• Part 1: Internet Branding versus Personal Branding

When you strategically bring your brand online, you can create this community around you, yourself and your business. People will be drawn to you first, as a small business owner, then secondarily your business.

The blend of buying your products, services, consultations and coaching sessions is almost second nature. They’re already dedicated, committed, trusting and respecting you as the expert in your field. This is missing in the marketing aspect.

If I’m talking as an expert to a friend, I’m much more personable. You’ll, hopefully, purchase my products and/or be committed to what I do and hire me in the process.

You’re developing that relationship and building trust over time, just as you’re doing with some of these things like writing your blog or an article then opening that up for people to respond.

When I start with a new clients, first thing I do it assess how digitally distinct he/she is.

It only takes you about 10 minutes to find out how you score. In my article, I scored a 10 out of 10. Internet branding is my area of expertise, so I hoped I would maintain that

You have to realize that keywords and search engine results change on a daily basis, so it’s good to always look back. I first did this about four months ago and checked back again to make sure I’m still up there.

Say, for instance, “Ponn Sabra” is branded. A couple of names that people online know me as are “The Women’s Empowerment Queen” or “Power Networker Ponn.”

Why would I do an online test to find out if my internet brand is critical or scores high for my name, “Ponn Sabra”? The answer is very simple. For example, we’re looking for Jane. She’s a consultant and XYZ Business.

Most people don’t know the URLs. If you weren’t familiar with me previously, you wouldn’t know www.EmpowerWomenNow.com or www.XYZBusiness.com.

If someone is willing to hire Jane or me, buy my products and buy my books, the first thing they do is a search for that particular person’s name to find out, “Who else is talking about Ponn Sabra?” or, “Where else can I find her?”

It’s critical that you know this. If your name is Jane Doe and someone is doing a search for “Jane Doe” but you’re not in the first three pages, then you’re just another Jane Doe. You want to be the Jane Doe who sticks out of the crowd.

My name is very unique, so I’m glad I optimized my name. You want to optimize your name for your areas of expertise. Go to Google and do a search in quotes for “Ponn Sabra.”

You want to see that everything that comes up under your personal name in the first critical three pages is actually associated with you, like an article about you, a press release about you, your book, your website or your blog.

Thankfully for me, there are almost 13 pages and every single link is associated with Ponn Sabra. This is what you want to achieve in getting online visibility as an entrepreneur.

What’s really cool is that the top way you’ll find Ponn Sabra’s name is my own personal web page, which is also my blog. You’ll find numerous search engine optimized press releases. You’ll find articles that were picked up through article distribution centers. The last way is where people have interviewed me or I’ve had joint venture partners.

Because this creates the top three pages in Google for my name and for other keyword phrases I’m optimizing my sites for, it’s critical that you do the same.

That’s why I say, “The top five techniques in building your internet brand revolve around these five things:

• Article submission,
• Blogging,
• Social media networking,
• Bookmarking,
• Online press releases, and
• Joint venture partners.”

Does it make a difference if you put it within quotes?

It does. I’m not the SEO Queen, by any means, but search engine specialists say it’s a way of finding the exact keywords. In this online calculator, the first criteria is that you put it in quotes and don’t do it freehand.

When people are searching for you, typically they’re not doing it in quotes. You’re doing this specifically for that test.

We’ll start with Article Writing & Submission; its the easiest one and can be done even before you have your own website, blog.

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Posted on May 8th, 2008 by Ponn Sabra
Filed under: Internet Branding