Brand strategist Hajj Flemings is the founder of Brand Camp University, which runs one of the premier personal branding conferences in the Midwest, and the author of The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management, a Fast Company magazine 2008 Readers Choice Business Book of the Year. As the program ambassador for the Michigan Tech Online MBA program, Hajj recruits and manages the social media content for the program. He has been featured on Fox 2 News, ESPN.com and BusinessWeek.com and travels nationally speaking on business and personal branding, social media and career development. In his own words, Flemings shares how he uses social media to achieve his business objectives.--Alfred Edmond Jr.
There is a tremendous amount of value in social networks, but most people get caught up in trying to get as many people to follow them as they can without a clear strategy on why and what they will do with them once they have them. I am active online for the following six reasons: 1) build brand awareness, 2) engage potential customers, 3) build my network before I need it, 4) listen to others, 5) share my ideas and 6) to demonstrate expertise in my niche.
Alfred Edmond Jr. is SVP/Editor-at-large of BLACK ENTERPRISE. He is a content leader, brand representative and expert resource for all media platforms under the BLACK ENTERPRISE brand, including the web site, social media and live networking events. From 2008 through 2010, Edmond was SVP/Editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com, helping to lead the transition of BLACK ENTERPRISE from single-magazine publisher to digital-first multimedia company. From 1995 through 2008, Edmond was chief editor of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine. He has also hosted The Urban Business Roundtable on WVON-AM in Chicago and Money Matters, a syndicated radio feature of American Urban Radio Networks. Edmond is also an entrepreneur, speaker, author and amateur natural bodybuilding competitor.
