Step out of the shadows,
and into your own personal brand spotlight.

“🔥 🔥 🔥 great book! Highly recommended! 

A spectacularly useful guide to personal branding that pulls off the difficult trick of being both realistic AND inspirational. A must-read, regardless of where you are in your own brand-building journey.”
– Jay Baer, NYT best-selling author, Talk Triggers

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Too many people for too many years have labored in obscurity.

Why? Because that’s the way it’s always been. Work for someone else. Let them profit off your labor. And remain nameless, letting others take credit for your hard work.

In 1997, the brilliant Tom Peters outlined the tenets of a new concept—Personal Branding. Since then, smart people of all ages have decided to turn that concept into daily practice, and the results speak for themselves. Fact is, if you’re not actively branding yourself based on who you are, what you do, and how you do it, you are leaving opportunity on the table. But with this book, and a little bit of work, that opportunity is 100% yours to own—starting today.

From the Introduction—

“I am not a fiction writer.”

A long time ago, at the very start of my copywriting career, I worked at a certain ad agency in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s not that hard to figure out which one (just look on LinkedIn), but for now, let’s maintain the fig leaf of anonymity for a moment. Where I worked in not important. What I learned there is.

It all started one ordinary day when I received a creative brief for a print ad. A creative brief is a multi-page document, labored over by an earnest, diligent account manager that has worked out the details of a given project with the client. And in general, the creative brief is something frequently ignored by the Creatives assigned to the project.

I, as the designated copywriter, did exactly that: ignore the vast majority of the creative brief. But I focused with hawk-like intensity on the copy points it contained. Again, for those fortunate enough never to have cracked the seal on a creative brief, copy points were the ‘rubber hits the road’ facts, specifications, and messages the client wished to convey via the selected advertising channel. And in this case, the copy points were very terse, shallow and simple—and entirely unsatisfactory.

“Write some stuff.”

That’s the only copy point I saw, because it was the only copy point listed. And I was pissed. So I grabbed my copy of the creative brief, marched down the hall to the moron, err… account manager who scribbled the brief to have a conversation about its complete lack of specificity and clarity.

The first words out of my mouth were direct, and just a little bit salty. “Dude, what that @#$% is this?” That interrogative was immediately followed by the words making up the title of this section of the book. Why? Because when it comes to writing advertising and marketing copy, I have absolutely no problem with buffing a turd to a high gloss, but said turd needs to be based on an inalterable foundation: the truth.

At the end of the day, everything turned out fine. I did indeed ‘write some stuff.’ The client signed off on the ad with no great problem or concern. And all were happy. Except me.

 “I am not a fiction writer.” That’s not to say I couldn’t write fiction, if I wanted (which thank the stars you do not have to be exposed to), but if I’m writing ad copy, it’s got to at least have a scintilla of truth about it. But this incident really got me thinking—for something like 22 years.

If I’m not a fiction writer, what am I?

That’s a good question, one worth a couple of decades of pondering. And so, I have. What I realized is that I am, in fact, a non-fiction writer.

But my internal realization didn’t stop there. It began extending itself to the larger topic of branding, eventually leading to the writing of the book you’re holding right now. If I’ve learned only one thing over the term my career that I will take to my grave, it’s this:

Branding is all about simplicity. And simplicity is hard.

Ah, but worry not, gentle brander. I’m going to walk you through this thicket of complexity, sharing what little I’ve learned over the years in such a way that you’ll fling this book down when finished and yell, “Well, that’s pretty darn obvious!” because that’s the way truth works. Initially obscure, then immediately recognizable when illuminated by even the weakest of light sources. That’s the way non-fiction writing works—and NonFiction Branding does too.

This book is my hard-earned philosophy recorded for posterity. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get something out of it—especially the motivation to put yourself out there, to claim and proudly own what is entirely yours, and to help make our shared world a little bit better place to live. How? By sharing your unique voice and demonstrating exactly who you are, what you do, and how you do it via your ‘completely true / completely you’ personal brand. – DP Knudten

Reactions to NONFICTION BRAND—

      “Ready to show up & make an impact? This is personal branding raw & real. The book that will take you behind the scenes so you can see how it all happens and will get you inspired to do it yourself. A great combination of relatable examples, spiced with the one and only DP humor that will make it an unforgettable read!”  – Bea Pole-Bokor, Founder, B!Social

      “Knudten’s ‘Selective Authenticity’ concept is to Branding what Simon Sinek’s ‘Why?’ is for Leadership. You can’t fake it, but you can—and should—find it and hone it. NONFICTION BRAND shows you the way.”  – Darin Tessier, VP/Marketing Director, SBCP.bank

      “DP has an ability to see things that others can’t. He sees the story of you and your brand and has an ability to communicate this in an empowering and enlightened way”  – Christian Small, Founder, Momentum Golf

      “Reading DP Knudten’s NONFICTION BRAND, is at once both fabulously comforting and deliciously confronting. His warmth, humour intelligence and creativity ooze through every word, like butter melting on wholewheat toast. But the work is challenging, he asks us to dig into who we really are, to squash our imposter syndrome, embrace our experience and put ourselves ‘out there’. But the great thing? DP has got our back every step of the way, with a wealth of great ideas, tactics, and examples of how we can learn to love the ‘us’ in our business.” – Kate Toon, Founder, Stay Tooned Pty Ltd

      “Authenticity is the key to connection, and this book shares the inspiration and examples needed to unearth your true self and share it with the world.”  – Melanie Deziel, Author , The Content Fuel Framework

     “Whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur, if you don’t live, breath and practice the art of personal branding in the twenty-twenties, you’re going to get left behind. DP Knudten gets this, and his book, NONFICTION BRAND, will equip you with the inspiration, blueprint and tools needed to launch your personal brand.” – Paul Ramondo, CEO, RamondoMedia

      “An industry veteran with decades of expertise under his belt, when DP talks about personal branding, people listen. Quite literally in his great podcast series, NONFICTION BRAND, served as the base for this fantastic book that explores the many faces and stories of self-branding.”  – Balázs Ferenczi, Contributing Editor, FratelloWatches.com

     “I remember meeting DP and thinking, ‘He sees it like I do,’ talking about Social Media and branding in a way that most people just don’t get. Building an honest brand and bringing value to a community is what it’s all about. DP has put it all together in NONFICTION BRAND, with so many great examples. Every time I read a chapter I think, I need to work that.” – Roger Wakefield, The Expert Plumber, Top YouTube influencer

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Let’s Talk.

To make your point stick, tell a story.

I love helping people and companies discover, craft and communicate their unique, and completely true, NonFiction Brand™ stories, and showing them how to communicate them via the most effective and efficient channels possible.
Why?

So they can be more successful, future-proof their careers, and create real brand value for themselves while adding that value to their company’s brand as well.

See, I believe ‘brand’ is a rising tide that floats all boats—and that companies who embrace a ‘house of brands’ approach to their employees will attract and retain more. Not just employees, but customers, market share, and bottom line profit. This approach works, and I love proving it, LIVE in front of audiences, through deep dive seminars, and in training sessions throughout the U.S.

Take a gander at one of my in-person presentations. The style, energy and attitude is vintage DP, and representative of the way I roll at every gig. —dp

More Than a Logo | In-Person Presentation Sample

Presenting live to groups of any size is my favorite way to get people going. Here’s a brief  sample of one of my live presentations, complete with testimonials from audience members.

Culture Chicken/Brand Egg—which comes first? | Virtual Presentation Demo

Ever wonder how I can bring the inspiration and excitement of my in-person presentations to a virtual audience via the good ol’ Internet? Watch this ~5- minute video to get an idea of how I use Ecamm Live’s Virtual Camera feature to make such presentations pop. Want to learn more? Let’s talk.
. – dp

Take a look at my Speaker One-Sheet to get a taste,
then download the full Speaker Media Kit for the complete meal
of who I am, what I do, and how I do it.

Here’s the whole enchilada. Everything you could want to know about me
and the topics I speak about in convenient PDF form. Bon appétit.

Grab this partial list of the presentations I’ve got on the rack,
all ready to be tailored to fit the needs of your audience to a T.

Download my Presentation Menu PDF
 

And finally, here are just a few presentation descriptions of other talks I’ve given
with responses from members of the audience.

Culture Chicken / Brand Egg™—Which comes first?

A company’s culture is critical to its success. So is its brand. But which comes first? Do you have to have an existing culture to create a true brand—or do you need a brand to found and ground a sustainable and scalable culture?

That’s a big question in an eggshell, and one this presentation tackles by looking at real-world examples of established and startup companies that have either succeeded, or failed, in creating a company culture that is aligned with their corporate mission, embraced by their employees, and completely true to who they are and the way they do business.
Presentation length: 30 to 75 minutes (customizable)

“DP’s ‘Culture Chicken/Brand Egg’ discussion did not disappoint! He is an engaging presenter who has a great deal of knowledge to offer to professionals across a variety of industries. I would recommend DP to anyone interested in thought-provoking conversations that will challenge you to think about your personal business or organization in a more creative, innovative way.” – Diara Parker, Board Member, Culture Community

“The Culture Chicken/Brand Egg presentation that DP shared with our A/E/C marketing group was phenomenal! DP captured the group’s attention by providing real world scenarios of effective branding and culture techniques. Thank you for sharing your engaging and dynamic presentation.” – Kim McElwee, President, Society of Marketing Professional Services/Wisconsin

“DP’s talk on Brand and Culture greatly exceeded my expectations. The content of his presentation was right on brand – creative, collaborative and provocative! We have had great feedback from DP’s talk and would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a talk that will challenge their audience!” – Diana Pastrana, Work Space Consultant, M&M Office Interiors

“DP’s talk ‘Culture Chicken / Brand Egg—Which comes first?’ was a great addition to the Midwest Foodservice Expo programming and the feedback from our attendees was impressive across the board. DP was engaging, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Would we invite him back? You bet!” – Amy Nitschke, Expo Projects Manager, Wisconsin Restaurant Association/Midwest Foodservice Expo

NonFiction Branding™—
Discovering, crafting and communicating your completely true brand story.

 Branding’s a big buzz word in marketing, and everyone who practices it has their own take on it. For some, it’s barely more than the consistent use of logo and color palette. For others, it’s coming up with whatever story the consumer will buy.

For me, it’s all about knowing who you are.
So you can be it.

I call it NonFiction Branding™ because that’s exactly what it is. A truthful balance between what you are today and where you want to go, NonFiction Branding™ is based on actual physical documentation that’s scalable, sustainable and ‘everybody on the same page’-able.

This provocative & entertaining presentation makes the case for a new approach to branding and marketing based on a factual foundation carefully formed, not ‘shiny object’ fluff.If you’ve ever asked yourself ‘why in the world are we doing this?’ about any marketing initiative, you’re already in the non-fiction section—and ready for an introduction to NonFiction Branding™.

Presentation length: 30 to 75 minutes (customizable) / Also available in a version specially adapted for Not-for-Profit enterprises called NonFiction Branding™ for Non-Profits

“He was super engaging. His content was really, really valuable and he was a joy to work with from start to finish.” – Chris Rudolph, Program Director, DreamBank.

“With branding and everything, I didn’t know where to start. Now I know where to start. You are a fantastic speaker, and I really like your authenticity…you really connected with everyone in the audience.” – Leah Roe, Founder, The Perk

“(DP’s) graphics and stories have a way of really bringing people in. You’ve got some great experiences far as case studies…things you’ve worked on. It think nothing parallels to that real-world detail that you’re able to share. I think there are seasoned people who are far too ‘stuck in their ruts,’ and presentations like this helps them…yanks them out of their context just enough, so fresh things happen.” – Kenn Busch, Publisher, Material Intelligence

The Why and How of ROTOMA™
The ROI of Social Media ‘Top of Mind.’

For far too many ‘too much already on my plate’ professionals, Social Media is the annoying mosquito in the room. They know they should do something about it, but chasing every new buzz around is just not compatible with an over-packed professional schedule.

This talk is about killing that dang mosquito, and in a way that builds your personal brand at the same time.

Based on the celebrated book D.P. co-authored with renowned Social Media expert Spencer X. Smith ROTOMA—The ROI of Social Media ‘Top of Mind,’ this presentation is loaded with actionable tips that you can start implementing immediately after the presentation wraps.
Presentation length: 30 to 75 minutes (customizable)

“I wanted to share with you how much me and my staff enjoyed your seminar last week.
We are still talking about it.” – Jim Tubbs, President/CEO, State Bank of Cross Plains

“This was one of the best business presentations
that I’ve seen at SBCP or anywhere…” – Dan Savage, Vice President of Wealth Management, State Bank of Cross Plains

I AM NOT A COMMODITY—
Personal NonFiction Branding™ for Professionals

You went to school for eons, developed a deep background within your professional category, and offer a level of expertise and personal service that soars above your peers. But guess what: to the marketplace you’re just another lawyer/doctor/Realtor/whatevah.

UNLESS YOU’RE NOT.

That is what I AM NOT A COMMODITY is all about:
Creating a personal brand that commands a premium place in the market, and defines you against all others—even colleagues within your current company, agency or firm.

This informative, fun, and action-provoking presentation takes a look at the uncomfortable situation facing professionals in a variety of industries and sectors, and offers some real, immediately actionable steps toward creating a personal brand that identifies, defines, and establishes you as something special within your area of expertise. If you’ve ever lamented that fact that your audience considers you ‘just another fill in the blank,’ I AM NOT A COMMODITY can help.
Presentation length: 30 to 75 minutes (customizable)

“DP’s session was engaging and packed with real-life examples that held my attention.
The hour flew by and left me wishing I could hear more.” – Mary Murray, Social Media Manager, Wisconsin Institute of CPAs

“DP is a very inspiring speaker! I came to one of this talks feeling overwhelmed with starting LinkedIn but I walked away feeling energized and excited. He offers great insights from his success and makes Social Media sound fun even to a huge introvert like me!” – Jenny Danhof, CPA

Questions? Let’s Talk.

Introducing COLLABORATOR OnCall™

One of the things I tell the businesses and individuals I work with is to always listen and react to what the marketplace is telling you about not only what you have to sell—but what they want to buy.

Taking a dose of my own medicine, I’ve spent the last year assessing what it is that I do and how it can best serve my current and potential customers. And while my big project offerings aren’t going away, I am very excited to introduce what I’m calling the COLLABORATOR OnCall™ range of creative services.

CREATIVE DIRECTION OnCall™

Many companies have internal creative resources or preferred external providers, but are occasionally a little ‘meh’ about the concepts and designs they generate. Sure, they gave you what you asked for—but maybe not what you needed. Could be you need an experienced Creative Director to collaborate, cajole and sometimes challenge these internal and external creators in order to take things to the next level.

Twenty-five plus years in the business has taught me one thing for certain: 99% of people are perfectly happy with the first ‘good idea.’ If that’s not good enough for you, we should talk.

PODCASTING OnCall™

There’s a lot involved in getting a podcast up and airing. What’s the right equipment necessary for your situation? How do you create a compelling format for your show? What’s it even going to be called?

These are just some of the questions I can help you with, whether as a ‘am I doing this right?’ DIY consultant, or as a core participant of your podcast show development/engineering/deployment team. And once the show’s up and running, and needs more care and feeding than you or your team can handle? Don’t worry, I do that too. Got an idea for a pod that just needs to hit the air so it can inform your customers, engage your community, and build your brand at the same time? Let’s talk pod.

PLUS+WALL OnCall™

Walt Disney continually pushed his creative teams to ‘plus.’ To take whatever stage of the project you’ve been given, and continually add positive energy and ideas to it. Ever wish you could have a creative wall to bounce ideas off of? One that not only bounced the idea back, but with the kind of ‘plusing’ Walt was talking about? That’s what PLUS+WALL OnCall is all about.

Whatever creative challenge you have, from blue sky / anything goes ideation to rubber hits the road execution can often benefit from the kind of outside of your box thinking I can provide. Unhindered by past expectations or personal agendas, I can participate / facilitate the kind of brainstorming that builds thunderheads of inspiration. Perfect for one on one, small groups, and even large meetings, I bring my core collaborative / creative / provocative energy to the challenge. And the results? Amazing.

All COLLABORATOR OnCall™ services are available on an hourly, project or retainer basis. Need any or all of the above? Call me at 608.469.8453 or fill out the contact form here.

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Meet ROTOMA—the book.

An excerpt from the introduction of ROTOMA—The ROI of Social Media ‘Top of Mind’

An Introduction—literally.

Nick Lombardino of Atlas Providers is one of those ‘Connector’ types Malcolm Gladwell wrote about in The Tipping Point. He knows, and connects, just about everyone who is anybody in Madison’s startup space with an open heart that expects nothing in return. He’s a pure ‘sharer’ for sure. So when I found myself needing to do a little bit of a professional pivot, the first person I called was Nick.

– DP Knudten

Check it out, and get your copy today, at Amazon. Get FREE SHIPPING with Amazon Prime.

It’s also a podcast.

Spencer X. Smith and I go deep about a specific section of our book ROTOMA—The ROI of Social Media ‘Top of Mind’ in a lively and opinionated podcast.

You don’t need to own the book to enjoy the podcast, but if you’d like to join the Tribe Called ROTOMA and read ahead, you can get it via Amazon.

To listen to any of the 40 episodes via your browser, just click on the play button below. And don’t forget to like, subscribe, review and refer it to anyone who’d like to make the most of the incredible, and FREE, power of social media to build their brand.

OLD SCHOOL CONTACT INFO

DP Knudten  |  dp@dpknudten.com

Best way to reach me? Email me here. Thanks. -dp