It’s certainly not a revelation that a brand with a strong personality, or voice, stands out more to customers and makes a bigger impact on their choosing the brand when it comes time to open their wallets. And many brands have gotten really savvy at establishing and delivering a consistent brand voice in the brick and mortar world. If we each put our consumer hat on we can easily recall a specific shopping experience and certain things about it that demonstrate a clear brand voice – the store atmosphere, logos and colors within the store, interactions with employees, and so on.

Last year, I wrote a post for Marketing Pilgrim about ways that marketers can use their skills to give back to the community. With the holiday season already upon us, many people are looking for volunteer opportunities, so this seems like a great time for a quick refresh of that post.

There are, of course, hundreds of opportunities to volunteer in our local communities, from organizations like Habitat for Humanity to the local animal shelter. What I’m focusing on here, however, are opportunities that relate to the field of marketing. That allows you to do good and potentially get the added benefit of a career boost. (More on that below.)

Here are a few options to consider if you want to do some ‘social good’ this season – or anytime:

This post was written by our Social Media channel sponsor Full Sail University.

“Alright, you primitive screwheads, listen up!” For those familiar with the work of movie director Sam Raimi, “Army of Darkness” is, no doubt, a perennial favorite. For those as yet indoctrinated, I’d encourage you to check out the film. It’s one of my favorites! In addition to being funny and imaginative, the chief protagonist, Ash Williams, would make a great Internet marketer. Really! Here are some lessons Internet marketers can take from Ash’s example.

“Say hello to the twenty-first century!”

This post was written by our Social Media channel sponsor Full Sail University.

In a previous post here on Marketing Pilgrim, I wrote about personal branding from the perspective of how social media can help (or hurt) in finding a job. That article focused on the basic tactics like setting up professional profiles and who to follow. In this post I’d like to get into the strategy behind personal branding a little more.

The basic tenet behind developing a strong personal brand – or any brand, for that matter – is providing your audience with something of value to them. Online, that’s largely about content, and just as businesses should have a solid content strategy, so should you as an individual.

Developing a Personal Brand Content Strategy

Now that all those Black Friday sales are over and we are getting closer to the online holiday rush slowing down, we can shift our attention to the more altruistic part of this season. People are often looking for a way to give back at this time of year, and, given the current economic climate, there is certainly a lot of need among nonprofits of all types.

From volunteering to feed the homeless to helping raise funds for school supplies for children in need, we are presented with many opportunities to get involved. If you’re not sure where to begin, try the Corporation for National & Community Service’s serve.gov site.