Comments on: Blue Collar Personal Branding

By: Greg Rollett

Greg Rollett — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:12:53 +0000

Hey Matt – thanks for chiming in. You make a good point in that all blue collar workers survive and thrive based on their reputation, word of mouth, etc and using social media to promote themselves can def enhance their reputation.

By: dave rothacker

dave rothacker — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:03:03 +0000

After posting this reply I realize that there’s no way to sufficiently teach a blue collar worker how to brand themselves in one post. But there is one more point to make. Telling others what one does is only half, and the lesser part of networking. Being inquisitive, listening to others and trying to help them is the other, and IMHO, the more important part.

By: @MattWilsontv

@MattWilsontv — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:45:36 +0000

G.Ro, interesting POV. Personal branding is all about networking, if you are blue collar, your work speaks volumes about your personal brand. If people like or dislike your work you are creating a personal brand for yourself whether you like it or not. It’s your reputation on the line!

By: dave rothacker

dave rothacker — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:21:04 +0000

Daryl,

Greg’s advice is great. But let’s suppose the blue collar worker isn’t real active in social networking. Now, the answers to your question cannot possibly fit into one post (some middle age balding guys actually have entire websites devoted to these things but let’s shoot for a start. Based on the premise they are already working.

1. Discover what they love to do at work
2. Practice, educate and study to be the very best at this
3. Understand their customer and employer needs
4. Work to dovetail items # 1 and 3
5. Deliver past expectations

The above is like a muscle car engine. It’ll make the car run great, but we want it to look good too. Our blue collar friends need to sport a clean, positive image that is relevant to their field. And they need to work to maintain it, even if it means carrying an extra uniform with them to change if they get dirty.

Now, we’ve got a cherried-out lean mean street machine. Folks need to hear about it. Every blue collar worker needs a business card. I don’t care what line of work they’re in, there’s pride in dignity in all honest, legitimate work. Hand out the cards and talk about what they’re passionate about.

When customers, fellow trade show attendees, vendors, associates and friends feel they’re passion, they are likely to talk about them to others.

Do what you do best with passion and tell other folks. When they really take hold of their work, career, education and life, I bet they’ll even feel like going online and telling others.

By: Greg Rollett

Greg Rollett — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:28:23 +0000

Hey Daryl – I think they have an abundance to gain by reaching out online. To get them motivated I would do 3 things:

1. Give them something tangible – maybe that’s a blog, a website or even a social networking profile, just something that they can see, touch, feel.

2. I would check out competition. What are they doing, who are they talking to, what are they doing online, etc? This will give you a good idea of a direction to move in.

3. Have them participate. Comment on sites, ask and answer questions and introduce themselves to people they want to know. They will be surprised by the number of people who reach back and continue the conversation and strengthen the relationship.

I hope that help!

By: Greg Rollett

Greg Rollett — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:17:11 +0000

Hey Mary – thanks for the kind words. I agree that in order for the internet to truly be as powerful as us “geeks” we do need to help everyone learn how harness these tools and get up to speed. Finding a career you love starts from within, even with these cool online tools you need to put forth the effort to show the world just how awesome you truly are and that you can be a rock star doing something that you don’t mind waking up every day to do.

By: dave rothacker

dave rothacker — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:49:09 +0000

Great message Greg! (of course I’m a little partial to these folks). I absolutely love the first sentence under item #1. Social networking has not caught on yet in the trades like other professions, but running with one’s special intangible quality can begin off line.

Folks, I recommend visiting Greg’s Web site and see what he’s up to. Great stuff!

Dave

By: Mary H Ruth

Mary H Ruth — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:18:39 +0000

YES! This message needs to be spread much more widely. If the internet is as powerful as geeks claim, it includes ALL of us, ESPECIALLY those who feel stuck in a job that doesn’t satisfy or use their best skills.

Thanks very much for helping to get this ultra-important message out.

By: YouTalk 411 » Blog Archive » Blue Collar Personal Branding | Personal Branding Blog – Dan Schawbel

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:11:13 +0000

[...] original post here: Blue Collar Personal Branding | Personal Branding Blog – Dan Schawbel Related [...]

By: Daryl Close (required) (required)

Daryl Close (required) (required) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:02:19 +0000

I have friends who work in ‘blue collar’ jobs and whilst they would love to improve their career prospects put more credibility in face to face relationships and networking than online. If you were coaching this demographic how would you motivate them and how would you ensure they were able to effectively build their brand if they have little experience in doing this?