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Leveraging the Holiday Season for Personal Branding

Crystal Washington

The holiday season is one of the few times in the year when every professional has a good excuse to connect with all contacts. A simple physical holiday card or gift is a great way to say, “hello,” and stand out in a world that has gone almost completely digital. However, simply purchasing generic holiday cards […]

Inexpensive Resources to Help You Build a Polished Brand

Crystal Washington

In an age of extreme competitiveness, you may find yourself contending with your peers, job applicants and other business owners for coveted opportunities. And while you may be the most qualified, without the right packaging, you will not make it past the initial stages. The simple truth is that hiring managers are swapped with resumes and […]

Become an Industry Rock Star with Twitter and Instagram

Crystal Washington

One of the easiest ways to grow your following as an industry expert quickly is through leveraging social networks, specifically Twitter and Instagram, during major industry events. Are you a member of an association? Whether you’re a newbie or an association veteran, leveraging hashtags can quickly turn you into the event’s superstar. Older, more established associations […]

The Art of Connecting Genuinely via Social Media

Crystal Washington

Building a following for your personal brand via social media requires not only expertise and a point of view, but also the ability to be perceived as genuine in your interactions. Many people attempt to build a brand on social media only to spout off statistics or opinions, without taking the time to truly connect with […]

How to Place a Value on Your Brand

Crystal Washington

Many professionals and business owners find it extremely difficult to assign value to themselves and their brands. For some reason, in many peoples’ minds, discussing money “cheapens” relationships. I recently observed a conversation between several Facebook friends who are business owners. The conversation started when a friend with a growing business, already boasting celebrity clientele, posted that […]

Creating a Social Media Plan of Action

Crystal Washington

Busy professionals who use social media for personal branding, networking, job search, etc. normally don’t have time to throw away. Yet, most use social media without having any real strategy. Sure, they may get a “hit” on occasion with a business referral or job opening information, but those happenings tend to be a happy surprise. In […]

Power Relationship Building With LinkedIn Contacts

Crystal Washington

Are you already using LinkedIn Contacts? Interestingly enough, the social network released the feature with relatively little fanfare this year. However, it is easily one of the most important updates LinkedIn has ever added to their list of already impressive free services. LinkedIn Contacts is LinkedIn’s answer to a CRM (customer relationship management) system. It allows you to […]

Will a Technology Fast Make You More Productive?

Crystal Washington

Many of us eat, sleep, and breathe technology. I’m no different, in fact, it’s my job to know the newest happenings in mobile and social media technology and then relate the practical applications to everyday busy professionals. However, while technology, used strategically, should make us more efficient, the overuse of technology makes us less effective. One of […]

How to Build Your Personal Brand as an Expert

Crystal Washington

One of the questions I encounter frequently, especially by professionals who are just starting to use social media, is how I built a brand around being an expert. While I’m always happy to answer, I find myself at a partial loss simply because the answer is both amazingly simple and complicated. The short answer is that […]

Six Ways Sales Professionals Should Use Social Media

Crystal Washington

Most sales professionals I’ve encountered are using LinkedIn for business. However, few truly understand how to fully leverage sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Social media is not only great for building relationships, but it is also wonderful for prospecting and attracting clients through a strong brand. I just finished conducting a workshop for a large […]