By Paul Maynard, The Relentless Networker

You are an effective networker and you have a personal brand–can you build one without detracting from the other?

There are four elements that make up your personal brand within a networking context:

1. Being a listener.
2. How you dress and your outward appearance.
3. What makes you different or your collective differentiators.
4. Making a strong first impression.

Shaping “brand you” takes on a slightly different context within the world of networking.  These four points are the outward you, the frame you place yourself in when you are out and about networking.  These four constants don’t change from event to event whereas the key messages of who you are (the deeper you) will surface as you get to know the individuals you will encounter and then qualify for further discussion and engagement.  Going deeper, your personal brand is comprised of:

• Your name or label (“The Relentless Networker” or “Alice from Dallas,” for example).
• Your digital footprint (Google, LinkedIn and similar profiles; owning your name as a domain name).
• Writing, researching and being a “thought leader.”
• Being identified with those with whom you associate.

The consistency of your brand through whatever medium you are communicating through (social media, networking, the traditional press, other marketing channels) is critical.  Having a name (which you’ve earned, not just invented) is usually a follow on to the work you’ve done and reputation you’ve built.  but the point is, you are paving the way for yourself as you walk into each room to engage new as well as established contacts.

Once you’ve established or can identify your brand and its attending messages you can go out and engage and build that brand within the context of networking.  As with social media, networking is just a vessel to carry you where you need to go.  To that event where that CFO is you need to meet, where your colleague is who can help write that white paper, to where you need to be to notice and reach out as well as be noticed.

Patience, persistence and remembering your audience and their needs is the key to success in both building brand you and then extending it through your network.

Relentless

The NDCC Blog, "The Voice of the Chamber," will inform our membership about a topic that is of interest to the North Dallas business community and encourage a dialogue among the readers. NDCC members will participate as guest bloggers, who will be asked to contribute a 200 – 300 word blog entry once a month on a specific topic, which will be determined by the chamber. The NDCC will select and edit submitted entries as necessary. Not all blog submissions will be posted to the blog. Guest bloggers will be identified, and if desired, contact information will also be posted.

If you are an NDCC member who would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By Chris Howay, co-owner of Valiant Media, a digital design and social marketing services firm based in Dallas

While you're sleeping or going about your business, your website is fighting a silent battle for you. And it may not be winning. Let's assume you're successfully driving traffic to your site through SEO, social media, and/or PPC marketing efforts. Still, the traffic is not converting into leads. What the heck?

Clearly, instead of warming your visitors to opt in or contact you, something about your site is leaving them cold. (By the way, it's not personal… We all know that bad websites can happen to good people.) Checking your analytics can reveal where the "holes" are, yet the underlying cause almost always points back to bad design. Culprits often include amateurish or over-complicated interface, unorganized or poorly-written content, lack of any clear value proposition or compelling call to action… the list goes on. In a competitive search environment, your website design IS your brand. Design still matters.

Even when your site enjoys a high search engine rank, your serious prospects will often "click and judge" you against a handful of the other businesses listed. So you gotta ask yourself: "How does my site stack up against that of my competitors?" Does it present your business as "best in class"? Or more simply: Is your site working FOR you, or AGAINST you?

What's the solution? Self-diagnosis is fine to start (admitting you have a problem is always the first step.) But for real solutions, professional help may actually be the swifter and more cost-effective course of action.

Quite simply, good design is good for business.

The NDCC Blog, "The Voice of the Chamber," will inform our membership about a topic that is of interest to the North Dallas business community and encourage a dialogue among the readers. NDCC members will participate as guest bloggers, who will be asked to contribute a 200 – 300 word blog entry once a month on a specific topic, which will be determined by the chamber. The NDCC will select and edit submitted entries as necessary. Not all blog submissions will be posted to the blog. Guest bloggers will be identified, and if desired, contact information will also be posted.

If you are an NDCC member who would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This blog  has been written to inform visitors to the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce's website of important information. Of course, it is not intended as specific advice, legal or otherwise, but rather is offered to alert visitors to potential issues that may affect their business operations. The information is not intended to and does not form a client relationship between the author and the person viewing it.