Journalists can build a brand like a rock star

Sure they can!

In the top story on BusinessWeek's Management page this afternoon, Dan Schawbel writes about how anyone with an Internet connection and some ambition can develop their own marketing platform.

Schawbel points to the results of a study conducted on July 20 by Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group which shows that the most engaged brands on social media saw their revenue grow by 18%.

His examples are celebrity brands: Kathy Ireland, MC Hammer, Gary Vaynerchuk. All of them quickly saw impact on their brands after using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and video blogs.

Journalists can do the same thing. Of course, revenue is counted not by sales but by loyalty, readers, viewers, story tips and, perhaps, longevity in the business.

• New York Times' Brian Stelter has 11,750 followers on Twitter.
• All Things Digital's Kara Swisher has 116,000 followers and drives a lot of traffic to her All Things Digital blog, which is part of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network.
• Michael Banovsky, who covers the auto industry in Toronto, has nearly 4,000 followers.
• And Miami Herald tech reporter Bridget Carey has 1,800 followers.

All are respectable business journalists, but none are household names. They would not expect to attract followers in the numbers that Oprah or Ellen or Ashton would.

But they are just four of hundreds of business journalists using social media to develop their brands and to reach an audience they may not have had before.

Whether you are a freelancer or get a regular paycheck, you are your brand. And you can always take lessons from the stars. It's Hammer time.

Miami Herald appoints new biz editor

In the midst of a economic downturn, reporters on The Miami Herald's business desk are working to tell the story about how the economy effects its readers.
And now they'll have a new editor leading the charge - Jane Wooldridge, a 26-year newsroom veteran who was appointed to the lead biz role this week.
Wooldridge is currently the paper's travel editor. A story in the Herald says that she was chosen for "her combination of long service to the newspaper, experience with entrepreneurial projects, knowledge of the business community and strength of new ideas for the section."
From the story:

"Wooldridge said she foresees no dramatic change in the section's direction. "The core stories that we have told we will continue to tell rigorously. We want stories that are useful and relevant to readers."