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iaan
van niekerk

www.iaanvn.com
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You are just like i expected

August 12, 2012 in Social Media

At this point, i don’t think it is a secret at all that we are completely infatuated with Social Media. Having presented more than 10 workshops, done various talks, some consultations and sharing too-many-to-count impromptu tips, stories and news about social media, i still enjoy being surprised when social media keeps presenting opportunities and relationships that never before seemed possible. More about that in another post…

During our latest travels, someone we just met, said the title of this post to me .

You are just like i expected

Normally this would be an insult i would take very seriously. Being unpredictable, interesting, innovative, creative and spontaneous is some of the values i want to live by. So hearing someone say that they’re expectations of me were spot on might have well been the last words of our brief conversation… But it was not. I was rather impressed (as a video i watched from John O’Nolan some years ago flashed through my mind.)

In this video, John talks about the concept of Personal Branding in a way that has stuck with me for a couple of years now. Ever since, both Christine and i have been trying (sometimes more effective than other) to build a credible, authentic personal brand. I know this process is not complete and will probably never stop. But hearing someone say that how they’ve come to know us online was an accurate representation of who we were when we spent some time together, can hardly be an insult. It was in actual fact, rather encouraging and reassuring.

We value branding and marketing like most people in business, but authenticity in social media is more valuable than any campaign or any form of advertising. This is even more true when your business is small and personal – such as a photographer, musician, public speaker or entrepreneur. People will be very quick to realize that the expectation you are creating (branding) and what they experience when dealing with you (reality) is not the same. No one likes this realization. It is like being caught out by the fine print, or having a serious case of buyers remorse. It all has to do with creating and meeting (or exceeding) expectations.

So next time you update your status, share a video or post a tweet, remember that everything you put online is building your personal brand. Be sure that this brand of yours will be an accurate representation of who you are. This way, when people need to decide who to work with, they can feel like they already know you. They can relate and associate. They feel connected to what you do and what is important to you.

Suddenly business is personal and connections are authentic.

Meaning is created beyond just making money.

Business becomes fun.

If you are interested learning more about Social Media by having a One-on-one consultation/Chat/Q&A session via Skype, Find out more
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16 Responses to You are just like i expected

  1. Monica Dart August 13, 2012 at 9:42 am #

    ….every action has a reaction…and your reaction to “You are like I expected” was not only a positive one, but one which made you reach inside on many levels and see it from all other angles. Really great food for thought this Monday morning. thanks Iaan!

    Reply
  2. Soapmouth August 13, 2012 at 10:55 am #

    This is very inspiring! Thanks man

    Reply
  3. dmoment258 August 13, 2012 at 12:12 pm #

    Loved this article, especially the last paragraph. Read it out to the office and we all agreed with you! Feeling inspired!

    Reply
  4. Rudolph Geldenhuys (@prgeldenhuys) August 13, 2012 at 12:13 pm #

    I think I might just have to share this post! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  5. Yolande Bezuidenhout August 13, 2012 at 12:28 pm #

    Thanx, very inspiring.

    Reply
  6. Kim August 13, 2012 at 1:38 pm #

    So true! You guys are really inspiring!

    Reply
  7. nikki August 13, 2012 at 1:41 pm #

    Very well said Iaan! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. anke lambrechts August 13, 2012 at 2:07 pm #

    so so true.. and valuable!

    Reply
  9. Elaine August 13, 2012 at 5:41 pm #

    So true Iaan!!! And from this article I feel confident to say that I adore you & Christine, you are so true..what keeps people coming back!

    Reply
  10. iaan August 13, 2012 at 10:25 pm #

    Thank you for all the comments! I really appreciate it. Hoping to write some more soon ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  11. GuStav August 13, 2012 at 10:27 pm #

    Brilliant! Loved reading this ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  12. Janine August 14, 2012 at 5:40 am #

    This is Brilliant Iaan!

    Reply
  13. RotSta August 14, 2012 at 10:33 am #

    Just wanted to say: you’re the man!! Really cool!

    Reply
  14. Andreas August 14, 2012 at 2:14 pm #

    Great post Iaan! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  15. Nicola August 14, 2012 at 2:43 pm #

    Awesome post Iaan! Mens update so baie jou status, tweet iets of skryf op jou blog sonder om te besef dat dit ‘n ware refleksie van jouself is.

    Reply

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  1. …and a couple of beers plus a rap song later… « Reinhart Rymhard - August 15, 2012

    […] That spoke to me about the type of artist and person I want to be. He is one the embodiments of the awesome blogpost by Iaan van Niekerk.ย There are many people to look up to, who achieve amazing things and who have […]

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