Articles

Just last week we ran our first online Personal Branding Bootcamp. It was a fun, insightful and educational experience. As on participant said: “You would not imagine how valuable the session was … and just at the right moment.” I am passionate about helping people to share their unique voice with the world and it was great to start clarifying the why, what and how of building a personal brand with such a motivated group. That is exactly what these bootcamps are for. During the intensive one-day bootcamp, participants had the opportunity to build their personal brand statement, develop their strategy and clearly …

The best thing you can do this summer (ok, almost) Read More »

How long does it take to build a personal brand? The answer is 30 days… then forever. Let me explain. Working with CEOs and founders in the past 20 years, I developed a method to get rapid results when building a personal brand. (CEOs are not patient, generally speaking). This success-formula is not about overnight fame on social media. It is about building a brand for the very people who matter most to your business. Find these key people and build a brand that provides value to them. Build a brand for the few, not the many. Why 30 days? …

How long does it take to build a personal brand? Read More »

Want to kill two birds with one stone? With a strong brand you can build your visibility AND make money. All at once. Investing time and energy in your personal brand benefits you immensely, whether you’re an entrepreneur or professional. It has a high ROI because everything you do will make you stand out in a crowded field. It’s not about becoming Instagram famous – it’s about becoming famous for a few thousand people in your category. And these are the people who will make the difference to you.  #1 Building a personal brand is a sure way to get more clients. With …

3 ways to make money with a personal brand Read More »

Is it possible to build meaningful connections in a predominantly digital world? Forget networking. I believe that connecting with others is not a transactional exchange. Rather, it’s a genuine, human-to-human dialogue. How should you go about it? It’s about finding a system that works for you, where you feel at ease when forging these connections. You should feel comfortable to present yourself in an authentic and personable way to your audience. Think about what you can give to them, rather than what you can receive from them. Over the years, I have found a formula that works for me. I will share how I do it, but as I said, …

Stop networking, start connecting Read More »

When it comes to being a digital thought leader, our minds may go straight to social media. But that doesn’t have to be the case, as proven by Naren Shaam.  Naren Shaam, the CEO and Founder of Omio (previously GoEuro), has a minimal social media presence. His LinkedIn is bare and his Twitter non-existent. Yet his personal story is entirely woven into public perception of the brand. How?  Naren Shaam is the king of interviews. From the Guardian to Forbes, his face and voice can be found in almost every major publication.  Naren has a knack for storytelling.  The story …

Sharing Stories: The Root of Omio’s success Read More »

How much should you share on LinkedIn? For Tina Müller, ‘almost everything’ seems to be the winning formula. Tina Müller, CEO of the perfumery chain Douglas, has successfully turned around a company that was struggling to adapt to the challenges of e-commerce. In less than two years, her messaging and active social media presence on both Twitter and LinkedIn have changed the face of the failing company. The effect of this on the business is clear. In 2014, Douglas saw a huge fall in revenue to €2,093.3m. Tina joined Douglas as CEO in 2017, and in a single year the …

Radical Vulnerability: How Tina Müller saved Douglas Read More »

Reputation Management has never been more important for CEOs across the world. We recently sat down with Mathias to record an episode of Speak Like a CEO and chat about how he manages his reputation.  At Passbase, Mathias is working to give people ownership over their own data. After facing their own identity verification problems, Mathias and his co-founders developed their engine, Passbase, from a few friends in a tiny San Francisco apartment to a company that straddles two continents. He talked to us about communicating across time zones, creating an environment that encourages feedback and of course reputation management: Why is …

Interview with Mathias Klenk, CEO of Passbase Read More »

Public speaking can come in many different forms – speeches, panel discussions or town hall meetings. Nevertheless, the formula for crafting a memorable speech remains the same and once mastered it can be adapted to suit any context. When drafting your speech, keep these three principles in mind: Provide value to your audience. They trust you with their time and attention. They rightly expect something from you in return, be it an idea, an insight, or a solution to a problem they face.  Focus on one idea. What is the one idea or point you want to make? A speech may last five minutes or fifty, but ultimately …

How to present with confidence Read More »

The rapid pace of change in today’s world means that communications strategies need to be constantly reviewed and updated. One effective way to boost your existing strategy is by starting a podcast.  Podcasting is a modern way of building a community, of reaching an audience and communicating your message. Furthermore, the medium has experienced a substantial rise in recent years. It is estimated that one out of every five Germans listens to a podcast regularly. The visibility benefits of podcasting are similar to those offered by social media channels, but with the advantage of tapping into a less crowded market. Whilst there are approximately …

How to stand out with podcasting Read More »

According to recent studies, social media is about half as trusted as traditional media sources. Despite accusations of bias and disinformation, traditional media and journalists remain trusted and influential sources of news. It is therefore in your best interest to prioritise positive coverage. If you open a newspaper, you will probably notice that most articles about organisations or companies are negative. However, journalists are not hell-bent on writing a negative story. Negative stories are the end-product of companies handling media relations poorly and fundamentally misunderstanding how journalists work. Journalists are incredibly busy and under substantial pressure to publish quality content while simultaneously promoting their organisation’s brand. It is unrealistic …

How to generate great media coverage Read More »