When it comes to online branding, remember the 3 P’s: personality, professionalism, and passion! Your blog, social profiles and avatar should be consistent but also showcase your 3 P’s! Now when I happen upon these visual missteps, the teacher in me wants to fix it immediately. Fortunately, I can do one better….give you the tools to fix it yourself, as well as a few basic guidelines to consider.

Avatar: This is the image that can be associated with everything from your tweets on Twitter and your status updates on Facebook to your business cards, LinkedIn profile and other professional marketing. I suggest selecting a photographer than can shoot both a headshot and more relaxed or natural pose. Then you can use both versions for all your marketing needs. NOTE: When it comes to Twitter and Facebook, you can and should have a little more fun with your avatar. Take your professional pose and magically enhance it with one of these sites: BeFunky, Blingee, PhotoFunia, Picnik.

Social Profiles: Some social profiles like Facebook and LinkedIn will only allow you to upload your avatar. But others like Twitter and YouTube, allow you to completely customize your background. A custom background can imitate your professional blog/Website branding, but should also be infused with personality and passion! Here are a few examples of some of my favorite custom backgrounds: @SellingPeoria and @Cyberhomes.  If you liked these, then visit TwitterPinch for truly amazing Twitter and YouTube backgrounds. It may cost you $150, but it’s worth every penny! In the interim, try these free branding tools: Twitbacks & BackgroundTube.

Blog/Website: Your business home base. Should be highly professional, showcase your expertise, include your logo, branding colors, highlight niche or local flavor. Consider hiring a professional designer to create your logo and/or header image.  Once you have those pieces in place, it’s pretty easy to take your logo on the go….by adding it to the design of your social profiles.

If hiring an assistant or marketing coordinator is not in the cards for you right now, you need to find a way to organize your marketing efforts and concentrate on sharing your expertise with the right network. One simple way to elevate your expertise above the competition is by obtaining a designation or specializing in certain types of real estate transactions. Do you have several green builders in your area, as well as knowledge of sustainable home features?  You may want to consider becoming an EcoBroker, a special designation for environmentally concerned real estate professionals.

Recently, I was invited to dinner by my friend John Harper, who introduced me to Ginny Mees. While enjoying our “wine & dine” evening, I asked Ginny and her husband Paul (both agents) how they’re able to be so successful in such a challenging real estate market. Ginny smiled, and responded with, “I do what I know best!” What she knows best are the challenges facing independent women homeowners.  She focuses her marketing efforts (both online & offline) on women who are going through divorce, widowed, etc.

In fact, Ginny created an online network (SingleWomenHomeowner.com) that brings together experts in women homeownership issues and consumers with questions based on location. Ginny also shares tools and resources that can help others who want to focus in this direction. FYI- Ginny didn’t do this alone, she consulted with 2 top experts, Kelly Lise Murray and Wendy Waselle of DivorceThisHouse, who educate real estate agents by providing a CE/CLE course to learn about the specific laws affecting divorced women.

I’m not suggesting you go out and create an online network overnight, but you can easily connect with locals in your area based on your expertise or topic via Facebook, Twitter, ActiveRain and other existing social media tools. For example, create an interest based group on Facebook (i.e. Living Green in Danville). Share your FB Group/Fan Page on all your marketing pieces, as well as a few tips for sustainable living. Join local environmental interest groups, offer to speak on green living at events, create an ebook for download on your blog, be the green living local advisor to your market area. If you blog, share articles about green initiatives, new recycling laws, local sustainable businesses, people making a difference, etc.

MyTechOpinion: Finding your niche means drawing upon your own skill-set and developing your prior knowledge so that you can provide your top-notch expertise to clients who are looking for someone just like you. It doesn’t mean that you become a jack of all-trades with your hand in every cookie jar so that you can display 42 designations on your business card. Remember, do what you know best and success will follow!