Your Brand – in Twelve Seconds

“So, rumor has it,” she says, as she leans toward the camera drawing you in to learn a secret about China and the Beijing Olympics – insider information she delivers in just 12 seconds. She is Christine Lu, Chairman and cofounder of The China Business Network, and creator and host of The China Business Show. Although she’s lived most of her life in Los Angeles, Christine describes herself as a “social media addict who grew up in cyberspace.” She has a strong online presence not only on her business websites but also across a range of social media, including Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Utterz – just to name a few!

In following Christine online, I’ve noticed that she always conveys ease and confidence; and she communicates with insight and wit, often bringing humor as well as perspective to a range of life and business topics. More importantly, she effectively leverages social media in thoughtful ways to build and maintain relationships with people whether they are across town or across the Pacific – and then grows those relationships as a participant and host at face-to-face networking events. Christine is a strong brand, not only when it comes to doing business in China, but also in her active social media leadership. So strong is her brand, in fact, that she was recently named to NowPublic's list of the 20 most influential individuals in Los Angeles. 

While Christine provides “little snippets of my life” on video at her own site, she has recently been experimenting with short videos at 12seconds.tv. There, she has posted 12 second clips that include applying lip gloss, eating a burrito, showing a new pair of shoes – and of course sharing insider tips about China Business.

From a personal branding point of view, Christine certainly exudes her brand. Indeed, beyond what she might say about it, she truly lives and demonstrates her brand daily – not only by creating value in facilitating doing business in China but also in the “snippets of life” she offers – some as short as 12 seconds.

What about you? How do you move beyond what you say to live and exude your brand? How can you demonstrate it in twelve seconds?

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Comments

[Anita Bruzzese]

A very thought-provoking post. I've been thinking lately about how we introduce ourselves to people we don't know, and what those first several seconds say about us. This just demonstrates that even 12 seconds -- used in the right way for the right reasons -- can be very powerful.
Very interesting read.

[Walter Akana]

Hi Anita!

Thanks for your comment!

I had been following Christine on Twitter, and when I first saw her 12 second video clips, it struck me that she is a great example of someone whose brand has grown “organically” just by being herself – and she is able to convey her brand well – even in 140 character tweets and 12 second videos.

By contrast, most people need to work at uncovering and conveying their brands. While this often starts with brand messaging, I think it’s a great exercise to think of ways to demonstrate one’s brand in short chunks of space and time. So, yes, it sure would be terrific for people to move in the direction of making powerful connections that takes just seconds! After all, 30-second elevator pitches are *so* time consuming :-)

[Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers]

Very interesting example of branding. It seems as if Christine not only helps form a bridge between the US and China, but also between different sides of herself!

[Walter Akana]

Hi Miriam! Thanks for your comment. I know we’ve discussed the idea of how much personal information one should/shouldn’t reveal online. While I’ve tended to favor keeping information focused on central brand messages, I’m actually beginning to think that online life streams can add more depth to one’s personal brand – taking it beyond branding that is tightly tied to one’s career. As long as there’s clarity about one’s core brand, showing different facets of one’s personality can add interest.