JMMB Shares Pointers on Building & Monetizing Your Personal Brand Online in Its Goal Getter Webinar Series
Branding experts, Naomi Garrick, who is also an author and CEO of Garrick Communications, alongside Terri-Karelle Reid, online brand strategist, shared their online journey candidly while giving practical pointers on building and monetizing your personal brand online, during a 90-minute segment, on the recent JMMB Goal Getter Live webinar.
In setting the context for the webinar, Kerry-Ann Stimpson, chief marketing officer at JMMB Group, who moderated the discussion, notes that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis presents a unique opportunity for online brands, as this space is seeing increased usage, as a result of restricted movement of people, because of curfews and quarantines; it’s also a good time for persons to explore personal online branding, for an additional source of income, or as a way of pivoting their current business model.
Garrick and Reid, in sharing the first step in the process of building or refining your personal brand, encouraged individuals to take a structured approach, by getting clarity on the persona and expertise, that they wish to share. Reid divulged what she calls her 5Cs of the process– character, competence, cause, community and communication- to building your personal brand, online. In expounding, Terri-Karelle outlined the process of gaining clarity is retrospective. In further summing up her 5Cs, Reid said, “You need to understand who you are, your core values, principles, brand integrity, what you stand for and what you won’t tolerate (character)… (then) you have to have the competency…, you have to have the gift, skill or the talent, you have to have the expertise and knowledge to become an expert in your field.” Adding that in, building your online brand your cause defines your purpose and determines what problem you are solving. “When you have figured that out (your character, competence and cause) you look at who are you serving – your community…your vibe attracts your tribe. Ask yourself, who are your ideal clients, collaborators, champions and cheerleaders,” explained Reid; before delving into her final ‘C’ – communication. Individuals should then decide which platform/s, to share their brand effectively online, whether on: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, other social media channels, blogs, or online storytelling.
Underpinning these principles, the personal branding experts agreed, must be a consistent brand that aligns with one’s offline brand. Garrick, popularly called the PR Chick, cautioned individuals to “think before you share”, reminding online users that they are responsible for the narrative/story they wish to share with their community and, therefore, how they are perceived online and offline. If, however, you have shared content online that is not aligned with your brand, Garrick’s advice is to simply, “spring clean your social media content, by deleting content that does not bring value to your brand.”
Monetizing Your Online Brand
Terri-Karelle underscored the need to be intentional with your online brand, using this medium to “put your talent and skills on display.” In so doing, you will be able to position yourself as a thought leader in your respective field, thereby creating a range of opportunities that you can leverage, Reid shared. Colleague brand expert, Garrick highlighted the need to also create value online, by crafting a solution or sharing your knowledge with your audience. Noting, persons should not be afraid to give this value-added content away for free, as it does not diminish the worth of the content. “Sometimes you have to give away your services, because it will come back to you…or charge a minimal fee, but because so many people are using your service, you will generate a profit,” Naomi explained.
Online brand strategist, Terri-Karelle, in underscoring the need to use the various social media platforms to showcase different aspects of your skills and competency, shared that she can attest to its benefit as she has been able to broaden her opportunities – locally and internationally. 
For individuals desirous of carving out a niche for themselves, especially at this time when offline opportunities may be limited, Garrick gave some practical pointers, noting, “There were several online tools to assist individuals offered by popular international companies like: Google Garage and HubSpot, that offers some courses for free.” She added, to jumpstart the process, an easy way is to repurpose other expert’s content, while of course giving credit, on your social media platform; in addition to lending your voice to topical online discussions; all this helps you with your positioning.
Reid left the nearly 200 live participants on a high note, encouraging them not be hindered by the challenges but, instead, get started, recognizing that the process is an imperfect one, having too learnt from trial and error, in building her online presence. “Take your time and be patient; you are not going to figure out everything all at once.” Adding that, as persons build their online brand, they should resist the temptation to compare themselves to others, recognizing that this space is more about positioning you. Therefore, individuals should focus and “invest in your brand, the way you invest in other people’s brand.”
The JMMB Goal Getter Live series of webinars aims to give hope, lend expertise and share solutions that will assist clients and the wider public, to navigate the crisis; and will serve as an avenue to address a cross-section of topical issues. Thus far, the series has explored a range of topics, including: “Managing Your Cashflow as an SME During COVID-19”; “Keeping Your Investments on Track During COVID-19”; “The Future You - After COVID-19”; “Personal Money Perspectives”; “Budgeting Essentials & Money Management”; “Home Schooling and Balancing it All” and “Discovering Money Making Opportunities.” Marketing exec, Stimpson, also shared, “this online series underscores JMMB Group’s commitment to being in our clients’ world, with their best interest at heart, and has been welcomed by our clients and online JMMB family, many of whom look forward to the weekly webinars.”