How business journalists can develop a personal brand

Journalists must invest in creating “professional assurance” for themselves, said Dorie Clark, author of “Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future,” during a training call hosted by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers on Monday.

“It’s not just what you do on social media, but it’s important what people think about you and how people know you,” Clark said.

During SABEW’s monthly teletraining, panelists discussed how – and why it’s important – to thoughtfully develop one’s personal brand. They talked about the challenges and opportunities business journalists face when building a brand today and specifically how one can use social media as a branding tool.

The panel included Paul Cheung, director of Interactive and Digital News Production with the Associated Press; Clark, a marketing strategy consultant and professional speake; Chuck Jaffe, a senior columnist for MarketWatch and the host of his own radio show; and moderator Joe Grimm, an instructor at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

Cheung, who does digital work for the AP, began by discussing the importance of business journalists having a consistent brand, balancing professional and personal characteristics, across all social media platforms.

“Your voice online determines the audience that you attract and will determine how people perceive you,” Cheung said. “Have a consistent photo of yourself on social media, and don’t use an outdated headshot either.”

Cheung follows his own “rule of three” on social media and chooses three things that best represent his brand as a journalist. He promotes those three things on all of his profiles, and that way he isn’t “annoying” about his personal branding either, he said.

Cheung’s best piece of advice for journalists still adapting to social media: Determine the purpose of your social media accounts as you create them, he said. “Figure out what makes sense. Be specific about what you want to accomplish. Remember a lot of social media platforms have privacy settings, too.”

Cheung emphasized that business journalists can’t “just broadcast everything you do” on social media. “It’s about engagement and dialogue,” he said. “That’s why social media exists. It’s not just about promoting your work, but you have to look at yourself as a thought-leader in that space.”

Jaffe chimed in to Cheung’s point about privacy by adding that he keeps his Facebook page for friends and family only. “Make a professional Facebook page and a personal Facebook page, and give people the option to opt out,” he said.

“Everybody starts by pitching their brand to friends and family, but then you have to get past that,” Jaffe said. “If you can only build a brand with friends and family, you’re not going anywhere.”

Jaffe, who writes for MarketWatch.com while also running his own radio show, has to maintain multiple brands in different spaces as a business journalist and a talk-show host. Now he’s gained a reputation–a following of readers and listeners–and has to defend that territory, he said.

“Ultimately, if you have a space you can defend and have a strong belief you can work it, you must own that brand and own that space,” Jaffe encouraged listeners on SABEW’s call. “That reputation helps you grow.”

Clark offered more advice for business journalists looking to grow their authentic brands by saying that there’s no reason a journalist can’t be “strategic” about branding, while also allowing it to “emerge organically.” Start with “who you are” and work from there, she said.

“A lot of people rebel against personal branding when they think they need to appear a certain way to people,” Clark said. “You can’t implant thoughts in peoples’ heads, but you can make it more likely that your message gets across properly.”

How can a journalist get his or her message across to an audience? Create a social media presence on Twitter, for example, and talk about topics that interest you on there, Clark suggested.

Through the use of social media platforms you can “expand the parameters” and show people who you are, and Twitter enables you to be in charge of the conversation, Clark said. “Also, get involved in professional associations, network, give talks when you can, build relationships and get your brand out there and disseminate it.”

“Branding is not who you know, but it’s who knows you,” Grimm said. “That’s where the jobs and opportunities come from.”

“Branding requires you to step out and be a leader,” Grimm added as he closed the conversation. “A brand requires you to do the things that you’re passionate about.”

When the panel was asked what social media site is best for business journalists today, the consensus was: LinkedIn. But Twitter came in a close second place. “Ultimately it depends on what you want to do,” Jaffe said. But all panelists seemed to agree that Facebook was the most personal platform and probably the least helpful for brand development.