with some crazy stories let me tell you!

Sara didn’t go for a few years. When she did go, she ended up joining some other folk on the trip of their dreams She fell into it because she was worried about leaving it too late. It was a fab experience and she loved it, but it was THEIR dream trip and not hers. She came back wishing that she’d taken a bit of time working out what she sort of trip she wanted, figuring that you only get to do ONE trip of a lifetime.

And then there was Jen. Poor Jen. As far as I know, she’s still desperate to go on that trip. And her flat is still full of crap. I guess she never found a way of letting go of all that stuff so that she could be free to go.

So, in that story, who are you?

Are you like Jon ? Really clear about what you want and where you’re going. Not only that but you know exactly who you’re looking for to share your trip with.

Or, does Sara sound more like you? You know you don’t like where you are right now, but you haven’t figured out where you want to go, let alone who with.

Or maybe Jen resonates with you. You’d love to go on a trip but you can’t even begin to think about it as long as you’ve still got all this crap to let go of first. And you haven’t quite figured that bit out yet, Meanwhile, you’re missing out on the trip of a lifetime.

Life only comes by once, don’t wait too long or else it’ll be gone.

So, do you see what I’m getting at?

This lifetime trip IS your life. Maybe it’s your working life – up to you. And as soon as you can define what is it that you want and how you want to travel it, you can find people to share the ride. Where you’re going and how you’re travelling, that’s your brand. Are you biking it or are you travelling first class; two very different trips! Who you share it with is your target audience. If they buy into your trip, they’re coming for the ride because they’ve bought into YOU! And, the clearer you are about your trip, the easier these people are to find.

On the other hand, if Jen is more like you, don’t waste any more time being trapped by your fears and beliefs. Have a clear out! It’s only when you clear out the crap that you can really think clearly about who you really are, what you want and where you want to go.

What story are you telling yourself? And, is it serving you?

Have you done anything that you later came to regret? We all have, right? We squirm a bit when we think back, but after enough sweeping under the carpet, eventually we forget and hope that everyone else has too. But what about doing something online? Have you shared or posted anything that you later thought “ooops! not sure I should have done that”. Like this….

When you lose control for a tiny moment in the real world, the only people who witness it are those in your immediate vicinity. But when it happens online, not only do you have a potential audience of thousands (unless you’re a celeb), but your faux pas stays there forever. Spare a thought for this poor guy…

“…He used to be a solicitor; back in 1994 he was suspended for six months at a tribunal following accounting irregularities.

Following his return to work he became fully rehabilitated by the Law Society, and the escapade became but an embarrassing memory, an unfortunate slip in an otherwise distinguished career. But recently, a legal periodical digitised all its back issues and placed them on its website; useful for the legal profession, but for the solicitor in question it was, understandably, a shock.

The report of his tribunal was now on the first page of results when you searched Google for his name. An indiscretion, 15 years ago, for which he’d paid the penalty, but which was now distressingly visible because of the online popularity of the periodical in question….”

Yikes! Not good. In situations like this, the best advice is to start creating new positive content. Things you might consider include buying your name web domain, setting up your own website or blog and posting comments on blogs and forums. But what if you can’t be bothered with all that. I have great news! You don’t need to. Yes really! My solution? Buy a new service called “Delete me”. Delete me is a new service launched by Abine where you pay between $10 to $100 to remove photos, blog posts, videos, and search results, delete old accounts, and stop companies from selling private data to advertisers.

Thank you thank you!!! I know, I’ve just saved you a heap of time in bothering with all this personal branding – digital presence malarkey!!

I think these guys are going to make a tonne of money!

Yesterday I attended a session run by Ecademy’s Thomas Power. They’re in the middle of recruiting what they’re calling Digital Coaches for their Ecademy Digital School.

Digital Coach is a term that was coined by Seth Godin in few years back. I’ve only recently come across it. If it sounds new to you, then let me take a few moments to share with you how they define such a person;

• A digital coach teaches you how to do things digital and how to get those things done.

• They help you to use value and optimise Twitter, Facebook, Ecademy, YouTube, LinkedIn etc

• A digital coach understands the difference between personal branding and company branding

• A digital coach is a friend, ally, support service, professional lifesaver, protector and brand guardian.

• They are someone who is a companion and change agent who helps businesses transition and benefit from the Digital World.

During the session Thomas spent a lot of time delivering a very clear message:

if you do not define yourself you will starve

If you can’t define yourself, then other people won’t be able to either. And, if they can’t, then they can’t recommend or refer you. Bummer eh? But you know what? Working that out isn’t a quick process. I have the T-shirt!

Thomas shared a great quote from Penny during the session

“Network value happens when others talk about you when you’re not there”

This quote is very similar to another great quote by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not there”

So, what we’re talking about here is the same thing, we just can’t agree on a good name for it.

The old adage, it’s not what you know it’s who you know has never been more relevant than today. Thomas rammed this point home several times. Generation Zero have grown up having hundreds of friends, connections and followers. For them, having a network of people who know them for being them is natural. It’s everyone else who needs to worry. Everyone else needs to start thinking about growing their network. Not only that, they need to ensure that their network know who they are. And by this I mean, know what they stand for and what they can be relied on. Oh look! Now we’re back to branding!

So, both Penny and Jeff are talking about the same coin, just different sides. Yes, you need to know what you stand for and can be relied upon for, but then you need to leverage the power of the network. And today, that network is online. If you’re not engaging and publishing online, then you’re not visible. If you’re not visible, then you won’t be chosen.

Oh dear!

And that’s where Digital Coaches come in. They can help you to both these things and walk with you on the path to discovering and defining who you are.

If you’re reading this and thinking “I’m an employee not a freelancer or a business owner, I don’t need to worry about this sort of thing”

WRONG!

Just ponder this; in 2017 all of IBM’s 400,00 employees will become suppliers. How do you think that is going to affect other employees?

In the current climate of austerity and cutbacks, many businesses are moving to using contractors and virtual teams, so now more than ever, defining yourself clearly is a matter of survival.

Have you defined yourself?

If you want to have a chat about discovering and defining YOUR brand, give me a call!

I don’t know about you, but I think that the term “personal branding” is a bit over used. And, not being used correctly. When I worked in marketing, even marketers struggled to understand the meaning of “branding” so expecting non-marketers to get it is a big ask. I think one of the best definitions I’ve found of personal branding is from Kelly Cutrone, the PR Maven:

“Personal branding is about figuring who you are and what turns you on and then monetising it”

You can read about her other insights into personal branding here.

The other thing about personal branding is that when ever you come across articles telling you how to build your personal brand, they all say the same thing! So, how on earth are you going to stand out if you’re doing the same as everyone else. So, it was refreshing to read a brilliant piece by Robin Dickinson “35 ways to profit by doing things differently online”. I would definite recommend you pop over to his blog to take a peek.

He’s essentially pushing two of my favourite philosophies;

1. The first of which is “when others are zigging, you should be zagging”.

2. And the second is BE YOU!

The need for authenticity right now is more important than ever.  But I think the reason that we are seeing so many copies out there is that finding out who you are and what you’re about isn’t as easy as it sounds. But once you’ve cracked it, success is surely to follow.