Top 10 Self Branding Eggsperts of 2008

Written on December 9, 2008 by Susan Payton

I get great advice from several key people about self branding, and I wanted to share them with you. All of these people play in the social media realm, but even if you’re not into it yet, you can still learn a lot from them about branding yourself. And hey, maybe they’ll convince you to hop on board.

I’m not big on statistics, so here are the things I looked for when compiling this list:

• is recognized as a brand (even if they also represent a different brand or company)
• is well followed on blog, Facebook and/or Twitter
• is easily accessible and open to starting and participating in conversations
• has been successful in promoting themselves with social media
• uses public speaking as a platform for promotion

These are listed in no particular order, so don’t start shoving to get to the head of the line, people. I aim to interview all these Eggsperts so you can learn more about them in the near future.

Chris Brogan Chris is the expert on social media and communities. His blog is well-read, he’s all over social media sites, and he’s a damn good public speaker. In fact, here’s a great post he just wrote about how to get into public speaking (something I’m seriously considering).

Gary Vaynerchuk Gary started out as a guy trying to promote his Wine Library. He ended up becoming his own brand. He puts out hilariously amusing videos about wine (which he knows well) and also speaks at blogging and social media conferences.

Darren Rowse If you blog, you know Darren Rowse, or more specifically, you know Problogger. Darren, who started out with a photography blog, then created the Problogger blog about how to blog, which propelled him to fame, and now has added the Twitip blog on Twitter to the mix. He lives in Australia, but speaks all over the world. Great guy too.

Wendy Piersall You know I had to put Wendy in. She’s the founder of one of the most recognized blog networks, Sparkplugging (ahem. You’re on the site now). I laugh because people never know who I am but they definitely know who she is, which is a good thing. She blogs, she works on partnerships with businesses, and she speaks at conferences.

Jim Kukral Blogger, author, speaker, ukelele player. Jim does it all. And now he has a web coaching platform he is promoting. People listen to Jim because he knows his stuff, from making videos to podcasts to how to use social media effectively.

Mari Smith Mari Smith and Facebook are synonymous. I heard her speak briefly at BlogWorld and since then have seen her everywhere online, offering free and paid seminars on how to get the most out of Facebook.

Warren Whitlock Warren is THE go-to guy when it comes to Twitter. He and Coach Deb (see below) are the co-authors of an amazing book about Twitter, The Twitter Handbook. He consults, he speaks, he blogs. He has the right mix of different activities needed to promote himself.

Coach Deb Deborah Micek is another great social media guru. She’s written books, blogs and ebooks on the subject, and speaks frequently. And her lifestyle is her model for success: she lives in Hawaii!

Brian Solis He’s got a PR firm, a blog, does public speaking and is passionate about how PR is changing with technology and social media. People know him because he is an expert in his field.

Justin Levy Justin is a newcomer to the branding and social media platform, but he’s made quite a few waves this year. He also happens to be one of my clients, so I knew him back when. He got started branding his Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse, and ended up making a name for himself in social media with his blog. He is starting to speak at conferences.

This list is by no means exhaustive. It’s my personal picks. Who would you add to this list?

Posted in Announcements, Marketing 2.0, Social Media, Marketing & Networking

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