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#StandOutOnline: How to Build a Profitable and Influential Personal Brand in the Digital Age
For everyone who wants to build their online presence, the RIGHT way!' - Julie Montagu, wellness guru and author of RechargeThe inspirational new book from the author of The Million Dollar Blog -- discover how to build an authoritative and authentic personal brand that will change your life.If you google yourself, what do you see? Do you blend in with the masses or stand out from the crowd? Are you recognised as a thought-leader in your industry? Or are you watching others build their profile and wondering if you are being left behind?Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, expert or an employee, how you present yourself online has a huge impact on your professional reputation. We are lucky to live in a world where everyone now has the power to publish and create micro-fame by putting out content - word by word, post by post, video by video. But how do you grab people's attention in today's noisy online world?Using a combination of technical know-how, insider tips and interviews with prominent online influencers and business owners, entrepreneur and digital strategist Natasha Courtenay-Smith shows how anyone can build a strong personal brand and become the most visible expert in their industry.#StandOutOnline is the ultimate guide to building a powerful and influential personal brand that will create boundless opportunities for you and your business. Now is the time for you to find your voice and step into the spotlight.PRAISE FOR # the practical, wise nuggets of advice you need to get started and dig in deep are in the pages of #StandOutOnline' - Emma Gannon, award-winning blogger and author of Ctrl Alt Delete and The Multi-Hyphen Method'Every single budding and established digital entrepreneur needs to read this enlightening book. Unmissable.' - Vicki Psarias, author of Mumboss and founder of the award-winning blog Honest Mum
272 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 16, 2023
Did you know Natasha Courtenay-Smith works at Bolt Digital, a marketing agency? Well, if you didn't, you will by the end of this book, as it's mentioned some 500 times. The book itself felt more like an exercise in branding than for elucidating readers of the complicated nuances of self-branding for growth, with its constant mentions of big-budget success and all-in "super-user" approach. But did I learn anything from it? I suppose; there are some key lessons to be gleaned, but absolutely nothing novel or compelling enough to warrant reading this book a second time let alone purchase it.
The author actually tries to convince us that 60,000-dollar investments into platform are a reasonable approach to brand building. Another case mentioned the success of someone who invested 25k PER MONTH into their brand.
On top of that there are numerous errors and silliness, such as: "American-based." We've been "schooled by" Instagram and social media (?). Personal brand is no longer a choice by a "necessity" (for whom? my neighbor who drives a snowplow?). Apparently you're literally considered dead if you start a Twitter account and then move on to more interesting things like, say, not using Twitter and instead hiking mountains or reading literature. If she can't find you online, she "doesn't trust you." (You must have a lot of enemies!)
This book is for would-be influencers, egotists, and perhaps smaller people who want to build their brand, but it's really not tailored well toward the little guy. It's geared toward people who have a 100,000 dollars to blow at some digital agency whose name I suddenly cannot remember. When I was done, my wife asked me to sum it up for her so she could apply some of the principles. I really didn't have anything new to tell her. This is not revelatory stuff. It's more like: how can you turn a few years' salary into an online me-me-me show?
The author actually tries to convince us that 60,000-dollar investments into platform are a reasonable approach to brand building. Another case mentioned the success of someone who invested 25k PER MONTH into their brand.
On top of that there are numerous errors and silliness, such as: "American-based." We've been "schooled by" Instagram and social media (?). Personal brand is no longer a choice by a "necessity" (for whom? my neighbor who drives a snowplow?). Apparently you're literally considered dead if you start a Twitter account and then move on to more interesting things like, say, not using Twitter and instead hiking mountains or reading literature. If she can't find you online, she "doesn't trust you." (You must have a lot of enemies!)
This book is for would-be influencers, egotists, and perhaps smaller people who want to build their brand, but it's really not tailored well toward the little guy. It's geared toward people who have a 100,000 dollars to blow at some digital agency whose name I suddenly cannot remember. When I was done, my wife asked me to sum it up for her so she could apply some of the principles. I really didn't have anything new to tell her. This is not revelatory stuff. It's more like: how can you turn a few years' salary into an online me-me-me show?
January 31, 2024
Corporate, outdated and underwhelming…
I always like to start with the positives and I’m happy that I picked up this book however it does feel slightly disappointing and rather underwhelming. The book could possibly be half of its current length as it includes far too many extracts from interviews she’s had with people who have “successfully” marketed themselves. Some of these are rather insightful and provide interesting quotes but many of them fall short and feel unnecessary, perhaps simply increasing the word count. Without these unnecessary extracts you could easily summarise the book in under 100 pages.
The book also comes across as far too corporate and feels like one big promotional item. If I had a Dollar for every time she mentions her company “Bolt Digital” I could probably afford a house… The methods and techniques she’s outlines are so out of date, especially in a post-Covid world. Everyone online is trying to do the same thing so it’s not standing out it’s rather fitting into what could be considered the online norm. Im sure these methods and techniques will work but it’s not 2018 anymore. However it does contain some good advice for those getting started.
I always like to start with the positives and I’m happy that I picked up this book however it does feel slightly disappointing and rather underwhelming. The book could possibly be half of its current length as it includes far too many extracts from interviews she’s had with people who have “successfully” marketed themselves. Some of these are rather insightful and provide interesting quotes but many of them fall short and feel unnecessary, perhaps simply increasing the word count. Without these unnecessary extracts you could easily summarise the book in under 100 pages.
The book also comes across as far too corporate and feels like one big promotional item. If I had a Dollar for every time she mentions her company “Bolt Digital” I could probably afford a house… The methods and techniques she’s outlines are so out of date, especially in a post-Covid world. Everyone online is trying to do the same thing so it’s not standing out it’s rather fitting into what could be considered the online norm. Im sure these methods and techniques will work but it’s not 2018 anymore. However it does contain some good advice for those getting started.
May 7, 2019
This was a pretty quick read as I knew most of the contents already. I think it would be a great book for someone with zero knowledge of blogging and social media as most of it is really the basics. I found the constant plug of her marketing company made me roll my eyes just because it was mentioned so much. Overall, not the greatest book about branding I’ve read but I think I’m not its target audience.
June 19, 2019
It’s a true guide, you should read with a pen and notebook by the side, as it will get your mind working.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews