Strong brands consistently provide differentiated, high-quality products, services and experiences. Customers are loyal to these great brands because these brands deliver these great experiences. As a professional you also have a brand. Your personal brand is how people see you and describe you. Others develop perceptions of you based on their interactions and experiences with you over time. You must be aware of your personal brand and be in control of it to effectively build a strong brand. A firm and well-respected personal brand helps people understand who you are, what value you provide and what they can expect by working with you. Here are seven tips for building your personal brand.
1. Define your brand: Think about what your strengths and weaknesses are and how others would describe you. Talk to others that know your work and seek their open feedback. By using these multiple inputs you can define what it is that you are great at and stand for. The most common mistakes made in this area is to either brand yourself without investing the time to learn about how others perceive you, or to choose a brand that ultimately is just a me too and not differentiated.
2. Differentiate: As with any brand, you need to differentiate what your value is. Think about what is special and different about what you do, or offer. By differentiating yourself and consistently communicating the value you provide, you can effectively own the niche your brand is focused on.
3. Strengthen your communication skills: Once you have defined your brand, you need to communicate. Writing articles, blogging, or writing white papers are all excellent ways to get known and build your brand. To be effective at this you will need to practice your writing skills. You will also want to develop, polish and communicate your story. It’s also helpful to prepare and practice your “elevator pitch.” This should be a one or two minute verbal introduction to who you are and what you do. Think about your core message and how you can describe your brand in a concise and compelling way.
4. Be passionate about what you do: The more you enjoy what you do, the more passionate you will be about it. Your passion, or lack of it, shows through to people. This means to truly confirm your brand, you need to be sure you are doing work you enjoy. Passion is contagious and by being passionate about what you do, others around you will enjoy their time with you and you will have a very memorable impact on others.
5. Network like crazy: The more people you can count as part of your network, the more you can leverage your network to communicate your brand message. Networking is one if the most important things you do, so be sure you are either good at it, or get some help. Any flight, meal out, or conference is a chance to build your network and propagate your brand. Don’t miss out on that opportunity.
6. Live your brand: Once you decide on your brand and the key value you offer, live it. This means that your web site, your LinkedIn page, and any of your social media marketing should all reflect that brand. Be sure you review each of these and how they support your brand, Better yet, have a professional who understands brand equity review them for you to be sure your message is consistent and strong in supporting whom you are.
7. Do great work: A basic aspect of developing your brand is to always do great work. It takes years of repetitive experiences to build a strong brand. Being consistent is one key to developing a powerful brand over time. You want to be associated with excellence and you can best achieve this by consistently doing a good job.
It’s up to you to consider these ideas and develop your own brand. The Internet has made your personal brand much more accessible, so do the research and development work up front to be sure you have a brand that accurately represents you and the value you provide.
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