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Creating your brand

Robin J. Phillips, Managing Editor, Reynolds Center for Business Journalism

+Creating your brand

Do people really talk like that?

Is this just a buzz phrase?

Isn’t branding just marketing?

I am shy.

Isn’t branding just selling out?

… and why should you trust me?

+Robin J Phillips | About Me

25 years in the news game

Experience in print, magazines, wire services, online

Community news manager, azcentral.com

Deputy business editor, Newsday, The Arizona Republic

Small Business Editor, BusinessWeek Online

Business Editor, The Record of Hackensack (N.J.)

Co-founder, #wjchat, weekly online web journalism discussion

Co-founder of Perfect Moment Project

Digital Director, The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism

+What we’ll talk about

People have an image of you … whether you like it or not.

It’s important for you to know who you are.

Journalists need to take control of their image.

Your brand can be as simple as You Being You… online.

Your brand or how you live your life online, good and bad, stays around a long time.

… and we’ll look at how some journalists handle their online image.

+Why branding now?

Historically, journalists’ reputation were closely aligned with that of their employers.

The promotion of their work was left up to their news organizations’ marketing departments as part of the overall branding strategy.

In large part, reporters were comfortable letting the work speak for itself. That’s all changed.

It’s not se

lling

out

+So what is branding?

+Not just about being Googleable

.. but that’s some of it.

+First things first

+To thine own self…

Branding is knowing yourself.

Know your talents and skills.

Know your goals.

And knowing this is all flexible.

Once you know yourself, you can define your brand.

Ask your friends, mentors, strangers.

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+What is your brand promise?

If you … Hire me Read my story Watch my newscast Buy my photos Follow me on Twitter

You will get … XXX XXX XXX

+Task promise

+Brand promise

What you stand for

What you offer

What people should expect from you

+Brand promise

To inspire moments of optimism and uplift.

To be the premier sports and entertainment brand that brings people together, connecting them socially and emotionally like no other.

To be genuine, fun, contemporary, and different in everything we do at a reasonable price.

+Let’s get started

Create a website – simple WordPress is just fine

Begin blogging

Take a daily photo, film a daily video

Subscribe to blogs, comment when you have something to say

Use your name or a consistent username

Blog responsibly – write, edit, publish, shoot photos

+Do you own your URL? Username?

Use your name

Everything should be your name

If you can’t get your name, use a derivative of your name

+Landgrab!

+Buy your domain name

+How others do it

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+Not web, not Twitter, not FB

+… back to first things first

+Decide for yourself. Be that.