Advice on Building a Personal Brand at Conferences like BrightonSEO

BrightonSEO kicks off this week so I thought I'd share some of my wisdom on building a personal brand in the world of SEO...

Many years ago I recall the kind of brand-building in SEO, aka Rand Fishkin, speaking about how he went about building his personal brand by speaking at Mozcon.

His big tip? Stand out from the crowd (he famously wore yellow shoes). People remembered him for doing so - it was easier for him to be remembered by those who were at the conference.

The power of personal brand building cannot be underestimated, and the great thing about it for other SEO consultants and freelancers is that it is just so, so simple!

Building a Personal Brand - My Own Experience

After hearing about Rand’s advice, and reading about the power of leaning into eccentricities and personal character traits, I decided I’d give it a go myself.

One thing that helps me to stand out vs other SEOs is that I tend to mumble quite a bit. Sometimes it’s a bit of a problem but I see it more as my superpower.

With that in mind I leaned into it fully when I went to my first SEO conference.

If you’re doubtful at this moment then just consider this - imagine I’ve just given a talk at a big SEO conference or event, and 2 attendees are having a chat later that afternoon nursing half a pint of warm Fosters…

Scenario 1

Dave: Hey did you see that talk by Matt Tutt about that super-cool SEO topic everyone is raving about (again)?

Phil: No I didn’t actually, who was that?

Dave: Oh he was the white guy, mid-to-late 30’s with a beard…

Phil: Sorry no, I’m still not sure who you are talking about.

Now compare the above to the below…

Scenario 2

Dave: Hey did you see that talk by Matt Tutt about that super-cool SEO topic everyone is raving about (again)?

Phil: No I didn’t actually, who was that?

Dave: Oh he was the guy who was mumbling all the time.

Phil: Yeah I did actually! No idea what he said though...

Dave: Yes me neither but he sure was memorable wasn’t he!!!

6 Free Personal Brand Building Tips

These tips apply mainly for those who are attending an SEO conference - but could probably be used in other environments…

1 - Wear a tshirt that reads “FUCK OFF SCUM”.

2 - Carry a Nokia 3210 in your pocket. Make a point of taking it out every few minutes so everyone sees it. When someone comments on it tell them you hate modern phones (and society).

3 - When meeting a new person for the first time ask them a nice little icebreaker, eg “Have you ever been caught buying links?” - when they nervously answer “No” instantly shout “You must be bloody good at it then!!” and then walk off.

4 - During the conference whenever someone asks you a technical (or a personal) question reply very loudly “IT DEPENDS” (look around smiling maniacally as you say this to watch the reaction of other people).

5 - Get an anchor tattooed on a highly visible area of your body. Tell them it is to show your love to the world of building links (obviously).

6 - Hand people a signed photograph of yourself after meeting them before excusing yourself (you’ve got to hop on an urgent call with Adrian Chiles).

TLDR - Building Your Personal Brand

If you struggled with the length of the above here’s the jist of it - no-one cares what you have to say these days, what is more important is that you are memorable.

Wear some stilts when you give your talk, take a dump on stage or try faking a Glaswegian accent despite coming from the Home Counties - the key is to be as different as possible.

Got any other good personal branding tips? Good for you (what do you want, a biscuit?) 🙂