How to Build Your Personal Brand Like a VC

The Year of the Personal Brand

Okay, personal branding is nothing new. In fact, people have been blogging about it for a few years now. But since there are so many online communication channels available today, I feel like it is becoming more and more important (and not just for senior management teams). It seems venture capitalists, in particular, have really taken note of this over the past few years, and from my perspective, they are personal branding machines. If you don’t believe me take a peek at Heardable’s latest list of top VCs online. (Note: OpenView was featured in this list. After it was released I caught up with Jon Samsel, Heardable’s CEO, and he said they are looking to release a list of the top 100 next).

Recently my colleagues hunkered down to do some deep digging at what makes venture capitalists so successful at branding themselves online.  This report is the result of all of their hard work.  In this post, I’d like to share some of the best practices that virtually ANYONE can implement in order to elevate their brands to the likes of Fred Wilson, Mark Suster, and Brad Feld — the trio who make up our top technology venture capitalists online. (Note: Fred topped our list and the Heardable list — he really has mastered the art of personal branding).

How to Be the Fred Wilson of Your Industry:

Think of your blog as the hub of your online brand. Ultimately, it can be the online destination for your fans and followers to interact with you. If you are not blogging, you better get to it if you have the goal of building your brand. Here are a few key practices to ensure that you are blogging effectively:

• Cross-promote your blog content by referencing older posts in your new content
• Try to connect on a personal and professional level
• Maintain a regular schedule
• Actively engage with your audience (for more tips, check out the full report here)

Get social with it. Set up accounts across the major platforms including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ to start. Use these channels to really showcase your personality and increase engagement with your audience. Here are a few key practices that were highlighted in our report:

• Develop a hashtag library and work hard to maintain a consistent schedule until your audience catches on
• Think of using the social channels as a way to communicate rather than simply distribute
• Don’t be afraid to share something that tells the world about you — although remember there is a line marking what is appropriate and you don’t want to cross it!

Answer away. Q&A discussions have become quite popular with the rise of Quora and LinkedIn Answers.  Consider participating in these sites (or even in niche communities) in order to build your personal brand.  Here are some key things to keep in mind:

• Set aside some time every day or at least a few times a week to peruse the sites and answer questions
• Be sure to respond to comments as a way to foster engagement
• Consider using Google+ hangouts to really foster a personal connection

For more advice on personal branding, here is a quick blog offering 9 manageable personal branding tips, don’t forget to check out the complete OpenView report.