Use Ning to Build a Community Around Your Personal Brand

I first become very interested in Ning when I interviewed Gina Bianchini (the co-founder) for the 3rd issue of Personal Branding Magazine. Ning hosts more than 275,000 networks. I’ve joined quite a few in the past 6-8 months and, to be honest, the usage rates aren’t that impressive. Most people just create Ning networks around a specific topic and abandon them or only have 10 active users because they don’t promote them. I’ve found two great examples of big “personal brand names” that are using Ning correctly. Have a look…

Seth Godin's Ning Community

As a soon-to-be author, I pay very close attention to Seth Godin and his book-selling and community building tactics. I woke right up when I saw Seth’s blog post about what he was doing with his new book Triiibes: We Need You To Lead Us. I didn’t join right away because I thought it was a scam to buy his book, then, after speaking to a few friends, I was convinced there was value-add. Seth took his extremely recognizable (bald head) and intelligent personal brand and plugged it into a Ning community to promote his new book. I think Seth was also trying to perform an experiment (much of what many of us corporate social media types are doing) and I think he was very successful. There are over 3,500 members currently!

What we can learn from Seth

• 1) Exclusivity: Seth only allowed a certain amount of people to join his network over a given period of time. Everyone wants to feel special, even you!
• 2) Seriousness: Seth forced people to pre-order his new book in order to gain access to his community.
• 3) Leadership: Seth didn’t want you to be just another member of the community; he wanted you to lead a tribe within the network. Each profile has a section where you fill out information about the tribe you want to lead.
• 4) Bonus: The site includes excerpts from the book as well as a chance to contribute to a new jointly-authored ebook, with full credit and links to the contributors. Members of the tribe get a chance to win free tickets to Seth’s launch event/presentation in New York as well as a few other goodies.
• 5) Viral: Seth didn’t announce his community as part of the front page of People Magazine. It was only through his blog and everyone else who linked and/or blogged about it.

Keith Ferrazzi's Ning Community

Keith Ferrazzi, like Seth Godin, is a very smart man. Aside from writing an instant classic, Never Eat Alone, he uses the power of networking to forge his own Ning community. After a bestseller, it’s nearly impossible to “quit while you’re ahead,” which is why there are movie sequels (there is a market and fan base). Keith has established a gathering place for a global community of entrepreneurs and professionals who believe in the power of relationships for success and happiness. For more information, see his podcast. There are over 1,800 members currently!

What we can learn from Keith

• 1) Common belief: “When it comes to success, you can’t do it alone – and why would you want to?”
• 2) No hierarchy: Don’t worry about just being another person. Even if you feel alone on this network, Keith is right there with you. I’ve already explored it and have noticed that he speaks and asks questions of his network. Very cool!
• 3) Generosity: Keith is all about giving to others and his network is symbolic of it.
• 4) Career: This is a site where individuals at all stages of their careers can meet a new friend or even a stranger. Advice can really make a difference!

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