There’s a question I like to ask of myself (and others) on a regular basis:

“Is there more to the story?”

It’s never given to me immediately, but through focused observation, reading, research, discovery, and a few more questions; the answer about knocks me out of my socks, every time…

“Of course there’s more!” (You just have to reach a little…)

So below, are Resources for your story – a Baker’s Dozen from the Brand Chef:

1. Wikipedia
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. YouTube
5. EventBrite
6. Digg
7. Flickr
8. Ustream
9. del.icio.us
10. Last.FM
11. Google (virtually unlimited resources)
12. Yahoo Pipes (build your own feeds / mashups, etc.)
13. RSS Feeds (subscribe and update often)

I call them resources. Call them social media extensions. Call them whatever you want. But never under estimate the power of Social Media to find the answers to the questions you have. With that, you have control over the growth and reach of your personal and professional brand.

Extend your brand.

Keep Cooking – always!
Andrew B. Clark
–The Brand Chef

P.S. There’ are SO MANY MORE out there, but it wouldn’t have fit into my “Baker’s Dozen” theme… Go find ‘em and extend your brand – come back and list ‘em here!

A picture is worth a thousand words. We’ve all been told that since we could speak. But, what if you turned it around. Have you ever wondered what our thousands of words actually portray?

Let’s take a look…

I write – sometimes all day, every day – everything from ad copy to outlines for annual reports to blog posts, comments, and tweets. But not until I started reading did I learn that the words could be saying more than what was being read.

Confused? So was I until I saw a couple of posts (here and here) over at Angela Maier’s Blog, making me pause.

Are the words you’re using really portraying your message?

Wordle is a great visual tool to see if the actual words you’re using are communicating your story. Or are you using words that confuse and distract from the overall picture?

Try this. Have Wordle crawl your latest marketing piece. It’s easy, just cut and paste the copy into their Web site. Or if you have an RSS feed, just paste that into the space provided. It’s eye opening.

Here are a couple of examples:
(Click on the thumbnails to view larger images)

The Brand Chef blog:

My LinkedIn page:

This post:

Go ahead and try it. Try it on your marketing copy. Try it on your Web site. Try it on your competitors’ Web sites.

Are your words portraying your brand? Are they True, Relevant, Unique and Engaging?

Run a couple of tests and email me {thebrandchef(at)gmail(dot)com} your link.

I’d love to SEE what you have to say!

Until next time…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
-The Brand Chef.

There’s a segment out there for everyone. It’s YOU. It’s truthful, relevant, unique, and engaging

So, in this economy, instead of trying to bark louder than the big dogs, try something unique

Avis has a great twist on it…

Try harder at being YOU, and the rest should follow closely behind.

Food for thought…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew

A week-or-so ago, I had a quick Twitter conversation with Terry Starbucker comparing play lists on our iPods. I asked him if what we had on our iPods helped to define our personal brands. Here’s the conversation (top down)…

In subsequent tweets I’ve seen by Terry mention artists such as Neil Diamond, Elton John, The Bee Gees as well as an overwhelming compilation of music trivia and general musicology.

So, what did this tell me about Terry’s personal brand?

He has a propensity for lightheartedness and is a complete nerd (Yoda-speak?). He’s open, caring and sentimental (Doris Day). He’s passionate (AC/DC to Elton John). He grew up listening to the best FM radio the 1970’s could offer (Neil Diamond, Bee Gees). And finally, he has a thirst for knowledge and sharing knowledge with ANYONE that will participate.

Does his iPod reflect his personal brand? Yes. And if you read his blog or followed him on Twitter, you’d agree. (I’ve GOT to meet this guy face-to-face!)

So, with that, I’ve taken a closer look at my own iPod. Just how would it define my personal brand?

Here’s what I found…

From a content standpoint, you’ll find everything from Mozart, Vivaldi and Rachmaninoff to Jimi Hendrix, The Band, and Led Zeppelin. Heck, I even have some Plain White Tees and Gnarls Barkley thrown in there. On any given rotation you may hear Jimmy Durante’s “Make Someone Happy” and have it followed up by Steve Vai (as with my trip into work this AM).

What can this tell me about my personal brand? Diversified? Flexible? How about Creative? Open-Minded?

One thing that really stood out was the balance of “rockin’, driving, pulse-pushing songs” to the more “serene, cerebral and melodic tunes” tallied up at about 3 to 1 in favor of the melodic. Meaning?!? Sensitive? Reflective? Moody? Emotional? Sure… I could see that. How about Cerebral? Intelligent? Maybe.

Now, my iPod is organized. I mean ridiculously organized. I have broken down 7,875 songs into play lists by Genre, by Date, and then I have those broken down by Artist (starting with 4 Non Blondes and Adam Ant and rolling through Nirvana, No Doubt and Nora Jones to Yanni, Yes, and Yo-Yo Ma). I’ve also begun to break them down in order of preference (by # of stars), but I’m finding that hard because from day-to-day my opinion of a song or artist changes… (e.g. Andrew Lloyd Webber has good and bad days, but The Beatles will always be 4-stars).

So, how does this define my personal brand? Organized? Detail-Oriented? Methodical?

What do you think? Have I defined (at least a snapshot of) my personal brand? For those that know me personally, did I hit the nail on the head? For those that know me professionally, how did I do? In all actuality, I’m a Schizophrenic with OCD! (Or something very close)

Take a look at your iPod/Mp3 player. I think you’ll be surprised with how well it defines YOUR personal brand. Tell us all how your iPod defines you.

Better yet, if your company had a play list, who would we find on it? Howard Jones? Melissa Etheridge? Or something closer to Frank Zappa?

Thanks, Terry, for letting me pick on you.

Until next time –

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
– The Brand Chef

Yoda Image Credit: SwordChucksYo

I have some fellow bloggers (Angela and Mike) that are big… no… HUGE advocates for the use of advanced technology in the classroom. They counsel and coach educators, businesses, boards, parents and just about anyone that will listen on the advantages of learning through advanced technology – kind of like a “School 2.0.”

I read their blogs daily. I follow them on Twitter (@AngelaMaiers and @mikesansone). Basically, I (stalk) aspire to be like them – both personally and professionally. They have passion. They have a drive that is unmatched. And their commitment to furthering education and literacy has been nothing less than inspiring.

So… That’s pretty much where my appreciation of their efforts stopped… Until this morning.

For the last three weeks, my daughter’s 8th grade Wellness class at Carlisle Middle School has been working on PSAs for Alcohol abuse/education. They were given the opportunity to create a print ad, an outdoor display ad, or a 5 minute video for their PSA.

Now, of course, being a print designer at heart, I would have chosen the print ad or outdoor display – also because they just sounded easier. But, my daughter and her friends decided to grab gauntlet and throw it down… And boy did they… Madison revealed the video (also created into a DVD for the class) to our family this morning.

Check this out.

…cool huh? (beaming dad) I think they had fun…

So, why the huge hat tip to Angela and Mike? Because, along with Carlisle’s teachers and staff, they get it.

Education needs to keep up with technology and utilize the advancements that are available to students to create an acutely aware, well educated and technologically advanced society. This is our future.

Could I have done this when I was in 8th grade? Heck no. I could barely button my coat. But through people like Angela and Mike, and the staff at Carlisle, as well as other schools around the nation; our children have the potential to change the way the world communicates… thinks… interacts… lives.

I’m impressed with all of you and I just wanted to say “Thanks” and brag on my baby for a little bit…

God bless.

Keep cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
- The Brand Chef