online

What Is “Branding”?
Your brand isn’t
what you say it is.
Your brand is
what they say it is.

What Is “Branding”?
Your brand is
the one sentence
people say about you
after you leave the room.

Why Branding Matters to You
You can brand yourself.
Or you can be branded.

A Case Study:
Your Emails

What Brand Does Your
Communicate?
Email Address

What Brand Does Your
Communicate?
(Before the “@”)
Email Address

rzelick04@bloomberg.net

gary.barns@ypfp.org

I WORK FOR A GIANT CORPORATION

sjames@heritage.org

dgriswald@curleycompany.com

I WORK AT A SMALL BUSINESS

steph@creative2.com

murray@knull.com

I’M 1 OF 3 EMPLOYEES

bigbadserrao@aol.com

tiradesrus@gmail.com

DON’T HIRE ME

talentedwriter@outlook.com

What Brand Does Your
Communicate?
(After the “@”)
Email Address

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS YOUR COMPUTER SKILLS
@yourowndomain.com • Good chance of being skilled and capable
• Maybe even a digital consultant
@gmail.com • Most likely knows their way around a computer
• When the Internet stops working, actually tries
rebooting the router before calling a family member
for help
@hotmail.com • Uses a Compaq
• Still has issues with spyware
• Still thinks MySpace is hip
@yahoo.com • Usually types in ALL CAPS
• Sends you email chain letters saying that Bill Gates
will eat your hard drive unless you forward this
message to everyone you know
@aol.com • Before asking for computer help, still thinks it’s
funny to say, “I’m computer illiterate”
• Calls you on the phone to tell you about a neat
website they’ve discovered, then says into the
receiver, “Ok, go to h… t… t… p… colon… slash…
slash… w… w… w… dot…”
• Prints out emails and brings them to your house

EMAIL DOMAIN AVERAGE DONATION
@aol.com $159
Other $151
@comcast.net $98
@yahoo.com $60
@hotmail.com $35
@gmail.com $31

“If a guy gives me his email and it’s Hotmail,
I’d just as well be given a wrong number.”
—KC IFEANYI

I Don’t Take Myself
Too Seriously
chip
@mybigchief.com

I Work in Washington
taylor
@engagedc.com

I’m a Bureaucrat
ellen.kim.ctr
@tma.osd.mil

I’m My Own Boss
david
@davidallgroup.com

I’m a Big Deal
joshua_lyman
@who.eop.gov

Seriously?
pchase
@optonline.net

What Brand Does Your
Communicate?
Email Signature Block

Google
yourself
regularly

Rank Website Positive Negative Neutral
1 jonathanrick.com ✔
2 jonathanrick.com ✔
3 twitter.com ✔
4 linkedin.com ✔
5 slideshare.net ✔
6 fastcompany.com ✔
7 columbia.edu ✔
8 mashable.com ✔
9 facebook.com ✔
10 google.com ✔

Current
Accurate
Positive

Rank Website Current Accurate Positive
1 jonathanrick.com ✔ ✔ ✔
2 jonathanrick.com ✔ ✔ ✔
3 twitter.com ✔ ✔ ✔
4 linkedin.com ✔ ✔ ✔
5 slideshare.net ✔ ✔ ✔
6 fastcompany.com ✔ ✔ ✔
7 columbia.edu   
8 mashable.com ✔ ✔ ✔
9 facebook.com ✔ ✔ ✔
10 google.com ✔ ✔ ✔

google.com/alerts

Manage
negative
links

Don’t click on them
Have an explanation
Leave a comment
Use a nickname

Create
content

Comments
Social Media
Website

Resist the
urge to
overshare

Email like a lawyer
Be careful who you friend
Use privacy settings

Carve out
your own
niche

Don’t be the best marketer in the world.

Be the best marketer of nonprofits.

Make
LinkedIn
your best
friend

Don’t Do This

Do This

Promote
yourself

Should You Do It
A
As These Guys Do?
Aggressively

David All

Patrick Ruffini

Or
A
As These Guys Do?
Passively

Michael Krempasky

Cyrus Krohn

Redirect
inactive
accounts

As of July 22, 2014
Michael Robinson

As of February 14, 2016
Robert Bluey

QUICK QUIZ

Tell Me About Your Brand!
hi@jonathanrick.com
jonathanrick.com
@jrick
slideshare.net/jrick