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WHAT ONLINE DATING SERVICES ARE ALL ABOUT

You've heard all your friends talking about online dating services and even checked out a couple sites but still aren't sure if this is what you want to do. It seems like online dating services could be the perfect solution if you only knew a little more about how they work. Read this short article and you'll know everything you need to know to get started.

Online dating, also known as internet dating, is when individuals, couples and even groups communicate with each other on the Internet typically with the intent of developing a friendship or rela-tionship of some kind. Relationships may be of a sexual nature, personal or even lead to marriage. Some people, on the other hand, come to online dating just to make friends. Online dating services are all about helping these people meet and making the process easier. Their contact with the members of their service is usually done by cell phone or computer.

When you join an online dating service, you're usually required to become a member if you want to take advantage of all their services. As a member, you provide the online dating service with personal information such as age, gender, interests, location and similar information. You also set the same kind of criteria for what you're looking for as far as gender, age, location, etc. The online dating service uses this information to match you up with people that meet your specifications. You're usually allowed to upload pictures of yourself as well as look at pictures of others.

Online dating services will also offer services such as online chat, webcasts, message boards and telephone chat (VOIP). Online or internet dating services charge a monthly fee to become a member. You can check out online dating services without actually becoming a paid member, but you won't have access to all their services. For instance, you may be able to see a picture of someone but won't have access to information about him or her.

It's important to check out the sites before actually joining so you know they're the type of site you're looking for, as there are different kinds. While some may be strictly for those looking for a relation-ship, another site may be just for those seeking friendships.

Another thing to remember is that, like in all areas of our lives, nothing will happen overnight. Finding the person of your dreams is not going to happen overnight either, even with the help of an online dating service. The online dating service may be able to help you get started and show you the ropes, so to speak.

I f you're like many single individuals, you may be tired of sitting home alone every night waiting for the perfect significant other to come your way. If you're not into the bar and nightclub scene, where does that leave you? Many people are turning to online dating sites. They're very popular, offer many opportunities and there are many to choose from, more almost a new site created every day.

LOOK for Reputable Online Dating Sites

Before you rush out and join the first online dating site you find, do your homework and research the sites to see what they have to offer and how others rate them. If they're a legitimate online dating site, you'll be able to find reviews others have left about them. Check them out. Each online dating site you find is going to promise you the world and swear they're the best. Look around or ask around until you find the right sites.

DO I Have to Pay for Online Dating Sites?

The good news is that you don't have to pay to become a member of an online dating service. You will get more options if you have a paid membership, but until you know this is really a site you want to use regularly, enjoy the free services for a while. Check out what they have to offer and if you think it's a site you'd like to join. Typically, free members can view photos of others but must pay a membership fee to be able to see more information about the individual or communicate with them.

HOW DO I MEET OTHERS?

When you join online dating sites, you'll give out information about yourself to the individuals running the sites. They have a huge database that listed thousands of others looking for someone special. They match you up with individuals that share the same interests as you. These sites have excellent tools to help you find the right indi-vidual and screen out undesirables or those you have nothing in common with.

SETTING Up Your Profile

One of the first things you'll do when you join an online dating site is set up your profile. Your profile is what others will see so make it good. Your profile should consist of your picture and information about yourself. By information, I mean what your interests are, what you're looking for, hobbies, etc. Do not put any more personal infor-mation than possible on your profile. You don't know who will be viewing your profile, so you don't want to give out private informa-tion. Many of the online dating sites will offer excellent help in setting up your profile.

I f you've been unsuccessful at getting a date and are considering an online dating service, here are some tips to help make the process easier. The first thing you need to do is ask yourself what exactly you are looking for in a date.

Too many people jump into online dating sites with no idea of what to write down in the profile or preference section, and then get frustrated when they don't find the ideal person. You may tell your-self that you want a date so bad that you'll accept anything the site offers. This is not true, though, as you'll find out the hard way if you don't do a little self analysis.

You may be a serious member of your church. If this is the case, you'll probably be interested in someone that shares your religious beliefs. You may also be looking for a specific age group or certain culture. While you may think you have no preferences, everyone has preferences. The fantastic thing about online dating sites is that they'll act on what you tell them your preferences are. They have unique tools that allow them to weed out individuals that do not match your criteria. It's amazing what these online dating sites can accomplish for couples!

Do not make the mistake many beginners do of beefing up their profile with stuff that just is not true. If your true intentions are to get a date that may lead to a relationship, you really don't want to have to explain why you lied on your profile and watch a potential relation-ship or friendship end on the spot. If you're not interested in marrying and having children, don't say that you are just to get a date. You're just wasting your time and theirs.

Although most people will say looks don't matter, they still want to see what the other individual looks like so always post a photo with your profile and post a current one. Pasting a picture that's ten years old and taken when you were younger and 100 pounds lighter is not being honest. Post a current, attractive and appropriate picture. A picture really can be worth 1000 words!

If you're planning on joining an online dating site and taking advantage of all their benefits, be prepared to pay a membership fee each month. You may feel as though it's too costly, but is there any price tag on possibly finding your soul mate? If you were going to the bars and nightclubs, you'd be spending a lot more money with prob-ably less desirable results!

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INTRODUCTION

Today’s market place is very different than forty-years ago. Forty-years ago if you wanted to open a business you had to have upfront costs, property, large amounts of inventory, and your best bet for advertising was the local paper and direct mail pieces. Of course, this took a lot of effort and even more money. You had to hope and wait for people to get your ad and decide to come and purchase a product from you. Going out and getting them to come into your store would have been a difficult feat. Additionally, forty-years ago your ability of growth was limited to local purchasers for the most part. If what you had to offer was not in a reasonable distant from your potential consumers, your company suffered. Moreover, because most shopping was done near home, any bad publicity could really hurt your company’s reputation; thus, leading to your company being shut down.

Forty-years ago consumers had to find local places to purchase their goods at; everyday shopping was done within a modest radius from home-base. To know what merchant had new products or sales, one had to wait for either the Wednesday Flyer or the Sunday paper.

Options for product purchases barely existed beyond one’s living area.

Jump forward to the modern day and we know all of this has changed. Today, any individual can purchase whatever they desire from anywhere in the world. Most likely shipping will be free and the products returnable. There is nothing that cannot be found – the Internet has everything from the rarest of coffees to cheap rubber bracelets. It does not matter what is wanted, it is there for the purchase. And, that ability to purchase whatever it is wanted can be comparison shopped in the blink of an eye; thus an environment that is exceptional for the buyer and a tough one for merchants.

For business owners the Internet can be hit or miss. There are more customers than one can shake a stick at with an equal amount of competition. Unlike yester years when your nearest competition was a decent amount of distance away and your location added to your bottom for consumers appreciate convenience; the Internet has competition that is breathing down your neck. Competition on the Internet is so close to your proximity that it would seem your could just reach right through the Internet and touch them. They can take tease your customer away long before that customer ever knows you exist. In fact, all your competition has to do is rank better then you on any search engine results page.

Understanding the importance of your competitions proximity is one of the most important things to understand when dealing with marketing attempts on the Internet. Today, there is no distance between you and your competition and you most likely have anything that can not be bought on some other website. Now, when a consumer wants and needs a product or information, all they must do is put there desires into the URL and pages among pages of options displays on the search engine results page. What you must be concerned with in this situation, when listed amongst your competitors is stand out. In this book, you will learn about the main and most popular techniques to purchasing traffic to you website.

We will discuss pay-per-click methods that are one of the very most popular formats to use. This technique works nicely and if you create an excellent ad, you will gain enough traffic to push you to the next level of success. We will also discuss banner ads that were the first on the block for website marketing ads. They fell from popular use for awhile but in the last few years they have made their way back due to technological advances. These are inexpensive and if done write, valuable. To add to your arsenal of marketing weapons, we will also discuss email marketing and Search Engine Optimization. Email marketing is a great tool and excellent for targeted marketing attempts when you want to get up-close and personal with potential customers. Email marketing, if done well, will build your own client lists that will prove profitable.

Search Engine Optimization is the king of purchasing website traffic. Search Engine Optimization is not purchasing traffic in the tradi-tional means of the online market place. However, it is worth more than its weight in gold when done properly. Search Engine Optimiza-tion can bring in traffic like no other technique and those who under-stand its value can become the master of their search engine results page listing and rank. What is so pertinent to understanding this technique is that it can eventually lead to you not needing to pay for traffic from other mediums as all. Of course, you will continue to want to use other methods of paid website traffic, but you will be able to become much more selective in your efforts with more to spend on growth.

We will end this book with terms you need to know to start under-standing the web marketing industry. When first learning how to build your web site, it can be hard to gather your thoughts and wrap your mind around what is being said. To help in that, terms that are most often discussed in web traffic buying is listed. Not all of these terms are concepts mentioned throughout the book, but they are listed to add to your understanding. Read them as you would the rest of the book. They provide more than just definitions, there are helpful tips to be garnered.

PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC) ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

What It Is? Advertising through the PPC method allows you as a business owner to place ads with keyword usage within search engine result pages, of course, for a price. The goal of PPC is to help website business owners attract targeted customers. Target customers are those that are already looking for your product offerings or the similar; this helps you by putting your ads and business in front of those who are most likely potential buyers. The goal of PPC methods of advertising is to provide you, the site owner, to control your budget while still gaining maximum site exposure.

Understand, you do not pay for the placement of your ad; instead, you pay once a potential customer clicks on your ad and goes onto your website. The amount you pay for that customer has already been agreed to through a bidding system. It is imperative to your site’s success to appreciate that you are paying each and every time your link is hit and your landing page is accessed – remember your budget!

When first starting out with your PPC campaign you must keep an eye on your budget and be prepared to spend a bit more during your first few weeks while you learn the system. Once you have your funds ready, it is time to determine your keywords. Make sure you properly research not only the best keywords or keyword phrases, but also the value of those words in terms of competition. Move onto creating your ad and creating an account and before you know it, you will have plenty of data to help you steer your efforts.

Often times, third-party companies allow for ads from search engines to be placed on their site; these are often referred to as a content network property. This is a benefit for all involved; especially considering it is not often in life you get a situation is win-win-win. See, the third-party gets a portion of the revenue paid by you the advertiser. In fact, they can earn upwards of eighty percent. Consider when you have searched for an item or information on the web and landed on a website full of information; remember the ads that are on the page? These ads usually have something in common and complementary with the item or information you sought.

It is not uncommon for consumers to ignore the ads on the content network and this place is not nearly as valued as listing high on the search engine results page. When your ads appear on a content network property, do not be concerned – your ad is still being seen! In fact, your ad is being displayed and seen along side similar or complementary information to your product. Now, there may not be a high click through rate, but these searchers will most likely resemble your target audience and therefore, resemble your customers.

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Introduction To Facebook

As the number of users increased and the growth of Facebook boomed, so did the number of applications for Facebook. You could install apps, play games, chat and even share and upload photos to Facebook.

The business minded people began to see the potential in Facebook. They began looking into ways one can monetize or grow one’s business through the Facebook platform. Now, with over 500 million users, Facebook’s potential for businesses to grow cannot be ignored. With the recent introduction of Facebook Advertising and Facebook pages, businesses can list their own official fan pages on Facebook to connect with their customers and grow their businesses.

In the next section, you’ll look into the power of Facebook Marketing!

Chapter 2 Basics Of Facebook Marketing

Facebook marketing is literally means using Facebook to market your business, build traffic or grow your leads. It is a branch of Social Media Marketing, where marketers tap into a multitude of social media platforms such as social networking sites, video sharing sites or micro-blogging platforms to grow their business. As mentioned earlier, Facebook has a useful feature called Fan Pages where any business can list their business on one of these pages, add fans and provide content to them.

Once you have created a huge following, you can use your fan page to connect with your customers and prospects through a wide variety of functions such as posting on your “wall”, asking them questions or posting up videos, photos and content of interest to your niche.

The best thing is, whenever you post something on your Fan page wall, all the users who “liked” your Fan page will see it on their news updates.

Any actions which a fan takes on the fan page such as post on the wall will be seen by all their friends, so there is huge potential for viral marketing The fact is this… If you fail to tap into the power of Facebook marketing, you’ll potentially be leaving tons of money on the table!

Chapter 3 Building Your Online Presence Using Fan Pages So how do you grow your business using Facebook Fan Pages?

Well, the first thing you must do is sign up for a page. If you already have a Facebook profile, scroll down to the bottom of the page and select “Create A Page”.

Once you have created a page, fill in all the necessary details of your business such as contact information, maps, post up a photo of your company logo etc.

The next thing you must do is get your customers and followers onto your Facebook Fan Page. You can do so by encouraging them, whether through email or your website to join and “Like” your Facebook Fan Page.

Getting more fans

Besides asking your existing fan base or email list to join you on Facebook, another option is to advertise using Facebook’s advertising system. You can either send them to your Facebook page or send them to your website, but usually sending them to your Facebook page is the cheaper alternative.

What’s next?

Once you’ve got a page set up and a fan base up and running, you should focus on providing targeted, valuable content to your fans. By encouraging them to interact on your page, you create more hype on the page and they would be more likely to share it with their friends, thus getting you more followers.

Chapter 4 Getting Opt-Ins Using Facebook

Have you heard of a landing page or opt in page? Marketers online use them to get leads for their email marketing campaign. Did you know that it is possible to set up a “Facebook Landing Page” using Facebook? Search for the “Facebook land page app” and install it in your Facebook Fan Page settings.

Then, you’ll have to add in html code into your “before liking” box and “after liking” box. Basically, how a Facebook Landing Page works is you attempt to “bribe” people to “Like” your Facebook page in exchange for access to a free gift.

This free gift could be something like a free e-book or an online video course.

Combine this with your Facebook Advertising funnel, it’s like you are typically paying for leads! This can be a quick way to build your list fast and cheap with highly qualified subscribers.

A non-fan has to “like” your page to get a free gift. New fan will then get instant access to the free gift by entering his name and email (this is your code for the opt in box)

Another simpler way of getting leads fast is simply promoting your landing page on your fan wall, since the fan wall is always the most popular and has a lot of eyeballs; the potential of growing your list fast through there is very big.

Chapter 5 Viral Power

One of the reasons why Facebook has picked up so fast as the largest and one of the fastest growing websites in the world is because it is viral in nature. Things spread easily via word of mouth with Facebook. That is why many big corporations have recognized this power and have been finding ways to tap into this power. Whether you are a small business owner or own a huge chain of businesses, you have the potential to tap into the viral nature of Facebook to grow your business rapidly. Here’s how:

Every person on Facebook is connected to his or her friends through the network. Status updates of each person such as “Liking” a page, writing on someone’s wall will be shown on that person’s news feed.

What happens is this – When you get your Facebook fans to interact with your Facebook page, whatever actions they take will be shown on their news feed as well. This in turn would appear on the news feed on all of their friends. This will spark curiosity among their friends and they would be likely to click on your Fan page to see what’s going on.

The viral magic happens when more and more people start “Liking” and interacting on your page. Your fan page could grow 10 times the speed in no time!

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Twitter As Your Marketing Tool

If you were to apply internet marketing strategies that existed 10 years ago, you would be surprised that most of them are no longer viable or have become ineffective.

Thus, it is highly important that we stay on top of the trends of what works and what doesn’t. One of the hottest trending strategies we see nowadays is Social media and one in particular tool – Twitter.

Richard Koch in his great book – The Star Principle says that successful businesses must always be the market leader and must always ride on growing trends.

If you fail to tap into these hot trends, you’ll be leaving tons of money on the table. And that’s why, the purpose of this report is to help you tap into this amazing phenomenon and grow your business around it.

Twitter Tornado

Build Your Business Around Twitter And Make Massive Money Online

Chapter 1: Introduction To Twitter And Social Media

Twitter is the largest micro-blogging platform that allows people so send short messages or “tweets” to their followers in real time. With Twitter, the spread of information has become much faster and businesses stand a lot to gain from tapping into this phenomenon.

Twitter is a type of Social Media Marketing tool, which businesses can tap into immediately. Gone are the days of cold hard advertising. Statistics show that products that are referred to others by friends sell much easier.

Twitter eases social sharing via tweets and huge hype can be built around launches via trending topics using the “#” tag.

Besides that, Twitter has an increasingly growing user base and has currently millions of users. This can potentially be a huge source of traffic.

The social media phenomenon is one of those exploding trends which needs to be tapped into by businesses, big or small to tap into a larger pool of customers. Even people in the golden era have started to use social media as their main form of interaction with their peers.

Chapter 2: Basics Of Twitter Marketing

Like any business, you must have a clear game plan or marketing plan or you may find yourself spending plenty of precious time using Twitter but seeing few results. Remember you are using Twitter for marketing and not a casual tool.

Think of specific keywords in selecting your Twitter username. Keep it easy to remember and spell. For personal branding, your own name works wonders. Also, don’t forget to think keywords in your short bio. People will often find others on Twitter by searching keywords in Twitter Search. Choose a good picture of you for the image because most people remember faces well.

When your account is set up be sure to start tweeting (status updating) right away. Don't be picky. Just start sharing. It's important that you have some updates on your Twitter page before others see it. Remember, content is king. Tweet links to your videos, squidoo lenses, articles, blogposts, audios, or anything else interesting to your target niche market.

Once you have a huge following be sure to post content regularly. Since you can post to Twitter via cell phone, instant messaging, Facebook, Squidoo, MySpace, Blogger, TypePad, and Wordpress new tweets can happen even when you are doing something else.

Chapter 3: Building Your Twitter Page

The first thing you must do as get an account at Twitter.com and setup your profile page ASAP. Use a custom twitter background instead of those templates (a big no-no). On your profile page, put up a quirky yet description about yourself or your business that gets people curious about you.

For your custom twitter background, you can use a glamour shot and design graphics which display your business logo, website/blog url, Facebook fan page url and email so that people can contact you easily.

Try not to put your images too far to the side of the page as certain browsers with different resolutions will cause the details to be hidden.
Don’t put it too centre either because the tweet box will block it!

Also, use a clean, simple design so that people who visit your twitter page can have an enjoyable experience.

Once you’ve got your Twitter page up and running, it is time to start getting followers!

Chapter 4: How To Get More Twitter Followers

In the beginning of your Twitter campaign you can click "find people" and via Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL you can find friends who already use Twitter.

Find and follow the leaders in your niche by scouring the many Twitter user directories. Be prepared to spend time observing these leaders and the various social orders within the user base.

These observations will help you to find the leaders in your niche.. Pay particular attention to these trendsetters/influencers. Befriend as many of your competitors as possible, but do not forego the small guy as they tend to be quicker to repost your messages. These relationships should be nurtured over time and a few may well lead to some kind of joint ventures in the future.

Another simpler way of getting followers fast is simply promoting your Twitter on your blog, Facebook fan page or email lists of people who are already following you. Tell them that they can get the latest updates and news (as well as special offers) by following your Twitter.

In short, join the conversation and get involved in your community! That is the fastest way to build a huge following.

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THE MULTILEVEL MARKETING CONCEPT

What is Multi-Level Marketing?

MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING, or MLM, is a marketing strategy which creates a down line of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation. The sales force is compensated not only for their own sales but also for the sales of the people they help recruit. Firms, having a large product base, often cannot employ equivalent sales force; and believe they would be better off without the traditional approach. Hence, they implement MLM to survive competition from multi-nationals.

MLM is also known as Network Marketing because it utilizes a network of individual customers to hit other potential customers. In other words, every individual customer serves as a sales repre-sentative.

Multi-Level Marketing Vs. Pyramid Marketing

2 CALVIN CLARKE

People often confuse MLM with pyramid marketing; however there is very clear distinction between the two approaches: pyramid marketing is about getting your money and then using you to recruit other distributors; MLM, on the other hand, is about moving the product through a larger network of distributors so that the business can increase sales volume.

Another difference between MLM and pyramid marketing is that Pyramid marketing requires each level to DOUBLE before a new level is created so it isn't fair to people lower down in the levels and also unethical. MLM, however, awards a commission based upon the volume of product sold through own sales efforts as well as that of the down line organization.

Since MLM faces the risks of initiating a business that has not been tested by the customers is not recognized, people prefer to wait a coupe of years before joining. Hence, they also witness the compa-ny’s track-record and reliability.

STRUCTURE OF MULTI-LEVEL Marketing

Multi-level Marketing follows a significantly different structure than Pyramid marketing: the network is divided into parts comprising of different number of people. Some parts of the network may comprise of lesser people because the initiator might not have been able to sign-up more people; however, other parts may have flourished due to a hard-working marketing genius have good resources. Hence, MLM turns out to be a fairer approach to income generation.

GROWTH WITHIN MULTI-LEVEL Marketing Firms

An MLM opportunity, having a wide-spread network, brings greater growth prospects as members become eager to introduce more people. Furthermore, those present higher up in the network are encouraged to share their experiences with those subordinating them. This is because improvements in the performance of new entrants and subordinates will result in higher profits for the seniors.

HENCE, great income-earning opportunities can be availed out of Multi-level Marketing firms. The only key is to select one with a successful product or service; such that you would prefer for yourself.

UNDERSTANDING THE MLM SITUATION AND OPPORTUNITIES

Multi-level Marketing is in fact a Distribution Revolution. The evolution of multi-level marketing has fostered a business paradigm shift that has changed remarkably the traditional ways through which a product was marketed and distributed to the end users. Multi-level marketing has eliminated the need of requiring additional warehouses, wholesalers, and retailers and advertising budgets making it as one of the lowest cost marketing methods. Hence this new mode of marketing has freed up a lot of money that was previously being eaten up by huge advertising budgets and these funds can now be utilized by developing better and innovative products.

SCOPE OF MULTI-LEVEL Marketing

The multi-level marketing technique incorporates multiple levels of marketing spreading to masses of potential customers and this is what actually all companies desire that is to reach to maximum number of prospects. Especially with the advent of internet market-ing, the scope of MLM or Network Marketing has reached the apex. Companies in various industries like the health care products, beauty and skin care lines, cosmetics, and various others cannot actually survive in the long run without actually implementing Multi-level marketing strategies especially amid the course of their business.

Highlighting the scope of Multi-Level Marketing, Michael L. Sheffield, the CEO of Sheffield Research Network, a Direct selling and MLM consulting firm, in his Direct Sales Journal, issue of Feb / Mar 1999, wrote an article titled "Comp Plan Conversion: Direct Sales to MLM Compensation Plans" in which he maintained that MLM has introduced a paradigm shift in the traditional direct selling business and with the internet revolution the success of MLM companies has raised many folds. He further cited the statement produced by Neil Offen, president of the Direct Selling Association that MLM had gone from 25 percent of Direct Selling Association membership in 1990 to 77.3 percent in 1999.

MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

Multi-level Marketing is a career of uncountable opportunities and growth prospects in the economy. Today multi-level marketing is not only viewed as one of the most cost effective and efficient sources of marketing and distributing your products and enhance your sales, profits and business leads but also it is considered to be a source of employment generation in the economy. As more and more people are moving towards e-marketing and e-selling, MLM is creating a buddle of employment opportunities and is considered to be a source of residual income for a number of people around the world including students, unemployed, and the women especially the house wives. Not only has this, MLM offers a variety of benefits to the companies to achieve maximum profits.

UNDERSTANDING THE MLM MODEL

As we have discussed earlier that MLM marketing is also referred to as Network Marketing and as the name implies it has multiple number of people (and/ or networks)

marketing a product to the consumers. In very simple words under multiple-level marketing a company employees a sales representative (sometimes referred to as a distributor, an affiliate or an associate) who performs the following basic tasks, Firstly getting customers and generating sales.

Secondly generating, recruiting and training other people as sales reps to get customers or generate sales.

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Introduction

Personal branding has never been more important than it is today. With the advent and increasing popularization of social digital media, there are, to put it mildly, so many brands out there. It has never been easier to create a platform and gain a successful following, but there has never been more competition. As a result of all this, branding has never been more essential. The world is constantly evolving and keeping up with the trends is the only way to stay relevant; and having a quality personal brand is the best way to add value to a business.

Personal branding is for everyone, regardless of the business type or industry. When you think about some of the biggest and most successful brands today, you also think about the people behind them. And, naturally, the feelings and impressions that you obtain about those entrepreneurs influences your perception of their work. No one is immune or exempt from the effects of branding, which is why you need to be ahead of the game, in control of your branding and how the world perceives it.

There has never been a bigger amount of clutter for brands and businesses to be lost in.

No longer are we anonymous. We are all online. Having a personal brand is a way of controlling the narrative about who you are and what you stand for. It is a way of removing the barrier that exists between you, as a content creator, and your audience. It is the way you present yourself to your audience and how they will interact with you.

In marketing, they always talk about the “noise.” Having a clear, concise brand in the best way to cut through all that noise and be heard.

This eBook is dedicated to walking you through all the necessary steps to consider either before you begin to define your brand, or to help you refine it to make it work better for you. This eBook will be split into several sections. The first section clearly defines what personal branding is and provides the key information that is needed to begin a personal brand. The second section builds upon the concept of the brand that you have created and discusses appropriate media and content types and highlights unique ways you can add authority and credibility to your brand.

This book begins by outlining exactly what personal branding is and why it is so essential. It then goes on to provide a step-by-step of the most essential elements to constructing the foundation of your branding. Once the foundation has been laid, we will discuss the three keys to success: audience, authenticity, and credibility.

Following that, this eBook will describe some of the most popular media types for growing audiences and how you can harness them effectively. It will also summarize some of the best methods for content creation and growing your audience effectively. The next chapter will discuss the importance of analytics, which, may not sound particularly interesting(!), but is quintessential to monitoring your outreach and engagement so that you can ensure the continued success of your content.

While, of course, most of the world is “online” now, it is also important for your personal branding to extend into the rest of your life, so we will discuss some tactics for incorporating your brand into your everyday life.

This eBook will conclude by drawing on examples of successful brands and the associations that people have with them. By analyzing prominent brands in your industry, you can emulate successful elements and improve upon their weaknesses when creating your own personal brand. THE PERSONAL BRANDING BLUEPRINT 8 This eBook will give you all the tools you need to create a personal branding strategy that is effective, credible, and successful. By implementing the information that you will find in the following pages you are giving your personal brand the best start possible.

A holistic approach to personal branding is described here. There is no onesize- fits all method, there are only keys to success. You should adapt and alter these methods in order to make it appropriate for you and your goals. If you believe and trust the process, eBook will give you the strongest possible foundation for your personal branding and future success.

The “what and why” of personal branding

To firstly put it very, very simply, in essence, personal branding is the combination of who you are, what you are doing and how you are doing it. It is your purpose and your character; and how your audience perceives you. But what does that mean?

The personalization of business is a key characteristic of how industries have changed in the last decade. Brands and marketing have become so incorporated and entangled within our daily lives that we are exposed to so many messages all day, often with noticing. Whereas in the past, the idea of a “brand” was exclusive to the business world. This is now an outdated concept.

These days, we are all brands, in effect. Even our personal social media account shares our brand with our friends and families—even if we do not always realize so. Our accounts are full of the things we care about, our interests, and the experiences we have. There are, often, a “highlight reel” of our lives and they are all the things we want people to see us as. Hence, personal branding.

Your personal brand is, in part, the relationship that your audience will have with you and your endeavor. It is what you want to be known for and how people will recognize you.

See the similarities? You likely already have a personal brand, of sorts. But, since that you are probably already online you may be wondering why you need to curate such a defined brand, too.

There are an abundance of reasons why having a strong personal brand is a requirement of business.

Good personal branding helps attract more clients—it encourages engagement and feeds credibility. Rather than just being a mystery behind a screen, it shows that you are a real person, and therefore you have a higher level of influence over your audience.

In terms of a social media presence, people are often more inclined to want to follow another person, than they are a random, faceless business account. Thus, good personal branding can encourage people to follow you, as a person (a brand) and you will then introduce them to your business endeavors. This does not mean you have to have two accounts; you can be your business; it just means that your personality must shine through. In addition, quality personal branding permits premium pricing.

Consumers pay more for a product that is backed by a quality and reputable brand. Just think about smartphones—despite numerous, cheaper options being readily available on the market, people tend to gravitate towards the same, more expensive brands. Without branding, you are just a product that is subject to intense competition; branding is what sets you, and your price range, apart.

Consumers do not want to engage in business with a brand, instead they would much rather to interact with a person and know that, by proxy, they are helping another person live their dreams. Therefore, good personal branding builds relationships with your audience—your interactions can be more authentic and personal, while your audience is more loyal, more engaged, and less likely to switch to a competitor’s product.

It is how you differentiate yourself from everyone else; how you show that you are better, more qualified, and more credible than the rest. It increases your influence and persuasive power over your audience and is a fantastic way to add value to your endeavors.

If you do not put in the time to develop your personal branding at the beginning of your venture, you will likely spend significantly more time later on undoing the damage of uncontrolled or chaotic branding. It is far better for you, professionally, to develop a personal branding strategy, implement it and then adjust and monitor as your brand develops. This helps you remain up to date and, over time, will change organically.

It is far better to have a cultivated personal branding strategy from the outset, than have to do damage control and completely reinvent your online presence.

Additionally, personal branding can be pre-emptive form of marketing—it means you already have a good reputation in the eyes of your audience. In the unfortunate circumstances that a bitter and disgruntled customer, or unprofessional competitor tries to discredit you or spread negative misinformation, you will already have a robust platform. Already having a strong positive brand association makes your personal branding more stable and able to withstand shocks and will also provide less of a need for crisis management.

A strong personal brand creates a bond with your customers before you attempt to market your products or services to them. It means they are already on your team and want you to succeed.

Now that the idea of personal branding has been well-established in your mind, it is time to begin, or revamp, your own.

When reading the following chapters, you may find it helpful to stop, and write down any thoughts you have, or any answers to the questions posed. Being able to understand what, and why, and how things apply to your personal circumstances is essential in succeeding to create a valuable and credible personal branding strategy.