Recently, Shankman made a post I think deserves your attention. Ever since the first issue of Fast Company back in 1995, and before that, in everything Tom Peters ever tried to teach us, we’ve been aware that we — you, me, him, her — are the brand.  In my case, my company and my personality are almost synonymous. What I’ve learned is that many marketing consultants don’t manage their own personal brand with the same energy and diligence as they’ve applied to their clients. And that’s the problem.

During the past 20 years the “company man” has become a fossil.  Today, every one needs to be a star — a super star — every day.  And no one else is going to manage your brand for you.

Here’s an excerpt from Shankman’s post:

It is no one else’s fault if your personal brand isn’t how you want it to be. It’s not Facebook’s fault. It’s not Twitter’s fault. It’s not LinkedIn’s fault. It’s not the fault of someone who wrote on your wall, or tagged you in a photo. [more]

Shankman’s post is scarcely more than what I excerpt, but I encourage you to follow him because whatever he has to say is important.

Adam Vincenzini, the senior communications consultant at Paratus Communications in London, has written a great post about the lessons Don Draper can teach us about social networking.  Here’s a great sample:

You are the product

People don’t buy things, they buy feelings. Feelings come from people. Therefore (drum roll) people must be at the centre of your social media marketing efforts. [more]

It’s a fun post and I learned a couple of things too.  So take a read and let me know what you think.

Ah, don’t we all wish problem-solving was this easy?

If you haven’t embraced the Chat instant message function on Facebook, you are missing a huge opportunity to stay in front of clients, colleagues and friends — and even save days of phone tag or email exchange. This Web 2.0 tool has become a “secret weapon” for our team.

For example, when a new project request comes to High Tech Connect, we mine our database and typically find 2-3 dozen candidates to screen. But if we glance at the people currently online on Facebook, we may see a name that jogs our memory about a skill they have or a colleague they know. Then before looking up 36 phone numbers or crafting 36 coherent emails and waiting for replies, we can simply ping someone via Chat: “You still consulting?” “Ever done PR for a wireless startup?” “Written many pharmaceutical white papers?”

And sometimes we need to ask a quick question to a busy client. Catching them on Facebook at 10:20 pm means they’re still awake and can probably handle a one-line query about interview times or purchase order approvals. But we always follow the rules of the instant messaging road: don’t bug people unless you really need to ask a question, if they don’t respond they are away or busy, and always keep it quick and to the point.

Obviously, chat does not replace live phone calls or detailed emails, but in this economy with overworked clients and under-utilized consultants, the shortest distance to connect them can be right there on our Facebook Chat screen. So, if you see us on Facebook, ping us any time. We’d love to Chat. )