Branding Yourself Without the Pain!

branding-yourself

Branding yourself in business is a matter of picking a name/logo and consistently exposing it to your consumers as much as possible.  When it comes to branding yourself on social media all of a sudden road blocks get thrown you your way.

The shear number of social media groups is overwhelming and more hit the market everyday!  If you have a common name, others may have gotten there before you, thus requiring you to deviate from your brand.

Another issue we all deal with seems simple but can get out of hand rather quickly; that’s regarding user names and passwords.  Manytimes your user name is the one displayed on the social media network. Obviously the best user name to use in this case is your “brand.”

Chances are if you plan on joining each and every social media group that comes along, eventually you will get there too late to have your brand/user name.

The solution is to coordinate the choice of your name with a user name that is available on most of the social networks you will be using.  Thankfully, there is a site that offers a shortcut to finding what that user name might be.

Dial User Name is a real time saver.  It is a simple to use as typing in your user name then clicking to check the dozens of social media sites for your name’s availability.  Yes, it will take a few minutes to run the query, but relax, grab yourself a cup of coffee. When you get back to the computer, you will see the results.

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Embedding a Link – Simple HTML Anyone Can Do!

Have you ever been working on a profile for social media and needed to add a link to your blogsite?  Many people just use the actual link like this:

http://www.kristalkraft.com

This works, but it isn’t nearly as nice as when a link is configured to look like this:

Kristal Kraft

You must agree having a text link like this is esthically appealing!  You might be surprised to know, it is very easy to learn and do!

All you need to remember is a little HTML coding.  Let me show you:

  • First get the URL you would like to like to.  I typically will surf to that site and “cut and paste” the url to my clip board.  It is easier this way, because you avoid making a mistake in the url if you find the site, then cut and paste.
  • Next you need to type in the code:
    • <a href=”">
  • Between the “” insert the url you collected on your clipboard.  It will then look like this:
    • <a href=”http://www.kristalkraft.com”>
  • Now you will need to add the Text you would like to show
    • <a href=”http://www.kristalkraft.com”>Kristal Kraft
  • One more step, you must close the tag by adding this to the end:
    • </a>
  • It should look like this:
    • <a href=”http://www.kristalkraft.com”>Kristal Kraft</a>

So for simplicity sake all you need to remember is this:

<a href=”ADD_URL_HERE”>ADD TEXT HERE</a>

Taking the time to learn a few HTML tags is very useful.  There are many places you can go to test your work before you try it IRL (in real life)!  I like using an HTML Test bed.  Go practice  and let me know how it works for you!

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Windows Live Writer is Pretty Cool!

Bloggers who like to keep thing simple, yet work on their posts over a  period of time will like thisDuck Family program.

It’s a free download from Microsoft, all you need is a Hotmail or Live I.D.

Download the software and activate it.  You will need to know your password and login code for your blog.  Once that is configured, all you need to do is write a post!

From Windows Live Writer you can add photos, hyperlinks, tags, maps, videos, photo albums and neatly format your post.

If you like to do different things with your photos, I guarantee you will get excited about the many options for formatting a photo!  Look at how I was able to turn my Duck Family Photo into a Polaroid-type shot.

When you are ready, one click and the post is sent to your blog!  Windows Live Writer can be used for posting to multiple blogs too.

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How To Add An RSS Feed to Your Outlook Email

RSS Feeds are the best time savers for anyone who wants to keep up on the latest posts from favorite blogs.  I know I find myself getting behind or worse yet forgetting to visit some really terrific blogs, just because time seems to pass so quickly.

Every blog has a feed, or if they don’t they should!  It doesn’t make much sense to write fresh content and then not RSS Subscribe Iconprovide a way for your readers to actually read it at their leisure!

So when you want to consolidate look for and subscribe to a blog’s feed by finding an icon with this symbol on it.  My Denver Real Estate site has custom RSS Icons (see example on right). But even with it being custom it still has the universal orange dot with broadcasting waves on it.  You will see this symbol in all sizes and colors, just know it is an RSS subscription link.

What do you do with it?

There are many ways you can collect RSS Feeds, some have a fee and are very sophisticated in that you can make categories for your different types of feeds.  Then there is my old favorite the Google Reader which is free and very simple to use.  The only issues I have with it, is once again remembering to visit it!

Lately I’ve decided to build my RSS List in my Outlook mail client.  Considering my daily routine, much of which is spent reviewing and answering my email, this is the perfect place for me to gather RSS Feeds.RSS Screencast on How to Add RSS Feeds to Outlook

Watch the Screencast for a quick demo.

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How To Crop and Edit a Photo

Experts all agree, having a good profile photo on social media sites ranks #1 in importance.

Many times people don’t have a good photo of themselves or they have one that’s good but other people are in the photo. Never fear, even if you have a group photo with just your face you can use it.  Just crop your face, give it a border and presto! You too can put forth an appearance!

There are many photo sites online.  My favorite is one called Picnik

First you will need:

  • A photo on your hard drive (remember where you put it!)
  • A FREE service (no login needed) to http://www.picnik.com

You will learn in this screencast:

  • How to crop & resize
  • Add a Border
  • Save to your hard drive

Watch the Screencast for a step-by-step demonstration of how this works. Just click on the start arrow.

picnik-crop

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Add Value by Creating Content for the Future

Blogging has become a popular way of expressing one self.  For many business people it is a way to expand the online reach, connecting with potential customers for now and in the future.

In many ways our blog topics are critical as they will either attract or repell. The blogs are getting indexed by the search engines.  By this I mean what we say is being stored for future reference to the world. Considering the millions and millions of pages on the web, is this really important?

You bet it is.

Blogging may feel like play at times, but in reality we are opening our minds and exposing our thoughts to the digital world. As our consumers begin to research us they are looking for reasons why they should work with us or not.

All this just adds to the importance of building a strong body of work that reflects well on the blogger.

My preference has always been to deliver benefits and add value.  When blogging about real estate, I enjoy showing off my state by presenting pictures of places and things that happen here.  I also find great blog topics in the questions routinely asked of me from my current clients. Reflecting back upon a conversation with a client, I can always pull a blog topic out of my memory!

Here’s an easy formula for blog topics: (If you are not a real estate blogger replace that term with your focus market.)

  • Present a real estate problem and solve it
  • Feature a focused topic on real estate (in your town)
  • respond to comments
  • look to trigger thought, support or suggestions
  • stimulate real estate discussion

Finding your very own personal voice that will be heard in the blogging community and beyond is important. Realizing what we do today will impact what happens tomorrow is exciting and frightening at the same time.

Outstanding Resources to Study:

Are you having trouble finding your voice? Get your feet wet by commenting on blogs first.  Do a few a day (start here if you like!) after awhile you will gain more confidence, posting a blog will become second nature to you!

KrisTalks in Denver, Colorado

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Ten Reasons to Blog

Blogging has been a part of my life for over a decade. Yes, I do mean decade.  I started blogging in 2000, it wasn’t called that yet, but regardless it was blogging that I did.

Blog keys

In the year 2000 Larry and I joined a cycling community and traveled around the world.  Prior to this amazing event, I taught myself how to build a website.  Partially because it was a challenge and partially because I wanted to be able to record our adventures as we progressed around the globe.  The only way I could do that without having to physically write and worse yet carry the additional load was to publish a website. The rest is history.

That year of weaving a website/blog taught me many things. We learned how to scope out a restaurant, school gymnasium each night when we arrived for power.  Power being the electrical kind. Without power I was reduced to having to type fast before the battery in my little Sony notebook would give out, so necessity was often the number one requirement.

It wasn’t very long before my site gained in popularity. Friends and family of the 250 cyclists in our group, used my site at times to communicate through me to their loved ones on the trip.  I took responsibility to relay messages and some photos to my delighted readers. Like the blogs of today, my site became a community with conversations.

We also learned how to deal with dial-up connections in over 40 countries of the world.  I can tell you each and every one comes with a challenge or at least in 2000 they did!  Today I laugh at the barbaric nature of our past  as we access wifi in coffee shops or in the street.

After blogging literally in the trenches, I am very thankful for the lessons I’ve learned. After returning to the work life after an entire year on the road, blogging in the comforts of home and office is actually not that difficult!

In 2003 formal blogging platforms hit the market. It didn’t take me but a few seconds to jump on the band wagon!  I knew I had to do it, even though I didn’t have a clue what I would write.  Many years later I can say blogging has been very, very good to me.

So Why Do I Blog?

  1. To demonstrate my expertise in Denver Colorado real estate
  2. To attract new customers
  3. Posting is a creative outlet for sharing ideas and showing off my photos
  4. Creating a body of work to be indexed by the search engines helps my business
  5. Blogging increases my online reach
  6. It’s fun to engage in online conversations & make new friends
  7. Blogging helps me to develop a trusting relationship with readers because of transparency
  8. Presenting to an audience comes with it a sense of excitement
  9. To educate others and myself
  10. Blogging expands both my mind and horizons

Are You a Blogger? Why Do You Blog?

Leave a comment and tell me how you feel.  I’d love to hear your reasons for blogging.

KrisTalks in Denver, Colorado

P.S. If you are interested in reading a little about the trip that site has been moved to a WordPress Platform and like many things in my life at the moment, is not complete. Someday I will find the time to redo the entire site. Hopefully soon. BikeTracks.net

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Tutorial ~ How to crop a photo on Picnik

Experts all agree, having a good profile photo on social media sites ranks #1 in importance.

Many times people don’t have a good photo of themselves or they have one that’s good but other people are in the photo. Never fear, even if you have a group photo with just your face you can use it.  Just crop your face, give it a border and presto! You too can put forth an appearance!

There are many photo sites online.  My favorite is one called Picnik

First you will need:

  • A photo on your hard drive (remember where you put it!)
  • A FREE service (no login needed) to http://www.picnik.com

You will learn in this screencast:

  • How to crop & resize
  • Add a Border
  • Save to your hard drive

Click on the Screencast for the Lesson, it will open in a new window.  When done, simply close the window:

Styling a PhotoPicnik is a great site and very easy to use.

Hope you have enjoyed this Screencast.  Remember to subscribe to the RSS Feed to get the latest tips from KrisTalks.com

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Active Rain ~ Adding a Photo on Your Profile

Active Rain is a very popular site for the Real Estate Industry.  Here I’ve prepared a quick screencast demonstrating how easy it is to upload a photo from your hard drive.

Before you begin, you will need:

  • a nice photo of yourself
  • close up shot is best
  • try to keep it “unbusy”
  • size should be approximately polaroid snap shot or smaller
  • loaded to your hard drive (remember where you put it!)

Watch the video…

Screencast on how to load your profile photo on Active Rain

Tired of forgetting your passwords?  Use Robo Form, get it here!

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Be Nice to Your Readers

Let’s talk about the Wall of Words.

How often do you visit a blog or a website only to find nothing but a ton of words. How appealing is that?  I guess ultimately it depends on your motivation.  If you really want/need the information you may read it.  If you are like me you may just skip it or better yet skim it.

Skim it?

Yes, that’s what I said. Most readers don’t read, they skim over the words, to see if they want to read it. So this being the case, let’s format our wall of words for the skimmer.

Give them Headings and word breaks.

Isn’t this easier to read when the copy is broken up into smaller parts?  Each header should be relevant or at least catchy to keep the reader’s interest. Keep pulling the reader’s eye down your copy, giving them the “gist” of the content in each header as you write.

How do you format headers?

Using HTML it is easy to format a header.  It looks like this (only omit the spaces after the < )

< h1>This is the largest header</h1 >

There should only be one <h1> tag on a page.  Obviously it would come first.  After the <h1> tag comes a series of 4 more tags, each getting progressively smaller.

< h2>This is the next smaller size< /h2>

< h3>This is smaller yet< /h3>

< h4>How small do we need to go?< /h4>

By now you get the general idea. Use the H tags to help the reader skim the copy and give  visual appeal to your content.

htagsdropdown2

Don’t want to try HTML?

OK, HTML can be a bit scary at first, if you are timid at this point, never fear. Most blogs offer the same result in the editor.  Just look at the Bar Above when you are in “Visual” or “WYSIWYG” (what you see is what you get) mode.  Here there is a drop down box that will provide <h1> tags for you.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Highlight the text you want as a Header or heading.
  2. Click the Format or Paragraph drop down box
  3. Select the <H> tag you like
  4. You are done. No step 4!

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