Subway has challenged the world to “Eat
Fresh.” Nike encourages people, regardless of age, gender, or physical fitness
level, to “Just Do It.” Dunkin’ Donuts continues to persuade busy professionals
that “America Runs on Dunkin’.”
Over the years, these recognizable slogans have morphed into rallying cries—setting the tone for how each company communicates and identifies itself in the market. In just a handful of words, these slogans tell a story and influence how people perceive the organizations behind them. Together, they represent the power and potential of branding.
Branding is what companies stand for. It’s reflected in how that company acts, how it serves people, the value that the company shares, and how the company projects those values. But branding isn’t just for companies. Professionals each have their own story to tell and goals, skills, and expertise to share. In today’s increasingly digital world, a personal brand is expected.
Over the years, these recognizable slogans have morphed into rallying cries—setting the tone for how each company communicates and identifies itself in the market. In just a handful of words, these slogans tell a story and influence how people perceive the organizations behind them. Together, they represent the power and potential of branding.
Branding is what companies stand for. It’s reflected in how that company acts, how it serves people, the value that the company shares, and how the company projects those values. But branding isn’t just for companies. Professionals each have their own story to tell and goals, skills, and expertise to share. In today’s increasingly digital world, a personal brand is expected.
What is a Personal Brand?
A personal brand is, in many ways, similar to a corporate brand. It is who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace, and the way in which you express those values. Just as a company’s brand helps to communicate its value to customers and stand out from the competition, a personal brand does the same for individuals. Personal branding is one’s story.
That story can play an important role in establishing or boosting your career. Your personal brand should highlight your strengths, establish a reputation, build trust, and communicate the unique attributes that you bring to your current (or desired) industry. Cultivated well, your personal brand will signal to employers whether or not you’ll be the right fit for an open role.
Developing a personal brand might sound challenging, but there are incremental steps you can take to build credibility in your field.
Developing Your Personal Brand
Figure out who you are.
In order to build a personal brand that accurately reflects your personal and professional identity, you first need to know who you are. Create a list of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself:
- In which areas of work do I excel? Where can I improve?
- What motivates me? What does not?
- Which projects can I spend hours on without feeling overwhelmed or tired?
In addition, ask others how they would describe you. Once you’re more aware of the different facets of your personality, you can decide how best to brand them.
Determine what you want to be known for.
Your personal brand is more than a reflection of who you are today; it’s a roadmap of where you want to go. In addition to understanding your existing skills and competencies, assess your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to whichever industry or career you want to break into next.
By doing this, you’ll uncover the skills and traits that make you unique, as well as the areas where you need to improve or gain new knowledge in order to advance.
Define your audience.
Before you start crafting your personal brand, you also need to determine who you’re trying to reach. The sooner you define the audience, the easier it will be to craft your story, because you’ll better understand the type of story you need to tell (and where you need to tell it.)
Research your desired industry and follow the experts.
As you start mapping out the career you want, do research on experts in those roles.
Find out who the thought leaders are in whatever field you’re interested in, follow them, find out if they have blogs, or where they contribute their thinking. Look for people who are successful and examine what they’re doing. Imitate them, and then do one better.
In building a personal brand, your goal is to stand out—but you can’t rise to the top without taking inventory of who’s already there.
Prepare an elevator pitch.
As you begin to conceptualize your personal brand, spend some time crafting an elevator pitch—a 30- to 60-second story about who you are. Whether you’re attending a networking event or an informal party, having an elevator pitch prepared makes it easy to describe succinctly what you do and where you’re going (or would like to go) in your career. Keep your elevator pitch brief by focusing on a few key points you want to emphasize.
Embrace networking.
As you cultivate your ideal personal brand, it’s important to network regularly (and effectively) to grow your professional circle. Connect with peers and industry thought-leaders by going to formal and informal networking events.
The more connections you make—and the more value you can provide in your interactions—the more likely it is your personal brand will be recognized. At these events, don’t be shy about asking fellow attendees to meet again for an informational interview or a casual coffee chat.
Ask for recommendations.
Having current and former colleagues and managers endorse you is one of the easiest and most effective ways to define your personal brand, allowing others to communicate your value for you. Just as a business might cultivate customer reviews and testimonials for use in sales and marketing collateral, you should cultivate your own reviews.
Grow your online presence.
One of the most important aspects of personal branding is making sure your online presence is engaging to hiring managers, co-workers, and others—even if you’re not on the job hunt.
With so many different social media tools available today, your online presence will likely look different depending on the medium you choose. Your story should match across all platforms, but tweaked to fit the language of each.
Platform-specific tips to help you effectively craft your personal brand online.
LinkedIn the ultimate site for defining your brand. The best way to use this network is to participate in groups, make introductions with people who interest you, and ask for (and give) recommendations.
· Focus on key industry skills: Recruiters often search for keywords that relate to the role they’re trying to fill, so it’s important to feature industry terms in your profile.
· Quantify your accomplishments: Saying you’re “results-oriented” isn’t nearly as effective as quantifying your accomplishments - whether it’s the number of articles you’ve written, dollars you’ve raised, or deals you’ve closed.
· Complete your profile: Recruiters want to see what work experience you have, your educational background, and a detailed list of accomplishments. Convince them you’re the person they should hire.
· Use a professional photo: Did you know that LinkedIn users with a professional headshot receive 14 times more profile views than those without? The more welcoming you look, the more likely recruiters are to contact you.
Personal website or portfolio
If you’re in a marketing or a design field, it’s especially important to have a personal website or portfolio that provides essential information about who you are and visually highlights your work. You can create your own site using simple platforms like Weebly, Wix or WordPress.
Your personal brand isn’t just online.
Your brand is more than just an online persona; it’s how you carry yourself at home, in the office, and even on your daily commute.
Your reputation is everything. The more opportunities you have to work with others, volunteer for projects, and assert yourself as a leader, take them. That’s part of your brand.
