Cambridge Who’s Who Spring 2010 Teleseminar Recap

Cambridge Who’s Who^® Spring 2010 Teleseminar Recap
“How to Build Your Brand Using Digital Real Estate”
Guest Speaker: Donald Trump Jr.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
7 p.m. EST

Donald Trump Jr., who was recently named as the Cambridge Who’s Who^® Executive Director of Global Branding and Networking, served as the guest speaker of our Spring teleseminar, held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. The conference call was a success! We received an overwhelming response from members, which is a true testament to the drive, determination, and level of dedication to personal and professional development that Cambridge Who’s Who^® members share.

Guest speaker, Donald Trump Jr., is a real estate guru and experienced businessman. Through his new affiliation with Cambridge Who’s Who^®, Trump Jr. collaborated with Cambridge’s team to produce a teleseminar for members — teaching them how to obtain visibility and credibility on the Web. Specifically, Trump Jr. disseminated his expertise to the online world and introduced members to the concept of digital real estate. The purpose of the seminar was to provide members with the know-how to effectively brand themselves and their companies.

If you participated in the conference call, Cambridge Who’s Who^® hopes you gained helpful tips and techniques to develop a strong online presence. If you were not able to dial-in, here is a summary of what Donald Trump Jr. shared about using digital real estate to build your brand:

Tip#1: Be Proactive in Your Brand Development
Take control of your brand, as creating a distinct personal image is vital to career and business success. Secure branded domain names such as www.yourname.com to improve your marketing and visibility on the Web. This will also assist potential employers, contacts and customers in finding information about you or your company online.

Tip#2: Discover Your Uniqueness and Demonstrate Expertise within Your Industry
Before you can promote your brand, you must clearly define one. In addition to knowing who you are and what you stand for, consider what makes you different from other professionals in your field. Know your core competencies, talents, skills and abilities — what you have to offer others. Develop your areas of expertise by reading the right publications, attending academic and professional conferences, and obtaining the accreditations and certifications needed to give you a competitive edge. This will help you establish credibility and be considered an expert resource.

Tip#3: Define Your Target Audience
Determine the people to whom your messaging should be directed. This partly involves figuring out what the goals and objectives are for your brand campaign. Are you seeking a new job, additional clients or special public speaking opportunities? Once you have identified what you would like to achieve, define your audience, and its demographics, characteristics and interests. These are the individuals who should be the most receptive to your branding. Next, find out how you should best promote your brand and spread your message to your target audience. Be specific and tailor your approach accordingly.

Tip#4: Gain Online Exposure
The Internet has increasingly become an effective channel to gain global exposure, and reach potential consumers and contacts. It is crucial to utilize search engine optimization as part of your marketing mix. Infuse the copy in your online profiles, blogs, websites and marketing messages with keywords that are relevant to you, your areas of expertise, a specific audience or industry. This will help you and your company’s online real estate to be placed on the top-tiered results pages of major search engines.

Tip#5: Take Advantage of Cambridge Who’s Who^® Digital Real Estate™
Cambridge Who’s Who^® can help you develop the online real estate that is available to you through membership. Take advantage of the complimentary, branded features offered via our Charities Blog, News Blog or Resource Center, and frequently updated your professional profile on Cambridge Who’s Who Connect™. Also, contact your account representative to learn more about our online press release, video biography, website creation and Internet traffic programs, and discover the services that best meet your branding and marketing needs. These online platforms are specially designed to showcase your skills, talents, products and/or services globally, and open the door to new professional contacts and opportunities.

After Donald Trump Jr.’s presentation, we opened the phone lines to all Cambridge Who’s Who^® members listening to the teleseminar. Members were able to enter a queue, pose a question to Donald Trump Jr. and request advice. They were also able to email questions in advance of the call. Cambridge Who’s Who^® Chief Operating Officer Erica Lee offered information and guidance as well. Here are a few interesting questions that took place during the call:

Cambridge Who’s Who® member, Trina Lee Pittman, from Davy, Fla.: “I have a very unique business, and the prospective client base is very specific. I provide consulting services to attorneys only. Due to this limitation, how would you suggest I market and brand to reach this specific target audience?”

Donald Trump Jr.: “Research your areas of expertise and find out where you can find your audience. You need to participate in conferences and/or be a speaker to create an aura of expertise. Make sure you are out there in the forefront to be able to expose yourself to your core audience and create connections.”

Cambridge Who’s Who^® member, Craig Simpson, from Mattapan, Mass.: “What is the best way to get financing from the financial institutions at this time, with an average credit score, high debt, etc., but particularly in this economic climate?”

Donald Trump Jr.: “As they start loosening up, things will get better again. Again, you need to start to differentiate yourself. Make sure you are out there and delivering a consistent message. Banks want to see consistency. You need to create the track record and show that you are proving you are an expert in what you are doing. You have to build up your own credibility and use online resources to do it.”

Cambridge Who’s Who^® member, Lori Brandon, from Shakopee, Minn.: “I am wondering about increasing visibility in things like Google searches. I do have my name out in press releases — my name has been in different academic circles — but when I do a Google or Yahoo! search on my name, there is only one event out of several years’ worth of name recognition that actually hits on the first few pages. How do I get all of those things combined so that they show up on the search?”

Donald Trump Jr.: “Search engine optimization is critical. I have a dedicated team that handles different properties making sure that Trump hotels show up when someone searches for luxury hotels. You need hits to get you on the first pages. You need someone to help you drive your presence on the first few pages. The more relevant you are to the rest of the Internet community, the more visibility you will obtain.”

Erica Lee, COO: “Cambridge Who’s Who^® has a dedicated team to take your keywords, parts of your areas of expertise, as well as meta tags — that you cannot see — to optimize your content for the search engines.”

Following the conference call, several Cambridge Who’s Who^® members contacted Donald Trump Jr. to thank him for sharing his knowledge in the areas of branding, marketing and networking. “Many thanks for the clearly articulated information you offered during the seminar. I have a newfound awareness of what messages and impressions are important in marketing a business,” said Lee Logan, a Cambridge Who’s Who^® member based in Dallas, Texas, who specializes in event management. Catherine Law, a consultant for a non-profit organization located in New York, N.Y., acknowledged Donald Trump Jr. for offering his insights during the call. She further wrote, “I actually just finished securing my name online, so that is step one that you've taught me tonight.” To share your thoughts on the Spring teleseminar with Donald Trump Jr., if you have not done so already, simply email donald.trumpjr@cwwemail.com.

Cambridge Who’s Who^® thanks all of the members who participated in the teleseminar. We hope that it was an enlightening experience, and we look forward to offering more seminars in the future. If you are interested in sharing your knowledge and advice as a guest speaker on an exclusive Cambridge Who’s Who® conference call, please send an email with your full name, contact information and areas of expertise to seminars@cambridgeregistry.com.

To learn more about the Cambridge Who’s Who^® Spring Teleseminar featuring Donald Trump Jr. as the guest speaker, please visit our Cambridge Connect Resource Center post: Donald Trump Jr. Leads Cambridge Who’s Who® Teleseminar: “How to Bu...