Branding Expert Jill Celeste Talks Online Personal Branding, Creative Strategy, Making Twitter Sing & Branding Scarlett O'Hara

In 2010, Jill Celeste became an entrepreneur, running her own social media marketing agency called Hound Dog Social Media. Like many creative thinkers, Jill needed to find a way to be one step ahead of her competition. Her business was doing mediocre, at best, and Jill could not figure out why it wasn't attracting ideal clients. Then, it hit Jill – the key to being more successful didn't lie in branding her company; it lied with branding herself.

So, being a social media enthusiast and, more important, expert, Jill plugged into all her social media marketing superpowers and created an authentic personal brand that builds her status as a trusted subject matter expert, allowing Jill to network with ideal clients, and have fun and enriching conversations with prospects, customers and peers. Today, Jill has over 3,000 Twitter followers @Jill_Celeste and counting rapidly, and has worked with dozens of leading entrepreneurs and businesses in identifying their core brand and, in the process, empowering their professional opportunities.

Jill, you always say, an important part of creating an online personal branding strategy is often the part most skipped – the process of discovering what to brand yourself as. Many entrepreneurs and professionals are eager to get to the “how to” part of personal branding, but it’s equally important to know what you’ll be branding yourself as. Otherwise, how will you know what you’re branding? How do you help businesses and entrepreneurs understand the value of personal branding?

I often ask entrepreneurs and professionals to think about experiences where they’ve purchased from someone, or hired someone for a project or job. Let’s say you need to hire someone to paint your house. How do you find the perfect painter? You search on Google, you get recommendations, you look at contractors’ websites and you interview the painter. In the end, you hire the person who you can trust. Now, flip that scenario to your situation. How can you influence clients to purchase from you? How can you convince someone to hire you, or give you a promotion? Just like hiring a painter, you want to be the person who the client or employer trusts – and the way to achieve that trust is through personal branding.

You advise people that they should not brand themselves online before they truly discover what is at the core of their personal brand. For some, this discovery may be very natural, creative and easy. For others, this could be a bit of a struggle. What are your views on the process of discovering one's personal brand? Is it easier than it sounds?

I think everyone’s heart holds the key to her personal brand; it’s her head that gets in the way. The process for discovering one’s personal brand is a deeply personal one. Yes, some people know exactly what to brand themselves as; others struggle. Each journey is unique. You have permission to mull it over, change your mind and reconsider your options. I think when people listen to their heart – and get rid of the noises in their head – the personal branding decisions become easier.

You have worked with scores of diverse entrepreneurs, business owners and creatives, Jill, have you ever encountered a professional with a split "branding" personality? For example, someone that was an true outdoorsman, but, as a popular regional baker, was in the business of creating deliciously glorious cupcakes? How do you build a personal branding when two worlds collide?

I would say that in this example, you don’t have the case of a split personality. You have a fabulous regional banker who happens to enjoy the outdoors. The banker should brand himself professionally as a banking guru, and then throw in his outdoor hobbies to humanize his brand. People would grow to trust and love him if they see he likes to fish, hunt or bird watch too.

Jill, real quick...read a book, listen to music or watch a movie!

Read a book. Always.

Now, real quick...if you were a tree, what color leaves would you have blowing in the breeze? 

I should say green, because green leaves mean a healthy, vibrant tree. But honestly, I like to stand out a little. So purple leaves swaying in the breeze for me!

What are the five biggest mistakes people make when trying to discover their personal brand?

(1) They don’t take the time to self-discover what makes up their personal brand.
(2) They worry that people won’t believe that they’re an expert in something.
(3) They don’t bother to discover what makes up their personal brand.
(4) They don’t understand that it’s okay to change their mind.
(5) They listen to what others think, over what they know to be true in the their hearts.

Jill, what do you do when you meet a professional. They are AWESOME! They are clearly experts in their field and they communicate with enthusiasm and energy. They are dynamic! They are memorable! They have a book coming out that will surely target traction in their field. They have no website. They have no blog. They have no Twitter. They have no Facebook. Do you bite your tongue? Or share your vision?

I would share my vision. I believe I am being stingy if I don’t. Depending on the situation, I may just drop a tip or two, and then leave my card with him or her. If I have her card, I would follow up via email and check in – maybe with a link to a relevant article (not necessarily one penned by me). If the professional doesn’t seem to want any more advice after this initial contact, then I let it rest. I can go to sleep at night, knowing I offered my assistance, guidance and love.

What makes a personal brand...great? 

Authenticity. Every time. To be honest, if you’re not being authentic during personal branding, don’t bother.

Jill, it's just us, you can share...do you really like Twitter? 

Today, I love Twitter. There have been times in the past when I struggled with it, but I have my groove now. If you are where I was six months ago, then I recommend the following:

(1) Find a Twitter automation tool (I use TweetAdder and Hootsuite);
(2) Designate a certain time of the day to tweet, engage and interact – and stick with it; and
(3) Remember, quality over quantity. That’s for tweets and followers.

Why do you feel retweeting matters? Does it, really? 

Retweeting absolutely matters. It’s one of the best ways to engage authentically through Twitter. If you find a tweet that strikes a chord with you, retweet it. It’s one of the ways to play nice in the Twitter sandbox.

Please share one of your favorite quotes! 

I have no idea who said it, but I love this quote: “Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean it’s the right thing to do.”

Please share one final thought for people searching to discover and promote their own personal brand. 

Ask yourself: What do I want people to say I am an expert in? That usually leads you to exactly how to brand yourself.

Jill, real quick, thunderstorm or blizzard? 

I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life, so I would have to say blizzard. It seems appealing to be stuck in your house with a blazing fire, warm blanket and a good book. As long as I don’t have to shovel the snow.  (And probably after experiencing one blizzard, I would be happy to go back to thunderstorms!).

Last question: If you could brand anyone in history...who would it be?

I hope it’s okay, but I am going to switch this question just a tad – and answer it from a historical fiction perspective. I would love to brand Scarlett O’Hara. You may say she’s already branded, but I think people have Scarlett all wrong. She was played beautifully by Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind, but if you’ve read the book, Scarlett is even more complex. She was an anomaly for her time. She was unabashed, beautiful, cunning and an opportunist. She could make a dress out of curtains and then run a saw mill with prison labor. She did things women during her time could not even dream of. I would brand her as an entrepreneur with love for God, family and land. She would certainly keep a personal branding coach busy, especially with her procrastination and unscrupulous behavior. Boy, though, she would be a fun challenge!

http://www.jillceleste.com
http://www.jillceleste.com/blog 
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