Speaking 101: 8 Steps to Building your Personal Brand

Branding with Brandi: 8 Steps to Building your Personal Brand

When we think of brands, we commonly think of recognizable names like Tiffany & Co., McDonalds, Nike, and Amazon, but have you ever thought of yourself as a brand? Start by asking yourself why is everyone drawn to those popular products or services over their competitors, and what qualities and characteristics set them apart. Using that same thought process, think about yourself and what qualities and characteristics distinguish you from everyone else.

Recognizable brands reveal the power of perception and the strategy of self definition. People are drawn to their perception of you and the reputation you leave behind— a unique combination of personal characteristics, values, strengths, and passions create value and separation from your peers. You’re just as much a brand as Nike, why not market yourself as one? If you’re looking to effectively market yourself, generate more leads, or establish yourself as a thought leader, developing a personal branding strategy is critical to your success.

The first and most important step in developing your personal brand strategy is defining your Personal Brand. Follow these 8 steps to begin defining your personal brand:

1. Define your target audience.
   Who do you want to receive your message?

2. Contemplate your vision and purpose.
   Think bigger picture here—in what areas of life would you like to see improvement, and what role will you play in making that happen?

3. Discover your values and passions.
   Values are your guiding principles (ex. collaboration, transparency, impact, integrity), and passions are the things that motivate you. By determining your values and passions you’ll naturally gravitate towards people and activities that best align with yours. Notice how these correlate with how you operate at your job, around others, etc.

4. Identify 3 - 4 of your best attributes.
   Some questions to ask yourself: What adjectives would others use to describe you? What words would you use to define your personality? What personality traits best showcase how you work towards your goals?

5. Identify 3 - 4 of your greatest strengths.
   What is your unique “super power” that has benefited others or your company? Your strengths are the skills that position your value above others.

6. Ask for feedback from those that know you best - family, friends, colleagues, managers, anyone.
   A true measure of your brand is others’ perception of you, which is a reflection of the reputation you curate. Ask what they think are your top qualities and strengths, and compare their response with what you’ve identified in numbers 4 and 5.

7. Know who your competitors are, and what differentiates you from them.
   Why should anyone choose you over your competitor? Remember your personal brand is the unique value you offer, so consider what qualities you contribute that no one else does.

8. Finally, select 3 words that best describe you.
   If you’ve completed the steps above, you’ve already highlighted your top attributes and have an idea of what qualifications distinguish you from others. Now zero-in further and describe yourself using only 3 words. These three words will reflect your personal brand!

Want to learn more about personal branding and building your personal brand? Check out this guide.

Brandi's Three Words to create her brand are: Tenacious, Diligent, and Charismatic

Driving the Data @ RampUp 2018

March 5th and 6th were filled with excitement as RampUp 2018 took over the Fairmont Hotel and the Masonic in San Francisco. We’ve been working with LiveRamp for months to secure close to 170 speakers for this rapidly growing convention of the brightest minds in Digital Marketing and data. We curated 48 sessions of panels, chats, and presentations all focused on the “future of marketing” for TV, brands, agencies, data owners, and publishers.

The first day kicked off with a great conversation between Wells Fargo CMO Jamie Moldafsky and LiveRamp’s Allison Metcalfe. One underlying theme of their conversation was how customers are at the center of everything.

Tuesday brought almost 2,500 attendees and a powerhouse panel of CMOs to kick things off, including former CMO of Airbnb - Jonathan Mildenhall, Cisco CMO - Karen Walker, TripAdvisor CMO - Barbara Messing, and Adobe CMO - Ann Lewnes. The five had an amazing chemistry onstage as they discussed the digital marketing ecosystem. 

Throughout the day, we loved seeing some of our clients show their expertise: Dan Greenberg of Sharethrough, Joanne Chen of Foundation Capital, Matt Keiser of LiveIntent, Thomas Walle of Unacast, Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan of Drawbridge, Omar Tawakol of Voicera and finally Eva of Voicera (a bot who took notes during Omar’s session).

Nate Silver, American statistician and Author of The Signal and the Noise, closed off the event with an engaging talk about Data and Predictions. 

We’ve loved being involved the past three years as RampUp becomes one of the go-to events in the data-driven ecosystem. We're looking forward to great things for RampUp 2019!

For more Insight on the event, check out the RampUp Blog:

RampUp Day 1
RampUp Day 2

cred team @ RampUp 2018!

credTen: Top Ten Conferences in Marketing 2018

Wondering where to go this year to increase your marketing know-how, discover where the industry is heading, and expand your thought leadership? Look no further than our roundup of 10 marketing conferences worth attending in 2018.

#1. B2B Marketing Exchange

February 19-21, Scottsdale

A must-attend for performance marketers managing the complex sales cycles and group buying realities common in B2B industries, B2B Marketing Exchange addresses account strategies, messaging frameworks, demand acceleration, and sales enablement during 85+ sessions in sunny Scottsdale, AZ.

TIckets: $995 for single-day pass, $1,595 for standard, $1,995 for all-access

#2. Social Media Marketing World

February 28-March 2, San Diego

Social Media Examiner’s 3-day gathering of thought leaders is designed for social media marketers, influencers, and content creators including bloggers, video creators, and podcasters. This year’s speakers include former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, Facebook expert Mari Smith, social futurist Brian Solis, Snapchat influencer Shaun McBride, and Instagram expert Sue B. Zimmerman.

Tickets: Range from $697 for virtual access to $1,597 for all-access

#3. RampUp

March 5-6, San Francisco

LiveRamp’s annual martech conference gathers nearly 1,000 executive-level attendees in one place to discuss the challenges and solutions facing the industry today. Speakers include TripAdvisor CMO Barbara Messing, SafeGraph CEO Auren Hoffman, AppNexus CEO Brian O’Kelley, AdRoll founder Aaron Bell, and Target VP of Digital Media Brent Rosso.  

Tickets: Preconference tickets start at $499 and conference tickets start at $799

#4. Adobe Summit

March 25-29, Las Vegas

With 95% of attendees saying they received practical information and 93% saying the event met or exceeded their expectations, Adobe Summit is a good bet for advertisers, campaign managers, content managers, digital marketers, and publishers who want to learn how to use the latest tools and technologies to build campaigns, manage their advertising, and gain deep data insights.

Tickets: Single registration starts at $1,695; multiple registration, preconference courses and guest social passes are also available

#5. Digiday AI Marketing Summit

April 11-13, Santa Barbara

There’s no shortage of conversations around how AI is set to transform the marketing industry. Digiday’s AI Marketing Summit will dive deep into how marketers can understand and use AI and machine learning. Expect sessions on topics like predictive merchandising, voice assistants, and chatbots, plus a number of afternoon activities and evening networking receptions.

Tickets: Entry-level passes are $2,895 and premium passes are $4,795

#6. Content Marketing World

September 4-7, Cleveland

For all things content marketing and storytelling, head to Cleveland for Content Marketing World, which features more than 120 sessions and workshops presented by leading brand marketers. 2017 featured speakers included GE CMO Linda Boff, and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Tickets: Main conference starts at $999.

#7. INBOUND

September 4-7, Boston

HubSpot’s INBOUND grew to 21,000+ attendees and 250+ educational sessions last year, and is expected to be even bigger in 2018. INBOUND’s purpose is to provide the inspiration, education, and connections marketers need to grow and transform their business. Past keynote speakers include Michelle Obama, Brené Brown, John Cena, and Arianna Huffington.

Tickets: All-access passes begin at $1,899 and main conference passes begin at $999; other options are available

Photo courtesy of attendify.com

#8. MarTech East

October 1-3, Boston

MarTech’s USP is that it’s a tech event for marketers and a marketing conference for technologists. With tracks for marketing, technology, management, and solutions, the conference aims to help the leaders who recognize the synergies between these disciplines drive change and accelerate convergence within their organizations.  

Tickets: $1,595 for an all-access pass, $59 for Expo+ pass; team rates available

#9. Advertising Week New York

October 1-4, New York

Now in its 15th year, AdWeekNYC brings together leaders from marketing, advertising, technology, and creative spaces for a week of thoughtful conversations around the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry today. Daytime programming includes seminars, workshops, and leadership breakfasts. Past evening events have included performances by Avicii, Snoop Dogg, and Amy Schumer.

Tickets: 2018 prices not yet available

#10. Internet Summit

November 14-15, Raleigh

Produced by Tech Media Co, which also puts together the Digital Summit Series, Internet Summit features 90+ sessions and workshops to help digital marketers stay ahead of the latest trends and provide practical, game-changing takeaways they can immediately apply to their marketing strategies. 2017 speakers included marketing gurus Seth Godin and Ann Handley, as well as Netflix co-founder Mitch Lowe.

Tickets: Conference passes range from $245 for basic access to $995 for VIP access

 

Want to speak at these events? Get in touch to learn more about our services: speak@credpr.com.

Event Spotlight: SaaStr Annual 2018

Last week the cred team had the opportunity to attend one of our collective favorite conferences: SaaStr Annual 2018. As one of the top conferences in SaaS globally (we ranked it in our Top 10 of 2017 in case you missed it), we loved being able to see our clients in action. SaaStr Annual is a massive convention, bringing together people across the spectrum in software as a service from start-ups, to investors, to unicorns such as Hubspot, Basecamp, and Medallia.

We were proud to have a solid line-up of cred clients present to share their insights on investing, building companies, and using SaaS. Some of our favorites included our client Joanne Chen of Foundation Capital, who moderated an invigorating talk to an absolutely packed room around “How do SaaS Companies Build Differentiated Assets in this New World of AI.” We also loved learning from our very own Mike McDerment, CEO of Freshbooks, who discussed his team’s “Unusual Approach to Replatforming” in a talk called “Split Testing Companies.”

An attendee favorite of SaaStr was the opportunity to set up “braindates.” Start-ups could meet with VCs or other companies excited about SaaS. It was an exuberant environment for idea-sharing. One of our personal favorite activities was the Yappy Hour on the first two nights. Attendees could unwind and play with puppies courtesy of Family Dog Rescue.

We are looking forward to SaaStr 2019 and continuing to place our innovative clients at this event!

Want to speak at events like SaaStr Annual? Reach out at hello@credpr.com! 

Speaking 101: The Power of a Short Speech

At cred, we love to collaborate and give everyone on the team a chance to be a voice for the industry. Here is what one of our Senior Associates, Anastasia Hardin, would like to share about how to capture attention when speaking.

In today’s connected, app-for-everything world, distractions are plentiful at any time of day. We’ve all felt that “smart phone reach” before: we’re sitting in a presentation, maybe 10 minutes in, and our mind wanders to that email we need to respond to, the crowdfunding campaign we’ve been monitoring, the engagement on our latest social media post, and oh wait - Buzzfeed just pinged us with another Top 10 article that we just have to read…

How do you keep an audience’s attention when they have the world at their fingertips?

While there are many pointers out there (read more here or here) today we want to focus on perhaps the most important factor: TIME.

As attention has become more of a scarce resource, the length of a speech plays a big role in how engaged and enlightened your audience will be. Keep it simple and short. Listening takes energy which can be draining. Too much information can prevent understanding.

So what is the ideal length of a presentation? Some would argue 5 minutes is enough to get a point across, but in most settings, anything under 20 minutes is the real sweet spot.

And if you don’t believe us - go check out the most watched TED Talks. 80% of them are under 20 minutes.

TED Curator, Chris Anderson, on keeping it short and relevant:

"[18 minutes] is long enough to be serious and short enough to hold people’s attention. It turns out that this length also works incredibly well online. It’s the length of a coffee break. So, you watch a great talk, and forward the link to two or three people. It can go viral, very easily. The 18-minute length also works much like the way Twitter forces people to be disciplined in what they write. By forcing speakers who are used to going on for 45 minutes to bring it down to 18, you get them to really think about what they want to say. What is the key point they want to communicate? It has a clarifying effect. It brings discipline."

Photo Of TED Curator Chris Anderson by Jame Duncan Davidson at https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedconference/9029271822/in/photolist

If you are thinking, “how can I possibly get everything I need to say in under 20 minutes?” -- stop a moment and remember the most powerful speeches you’ve ever heard in person or from history. Chances are, they were short and simple.

Maybe they included:

• Steve Job’s “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” commencement address ~ 15 mins

• MLK’s “I Have a Dream” ~ 17 mins

• Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address ~ 2-3 mins

• JFK’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” ~ 9 mins

• Winston Churchill’s “Never Give Up” ~ 4:15 min 

If you want to avoid looking out over an audience with their heads buried in their smartphones, then keep your comments short. When you connect your powerful ideas with brevity, you will achieve the greatest impact with your audience.

credTen: The Best Conferences 2017

In the past year alone, we secured 768 speaking opportunities for clients across multiple industries globally. To kick off 2018 and our newest credTen series on our blog, here’s a look back at the best conferences we secured for clients in 2017, in no particular order:

SaaStr Annual - San Francisco

Jason Lemkin’s SaaStr Annual is the go-to event for players in SaaS. This event brought together CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors and veterans for tangible, non-Google-able lessons that the audience loved. Our clients 6sense, Foundation Capital, TapInfluence, and Expensify had the opportunity to grace the stage in 2017.

In 2018, we’re excited clients from FreshBooks, Canvas Ventures, Ridge Ventures, and Foundation Capital will join the lineup.

RampUp - San Francisco

Over 2,100 attendees flooded The Fairmont Hotel for LiveRamp’s annual conference to listen to the brightest minds in MarTech. With quality content and exciting networking opportunities, a handful of our clients came together to discuss the power of connectivity and data-driven marketing. We are continually impressed by our speakers from Unacast, Reveal Mobile, Kespry, Drawbridge, Legendary Entertainment, SafeGraph, Voicera, Cathay Pacific, Bullpen Capital, and Ridge Ventures.

The FirstMark Driven Series - New York

From Design Driven and Data Driven, to Code Driven and Hardwired, FirstMark Capital’s series of NYC events draws the crème de la crème of tech speakers. In 2017, we had Kespry CEO at Hardwired, MapD and Voicera CEOs at Data Driven, and Steve Vassallo, General Partner at Foundation Capital, at Design Driven.

Mumbrella360 - Sydney

Australia is an emerging market for a number of our clients and Mumbrella360 has been THE event that brings together the entire marketing ecosystem. It’s an extremely well-organized show that our clients like MightyHive and MuteSix highly recommend.

Events by The Hustle -San Francisco

Beer in hand at Pizza & 40s, David Barrett, CEO of Expensify was joined by the founder of The Hustle, Sam Parr, to share the ups and downs of his entrepreneur journey. We’re thrilled to also have our badass women speakers from 500 Startups, LiveRamp, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Tophatter speaking at The Hustle’s 2X events in 2018.

The Economist Sustainability Summit - Austin

The Economist’s inaugural Sustainability Summit drew more than 200 leading business executives, policy makers, and investors to discuss sustainable development in the face of rapid global change. Senior Editor Matthew Bishop moderated a conversation with our client Philippe Lacamp of Cathay Pacific Airways.

TEDx - Tallaght, Ireland

In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” John Beckett, CEO of ChannelSight, spoke about his life-saving kidney transplant and “How to Harness the Power of Your Biggest Challenges.”

Mobile World Congress - Barcelona

With 30+ years under its belt, Mobile World Congress continues to reinvent itself as the global hub for mobile, telecommunications, IoT and more, gathering nearly 108k attendees in 2017. Life360, Boxever, 500 Startups, and Drawbridge spoke to conversational commerce, marketplaces, advertising, and startup trends.

Mobile World Congress Shanghai and its US debut - Americas - are also worth checking out. Shanghai and Americas editions drew nearly 67.5k and 21k visitors respectively in 2017.

Image from Fiware

INBOUND - Boston

We can’t say enough great things about INBOUND, where our clients Hawke Media, MightyHive, WiderFunnel and TapInfluence spoke in 2017. To sum it up, we’ll leave it to Erik Huberman, CEO of Hawke Media: “It was great! Enjoyed it, got some business; it was solid.”

Slush - Helsinki and Shanghai

Described by many as “Burning Man meets TED,” Slush has expanded globally from its 20,000-person flagship show in the Arctic Circle to Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, and more to come. Our clients Tophatter and 500 Startups spoke on discovery commerce and fundraising globally.

Money20/20 - Las Vegas

Money20/20 brings together the who’s who in payments and financial services. It's the largest event in the finance space, where we placed Ben Black of Akkadian Ventures, David Barrett of Expensify, and Charles Moldow of Foundation Capital in 2017.

In 2018, we’re also excited to continue working with sister events Shoptalk (feat. Hawke Media, Sphero, and Instacart) and HLTH (feat. Enigma Technologies and Ayasdi).

Web Summit - Lisbon

Held annually since 2009, Web Summit has been called "the greatest tech show on earth" and "Davos for geeks," and continues to exceed expectations for our clients each year. From speaking in front of hundreds (sometimes thousands), to private dinners and networking with the likes of Al Gore, we’ve only heard glowing feedback from our clients Unacast, Enigma, Kespry, ChannelSight, and 500 Startups.

Image from The Independent

And that’s a wrap for 2017! In 2018, we’ll be doing a number of Top 10 conference roundups, so watch this space for the best events you should attend and/or speak at.

Want to speak at these events? Get in touch: speak@credpr.com

Looking Back at 2017

Happy New Year!

We had a Top 10 Countdown of cred's best moments of 2017 on our twitter: @credpr. Here is a recap in case you missed it!

10

Our team took an R&R trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in March! We had a blast hangin' beachside with chips and guacamole.  

9

To date, we've planned 16 events, including Bowery Capital's 5th Annual CFO Summit in October! (PS: in case you didn't know, we plan events - email us at events@credpr.com for more info).

8

We added 8 new members to #TeamCred this year!

7

We enjoyed a year of monthly cred Service events, including wrapping presents for Hamilton Families San Francisco and volunteering at Futures Without Violence's Phenomenal Women event!

6

As 2017 comes to a close, we have nearly 6,500 events (& growing!) in our Airtable Database, and have confirmed almost 1,500 events for our clients!

5

We celebrated three years with five of our clients - we love what we do!

4

We ended the year by moving to a new office at WeWork Montgomery Station! We are so excited to start the year off in our new space. 

3

We are finishing out the year strong by achieving our pre-set goals for 2017!

2

cred turned 2, and we celebrated with Mutts and Margaritas!

1

We set our goals for 2018 at our Inaugural Offsite in November. Bring on 2018!!!!

We look forward to an exciting new year.

Happy 2018!

Speaking 101: 5 Tips To Present with Confidence

At cred, we wear many hats, and as part of our onboarding process for new employees, we invite them to educate us on a topic of their choosing on our blog. Here's what Gina King, cred's Associate, is teaching us about presenting with confidence this week!

Did you know that 74% of people have Glossophobia? You might not know what it is by its name, but you’ve probably suffered from its symptoms: nervous sweating, fidgeting, or speaking in a timid voice. Glossophobia is better known as the fear of public speaking, and at one time or another, we’ve all suffered from it.

The best way to combat these nervous behaviors is to present with confidence. While it may seem hard to evoke confidence when you feel nervous, relax, and try one or a combination of these five tips before your next presentation:

1. Research your topic inside and out: When giving a presentation, you are the expert. Make sure to research your subject matter thoroughly ahead of time, and be prepared to answer any questions that come your way.

2. Practice makes perfection: Don’t just practice your presentation the night before, plan to practice at least a week in advance to develop a strong comfort level.

3. Don’t memorize: Instead put your material in structured bullet points to remind you what topics or points you want to make. You also won't sound scripted.

4. Find a friend: Giving a presentation can be daunting. Ask a friend, colleague, or loved one to join your presentation. A friendly face helps you relax.

5. Don’t stress!: Stressing about your presentation creates additional, unnecessary nerves. Instead, try a technique that professional athletes use before big games — take a deep breath, and visualize your presentation going well. This combo technique will help reduce stress and build confidence.

Want more tips on how to evoke confidence during your next presentation? Check out this guide.