This document discusses personal branding and using social media to communicate one's personal brand. It provides an overview of personal branding and how individuals can use platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogs to help others learn about their qualities and expertise. The document also discusses how social media can help establish a personal brand and the importance of using current platforms to reach audiences. Millennials and future generations expect learning and relationships to include an online component through social media.

1. Personal Branding, Social Media
Dr. Mary Ann Pearson
California Baptist University
Director of Communication
Studies –Online and Prof. Studies

2. Goals/Objectives
• To provide an understanding of the value and
importance of personal branding and to provide
basic skills in communicating a personal brand
through social media platforms.
• To provide information on the value of social
media as a communication platform.

3. Personal Branding
What does personal branding mean in this
age of social media?

4. WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND?
A Brand of You…
Tom Peters published on this topic in his 1997 Fast Company
Article called ―A Brand Called You‖. The essence of Mr. Peters
message is that you are in charge of your brand and that all of
us can own some part of the market.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html

5. Starbuck’s has a product and a logo…

6. But the Starbuck’s experience
represents the brand.

7. Individuals have knowledge, expertise
and talent…

8. The experience of getting to know
them…
• Allows us to begin to appreciate their strengths,
talents and the work they do; or their personal
brand.

9. How do others learn about our
qualities?
• In the past we…
• Reached people through traditional means
including working together, researching and
writing papers, presenting at conferences and
working collaboratively through professional
organizations and associations.

10. Think about the kind of relationship you have with
colleagues or associates who really know you…
• How did they get to know you?
• Was it by spending hours together chatting,
collaborating and working on projects?
• Did you go through some challenging times together?
• Have you passed through various stages of life together,
witnessing significant events?
• ALL OF THIS IS POSSIBLE THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA-THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE REAL.

11. How do we accomplish this?
• By creating a web presence on social media sites
like Twitter, Facebook and Linked In and by
blogging and maintaining a website—it is
possible to keep up with family, friends, business
and academic associates.

12. Promoting your personal brand…
POSTING LINKS TO INTERESTING ARTICLES
AND WEBSITES ATTRACTS OTHERS TO YOU
AND THEY WILL FOLLOW YOU.
WHEN THIS TAKES PLACE, YOU BUILD AN
ONLINE COMMUNITY.

13. Linked in, Twitter, Facebook

14. Blog

15. How can social media help with
establishing a brand?
• Social media monitoring, participation, now among
6 most common (core) functions…and growing fast.
• According to USC Gap Study
http://annenberg.usc.edu/ResearchCenters/Strategic
%20Communication%20and%20Public%20Relations
%20Center.aspx/

16. Social Media = more accessible
• An analysis of organizational design has shown
several benefits for organizations that focus on
using social media to build virtual communities
that will affect the real world.
• This analysis revealed an inherent
organizational value in starting with a higher
sense of purpose and building community first.
• GAP Study University of Southern California,
2012

17. Top Social Media Tools…
• Top 10 Digital/Social Tools according to GAP Study
• Social Networking Sites 4.7
• Blogs 3.52
• Sharing Online Videos 4.4
• RSS 3.25
• Scale of 1-5

18. Tools on the Rise…
• Digital/Social Tools: On the Rise Digital/Social
Practice 2009 2011 Increase
• Facebook 3.44 4.75 +1.31
• Twitter 3.34 4.33 +.99
• Blogs 2.72 3.52 +.80
• Gap Study 2012 USC

19. What about the Millennial Generation?

21. The Millennial Generation & Social
Media
• A phenomenological study of journalism
students’ perception of their educational
experiences, Pearson, M, 2010
• A chapter of my doctoral dissertation was
devoted to the millennial generation. After
reading the literature available in 2010 and
interviewing about 25 journalism students—
many interesting themes emerged.

22. Succinct Statement of Results
• The participants defined effective journalism
educational experiences as learning that took
place while students worked in experiential
learning settings. Working on a university
convergent journalism publication or as an
intern in a setting where social media, writing
for the web and staying up to date through the
Internet were included in the daily work,
provided experiential learning opportunities.
These experiences were enhanced by mentoring
relationships.

23. Short Version
• Communication platform- Social Media and web
publications
• Learning was best when it was experiential.
• Mentoring and Internships were vitally
important.

24. Scientist, Educators, PR practitioners…
• Should plan to reach their audiences by creating
a personal brand and delivering messages
through the Internet utilizing current platforms
of communication.
• Today—Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Blogs
are a few of the favored platforms.

25. Millennial Generation and then the
iGeneration or Net Gen?
• As the baby boomers age and the Gen X,
Millennial Generation and Net Gen enter the
community, communicating in the latest
platform will be essential.

26. How do I learn to do this?
• You Tubes and tutorials are available to walk
you through setting things up.
• There are many books and articles available—see
reference list.

27. Review of Objectives
• Did we provide an understanding of the value
and importance of personal branding an basic
skills in communicating a personal brand
through social media platforms?
• Did we provide information on the value of
social media as a communication platform?
• Additional questions? mpearson@calbaptist.edu

28. References
• http://annenberg.usc.edu/ResearchCenters/Strategic%20Communi
cation%20and%20Public%20Relations%20Center.aspx/
• Pearson, M. (2010). A phenomenological study of journalism
students' perception of their educational experiences. Riverside,
CA.
• http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/story/2012-05-
03/naming-the-next-generation/54737518/1
• http://mashable.com/2009/11/13/social-media-book-review/
• http://www.chrisbrogan.com/20-free-ebooks-about-social-media/