real name or alias

12 years ago

I think it depends on your niche. I'm an overweight, neon-white guy. (I glow in the dark I'm so pale.) When I do things in the fitness niche, putting up my own picture wouldn't exactly inspire confidence in the people I'm attempting to market my site to.

On the other hand, in here, I'm only trying to sell my writing and design skills. I use my real picture (yes, that handsome mug is really me and yes, ladies, if you can believe it, I'm really single!

) because it doesn't really matter what I look like. My writing and knowledge come through no matter what I look like.

-- j

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RobIMJones

12 years ago

Definitely use your own name.. People buy from individuals they know, like and trust.

Your leads would much rather be able to see you and build a subconscious relationship with you as opposed to having you hide behind a computer!

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Joan Altz

11 years ago

Originally Posted by RobIMJones

Definitely use your own name.. People buy from individuals they know, like and trust.

Your leads would much rather be able to see you and build a subconscious relationship with you as opposed to having you hide behind a computer!

That's not really true in all cases. If you are marketing a product where you are building a brand, you DON'T want to go the personal route at all unless the brand is also tied to your name.

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RobIMJones

12 years ago

Definitely use your own name.. People buy from individuals they know, like and trust.

Your leads would much rather be able to see you and build a subconscious relationship with you as opposed to having you hide behind a computer!

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ryanmilligan

Banned 12 years ago

Like J said, it all depends on you and your niche.

Some marketers often use alias's in those 'embarrasing' niches - like sexual disorders, personal problems and what not.

Personally, I've just always used my own name and always gone with marketing myself - Then again, I'm only in two different niches, internet marketing and fitness (specifically, muscle-building, I'm in pretty good shape, so I can market myself when it comes to this.)

That's all I've got to say really, Jason answered it better than anyone else could.

At the end of the day, aslong as the potential customers are happy and feel safe to learn from the 'person' they're buying from - that's all that matters.

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sdingram

12 years ago

You can do both. I use my real name and real photo here on the WF, and on a couple of my websites. I also use a pen name on some of my Kindle books and the blogs associated with them.

I wish I had started one of my niches with a pen name actually, but I used my real name and now I think it can be a bit confusing to people who are researching who I am and what I do (IF they go tho the trouble).

For coaching and consulting you need to be YOU and for other niches I would recommend a pen name.

All the best,
Suzanne

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Ben Clemons

12 years ago

Use your real name for IM, and pen names for other niches (in most cases). A lot of people will blatantly copy your sites and ideas

Unless of course you are a true expert in your niche, and you feel comfortable being yourself, it actually is best IMO.

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Andrew de Goede

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Ben Clemons

Use your real name for IM, and pen names for other niches (in most cases). A lot of people will blatantly copy your sites and ideas

Unless of course you are a true expert in your niche, and you feel comfortable being yourself, it actually is best IMO.

I agree. some people wish to brand their name and so become an "expert". But if ,for example, you wish to demonstrate how successful you are, then this could be very easy to copy. In some niches it does pay to use an alias.

My suggestion is that it doesn't have to be one or the other, you can actually do both.

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andybeveridge

12 years ago

I use my own name and picture in IM because I want people to know who I am. This important because I build my brand around who I am and those that connect with this go on to be value customers and sometimes friends.
However when I am writing Kindle products I often use a pen name because I don't want to come across as an expert in masses of different niches.

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trotterstraders

12 years ago

so using a pen name on a blog for instance is not deceving people

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MissTerraK 12 years ago

No, at all!

As already stated, many people do use pseudonyms for different niches and/or products or services.

As a matter of fact, a lot of authors use pen names quite successfully.

Terra
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CaseyB

12 years ago

I would use both if you need to depending on niches you are entering and depending on if you have already established a personal brand for yourself.

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trotterstraders

12 years ago

does any one follow or know of a good blog where this is an example?

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trotterstraders

12 years ago

am i allowed to ask that?

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Techo

12 years ago

Whatever you choose, try to make a brand out of it.If you choose a alias, try to make one that is easy to remmember.

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jessebobb

12 years ago

I agree on the niche philosophy, it really depends on what you do.

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cjreynolds 12 years ago

To me, it's really a matter of preference - A lot of people prefer not to expose their identity online for various reasons - privacy, nosy employers, etc. I don't see a problem with using a pen name or nickname when entering a niche. But I do believe a real picture is an asset when connecting with your audience.
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Trevor M

12 years ago

I definitely recommend you use pseudonym's for the different niches you're in.

Personally, I like to use my real name for internet marketing, and a different alias for every other niche I'm in.

The main reason why is because once you start to brand yourself in the niche, people will Google your name to find more information about you. If they do and find you're claiming to be an expert in numerous other niches, they might start to question your credentials.

1 name per niche if you ask me. Just be sure never to get them mixed up

- Trevor

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koreancowboy

12 years ago

If you do use a pen name, grab the domain name. I have mine.

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Mike Roncone 12 years ago

I really agree with JaRyCu.

Depending on your niche, and who you are as a person (we can't all be a shining example of what we're selling) I would change what I put. It becomes hard to use your real name with a fake picture, though. Because people can look you up and see that you're hiding, which doesn't sell.

Just remember to stay consistent.

I use my real name and picture for anything that I anticipate doing long-term, A.K.A anything that I have a real genuine interest in that I want to become an authority on.

Best,
-Mike
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Nosense

12 years ago

It all depends on what you do is right.
lol See my pic! lmao

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skantler 11 years ago

All great info, and certainly an advantage to hear your opinions. Many thanks!
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Dennisknows

11 years ago

Originally Posted by trotterstraders

hi guys just looking to see peoples thoughts on wether to use your real name and pic or an alias/cartoony type pic on a blog? i know some guys like tyler cruz had a cartoon looking dude as the logo but im pretty sure he also puts pics of himeself in articles now

do you think it hinders or helps to have or does it depend on what your blog is about?

i guess selling coaching needs to be more personal??

There's nothing like having your REAL face on your blog; IMO..

The cartoony stuff is cool but it may deter business prospects if you plan on doing stuff like personal coaching...

But it's all on how you run your brand... Maybe you don't want to work with someone who takes stuff like that so serious..

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Jtraits

11 years ago

it really depends on the nature of your niche ... if you want to actually get closer with your buyers or you want to make them trust you, show who you are ... if you are just a blogger that writes for a lot of things and you just give advices etc, then an alias should be fine

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brettb

11 years ago

I use my real name now, plus my real LinkedIn and other accounts. Google has made it clear that they no longer want to rank anonymous blogs - they want to know why people should trust you as an authority in your niche.

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real name or alias

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