Use .ME: Make Your Personal Brand AwesoME
Some would say that we grew up as a “me-obsessed” generation and that seems like a bad thing. But the fact is that we were blessed with the power of his majesty, the Internet. It happens we want the world to know about our special existence (and here comes the selfie-storm).
When we finally grew-up, we started to think about our online reputation. We delete our statuses and photos from the past, which magically, like a curse, wash of the shores of our name-surname google search. The best way to fight this past “experiences” is to have our own personal website and a domain name. It happens that a domain name is a very first impression the adult in us makes in the digital world.
If you were smarter than me online, you are starting from the beginning. How, you ask? Start with a personal, different and legend… wait for it… dary domain name! But first, start from who you are!
Say Who You Are
You are introducing yourself to someone for the very first time. Can you choose three things about you that should be memorized by the person across the table? The first one would definitely be your name. In the digital world, your name is your domain, but here’s a fun fact: your name can actually be your domain. Whether you want to share your skills, to blog about your experiences or to showcase your work, is there a better way to do so than to do it under your own name?
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Take for example Arnan de Gans, a web developer who specialized in creating WordPress plugins. On his webpage, you can find all the info you need on who Arnan is, what he does, the things he loves to do, and how you can contact him. It is designed as a beautifully simple journey through Arnan’s experiences, including sections like “random stuff about me” or “travelmode”. How to get to his webpage? You can find him at arnan.me – yes, that’s easy to reMEmber! 🙂
The big part of creating a personal brand is discovering who you are underneath (all the other brands you are wearing). Maybe you don’t want to build a personal brand, but just to blog about something you like, share your craft or to set up a family email address. Don’t get fooled! People tend to judge you and form their opinion based on the content you create and things you post online. The fact is, we’re all doing that. By posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we are (un)consciously forming our personal brands. As Marc Eckō, founder and CEO of Marc Eckō Enterprises, said:
“You are a brand. Whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not.”
It is possible that you have an alias that speaks more for you in the digital arena than your given name (especially if you are a gamer 🙂 )! What are you waiting for? Wanna share your life and adventures? Tell the world that’s who you are, just like TheLondoner.me did!
The best time to start thinking about upgrading your personal brand is now. And why hesitate even for a second, when you have .ME?
Say What You Do
Let’s go back to our introduction example. Besides your name, what else would you mention about yourself? Sometimes, who we are is closely tied to what we do and there lies the answer!
Check out Lazar Stojkovic’s website – lazar.me. What is the first thing you see? “I write code. I also design, manage products, and build companies.” Original and simple welcoming sentences immediately give you information about what Lazar does. He branded both his name and skills, making a unique website which tells his story. The best thing is – you will remember Lazar for quite awhile!
Building a personal brand is not about being famous, it’s about being successful at what you love doing and getting recognition for. But even if you are famous like Turkish actress Meryem Uzerli, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work on your personal brand. Yes, the (most of the) world already knows what do you do, but why not put it altogether on your website? Visit meryem.me and check out how the pro does it! 🙂
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Maybe you’re not so interested in saying what you do, but better in sharing your hobbies or interests with like-minded people? You can easily build a community around something you are passionate about! Check out player.me, a gaming community which connects gamers worldwide and provides them with a chance to become content creators.
In today’s digital world, it is very important to pay attention to your digital footprint. Your online presence should correspond with what is written in your cover letter and resume. Personal website or landing page must be a significant part of your personal branding efforts. Once again, .ME is a perfect choice for making it all about you. Not sure how to make a lasting impression in recruiter’s mind? Check out our in-depth guide to making your resume personal!
What Do You Stand For
There are some things that are much bigger than us. Things we are a part of or things we stand for. Ideals we want to live up to and ideas we want to spread. Why don’t build your personal brand around them? We love when people use our domains to speak up about things that matter: to them, to us, to the world in general. Just like Stefania Ferrario, an Australian model, did. Besides sharing her job info, she shares a very clear and powerful message about what does she stand for. Visit stefania.me and see how many people all over the world are touched and motivated by Stefania’s brave decision to shave her head and to raise funds and awareness for cancer, alopecia, and trichotillomania.
Tell the world what is important to you! Are you into an eco-friendly living, like EcoIs.Me? What makes you tick? Maybe you want to blog about it – in that case, check out our post on how to use blogging to build your personal brand.
Don’t worry, I have a whole bag packed full of ideas for using .ME. Soon we will talk about using .ME for building your company’s brand, .ME as a call to action, and much more. But for now, think about making your personal brand awesoME and stand out from the crowd with .ME! 🙂
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2014. Some things changed since then and .ME family grew, so we decided to update the post accordingly.
