When content is really king

We often use words and expressions whose deep truth is revealed only through direct contact with the reality. No, I am not about to enter a mantra-type of PR consulting. I am talking about the simple reality of a communication consultant trying to promote her own business or ideas.

As I am testing the waters with a new communication project focused on tourist and travel information, I did follow the usual steps: a lot of reading and online connection, careful planning of the posts and networking to get the best information from the best people, blog posts and social media tools - Twitter and Facebook page and the exploration of other opportunities, such as Pinterest (which, by the way, is a little bit addictive). 

One month after, the results are modest - less than 100 'likes' and 'followers', after quite a lot of work, that even brought me close to the burnout. The reason? Don't believe in 'social media wonders'. Especially now, when specifically in the domain of travel, it's hard to make a simple selection of blogs and sources of information, the content provided is what matters the most. Your readers and followers need to be offered quality information, regularly and preferably as diversified as possible. The more you offer them deals and good discounts, the better. 

The best strategy is to set up modest goals, unless you have a strong pressure from the investors to jump up in the sky in only a couple of days or weeks. Start to build your credibility and your brand, engage with your audience regularly, answer their questions and avoid as much as you can the monologue. Three, two years ago maybe it was easy to have a Twitter account and post autistically what you wanted to read and say. Nowadays, such an attitude will not bring you anywhere closer to the objective of increasing the awareness about your activities. 

You need to improve your style permanently - especially as a travel writer -, post the best pictures, publish the most exciting interviews and never stop. The big good news is that the world is to rich that you can hardly complain about the end of the travel stories. The stable success is only the result of hard work and efforts. Always surprise your audience with quality and novelty. Make each reader that he or she is unique for you and is invited to share something beautiful yet useful. Read it as the opening message of the new kind of business model.

What your picture says about you

If you are an intensive user of the freelance networks - as I am - you will easily notice a lot of choices regarding the profile pictures. Some will prefer to hide their identity and post a picture with an avatar, somehow related to their work recommendations. The most used are a computer for the IT specialists and a pen for a freelance writer. 

There are also some that did not make a difference between their hobbies and their tailored profiles and thus they selected as professional recommendations images with favorite pets and various spots visited during their vacations. If the last choice could be a decent option after all, in the case of the pets pictures, I will think more than twice before hiring someone that considered that his representative picture should be a cat or a monkey. 

Last but not least, some decided to upload pictures with their children - could impress the audience when you realize that you will help the person to feed his/her family, but probably it doesn't work for all - or with their lovely spouses. Not few of them are fake and use other people's pictures randomly stolen from the social media networks or from Google. 

What I honestly prefer is a decent picture, when you can say something about yourself, with a professional look that will inspire the potential employer to work with you and not with anyone else. 

The tip of the day Ezine Articles

If on the list with New Years' Resolutions you included gaining more visibility for your communications products or/and improving your writing skills, I give you a tip (who was shared with me but a very reliable virtual connection): use www.ezinearticles.com

It is easy: open an account, read the publisher's guide and start writing. Your productions will be reviewed by the team and will be soon - in maximum 7 days - online. Ready to be read by the other members. You are what you write and including this site in your personal branding communcation strategy is not a bad choice.

Good luck with the writing!

Using Twitter for personal mining

My short good-morning lecture, about personal branding and our public image on the web.

PS: Welcome to my post nr. 100!