網絡時代自我推銷的風險

????Twitter用戶數量讓在持續增長。對于希望塑造個人品牌的人們來說，這到底是福音呢，抑或只是代表更多的噪音？

????最好等到真正擁有了獨特見解的時候再發言或者上Twitter。亞歷山大說，他招聘的時候，都會看看博客和評論，希望能發現一些有新意的想法。但通常都是失望而歸。

????有些自我宣傳過度的人甚至不惜通過假造或夸大證書和學位來編造事實。如今，Google搜索功能強大，操作便捷，一切只需敲敲鍵盤，這這種做法并不聰明。過去十年里，電子產品零售商拉迪奧沙克公司（Radio Shack）、品牌皮具史密斯文森公司（Smith & Wesson）、美國奧委會（the U.S. Olympic Committee）、維利塔斯軟件公司（Veritas Software），還有些其他機構都曾出現過部分高管由于簡歷造假曝光而離職或被掃地出門的情況。

????人們很容易癡迷于Twitter粉絲數量或者克勞特指數（一種衡量社交媒體影響力的測量方法），但很多人都忘記了這一點：一個人的品牌實際上并不在于擲地有聲的最新時評。施瓦貝爾是千禧品牌（Millennial Branding）戰略公司的執行合伙人，也是個人品牌塑造書籍《Me 2.0》的作者。他認為最佳戰略就是“爭取成為某個領域的頂尖高手，哪怕是微軟Excel也好。”他還樂于為別人提供絕佳的建議和自由的見解。他說，我們幫助的人越多，就越能建立口碑和職業地位。因為人們覺得你有幫助，所以你的個人品牌就能在人們心中扎根。

????另一個典型的困局是：過度的自我推銷，因而導致與老板疏遠。作為一個二十來歲的個人品牌締造達人，施瓦布正在不斷提升著自己的聲譽，但他會確保只在工作時間之余來做這些事，同時保證老板知情。他說，“每次我做演講之前，我都會預先跟老板解釋其中原委。”

????對于梅賽德斯的卡農來說，創造精英品牌的關鍵就是要對個人聲譽進行“積極管理”。在這家德國汽車公司，這意味著要參與大師賽和全美公開賽，但不是其他輕易就能參與的活動。現在卡農已經不再使用Twitter，因為他認為這個平臺對自己個人品牌提高沒多大用處。但他正在幫助梅賽德斯“小心謹慎”地試水社交媒體。卡農稱：“要追求質量，而不是數量。歸根結底，還是實效重要。”

????那么，如何分配實際工作和自我宣傳兩者之間進行的時間比例呢？卡農認為，二八開是個合理的比例。把80%的精力放在工作以及跟老板和同事建立關系上，剩余的20%用于向他人宣傳自己的工作內容和觀點，以及通過演講、寫文章和發博文來提高曝光度。

????針對外部自我推銷，卡巴尼建議采取三七開的方式。70%可以采用信息性、娛樂性和教育性的方式，而另外30%可以是純粹的品牌塑造。與其開門見山的說：“讓我們為你設計一個新的網站吧”，不如循循善誘地與他人展開交談。可以給出人們在做網站之前應該會問的七個問題，同時確保進行答復。卡巴尼說：“一切關乎價值。社交網站的作用就像擴音器，但做正確的事也很關鍵。”

????A better plan is to speak or tweet only when you really have something unique to say. Alexander says that when he's looking to hire, he reads blogs and comments, hoping for signs of original thought. Often he is disappointed.

????Some overbranders even leave reality behind by faking or exaggerating credentials and degrees -- not too smart when Google (GOOG) is just a keystroke away. In the past decade, executives at Radio Shack (RSH), Smith & Wesson (SWHC), the U.S. Olympic Committee, Veritas Software, and more either resigned or were forced out after it was discovered that they had lied on or embellished their résumés.

????While it's easy to obsess over the number of your Twitter followers or Klout scores (a measure of social-media influence), many people have forgotten that their brands depend on more than pithy opinions on the latest news. Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Millennial Branding and author of Me 2.0, a personal-branding book, says the best strategy is to "be the go-to person for something, even if that something is as simple as Microsoft Excel data sheets." He also favors offering really great advice and free insights. As you help more people, you build word-of-mouth referrals and job security, he says. Your brand becomes ingrained in people's minds as useful.

????Another classic trap is alienating your boss with your overzealous self-promotion. As Schawbel was building his reputation as a twenty-something personal-branding czar, he made sure he did it outside work hours and kept his boss in the loop. "Anytime I had a speech," he says, "I would explain to my manager exactly what was going on beforehand."

????For Mercedes' Cannon, the key to creating an elite brand is to "actively manage" your reputation. At the German car company, that means the Masters and the U.S. Open -- but not other, more accessible, events. And while Cannon so far has skipped Twitter because he doesn't see it advancing his personal brand, he is helping Mercedes wade in "cautiously" into social media. "Go for quality, not quantity," Cannon says. "It really comes down to curation."

????So how should you split your time between the actual work you do and making sure others know all about it? Cannon thinks an 80/20 split is a good ratio, with 80% of your effort going toward the job and the bonds you build with co-workers and your boss. The remaining 20% goes into sharing your work and ideas and being visible through speeches, articles, or blog posts.

????Of that outside self-promotion, Kabani suggests a 70/30 split: Most of it should be informative, entertaining, or educational, whereas 30% can be straight brand building. Here, it's good to create a conversation: Instead of saying, "Let us create your next website," post the seven questions one needs to ask before doing so -- and then be sure to provide the answers. "It's all about value," Kabani says. "Social media is simply an amplifier. Doing the right things is crucial as well."