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Thomas Clifford, or @tommytrc, is a personable guy who loves creating videos for his kids, blogging, and building relationships on Twitter as the top Twitterer in Wisconsin. He’s given talks on how to “Be a Social Media Rock Star,” inspiring audiences to develop strong relationships in social media.

Tommy is a great example of someone who has used his personality to create a strong online (and offline) network. He holds nothing back, even sharing the the birth of his son with his online network by live-tweeting.

In the video below, Tommy talks about what building a personal brand means to him, and how being yourself online can help your business. Who wants to do business with people they don’t like?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THJRquRHHs

Here are Tommy’s three steps to building a personal brand:

1) Start slow. The number of tools available can be overwhelming. Pick one or two, learn them, and move on. You’re not going to tackle the whole world overnight.

2) Just do it. There are plenty of excuses not to try, but social media is an experiment. You don’t know what does work until you find out what doesn’t work.

3) Be yourself. Don’t be a fake person or a robot. If people fall in love with you on a personal level, they are certainly going to want to do business with you on a professional level.

Who do you know and/or appreciate for their strong personal brand?