You’ve heard about personal branding and know you need a personal brand but do you really know what it is and how to define it?
In the old days, it was called making a name for yourself. “Oh the printer isn’t working? Call Bob, he can fix anything.” Bob clearly made a name for himself around the office as the go-to-guy to fix things no one else dared to touch. That was his brand. He didn’t have to promote it, word just got around the office in the way that things go viral today.
But you’re not Bob and you do need to clearly define your brand before it gets defined for you.
Ask yourself the questions below:
Come up with at least 5 answers for each question. Of those 5 answers, pick the top 1-3 for each question and see what commonalities there are between them. You should start to see your story coming together.
1. What do you do better than anyone else? Ex: I have a personable style of communication that I get complimented on all the time
2. What are your unique talents? Ex: Building relationships
3. What do you really take pleasure in doing? Ex: Being part of conversations about things that matter
4. What are the results of you doing what you do? Ex: Our social media audience is growing and engaging with our brand online
Being able to clearly and honestly answer these four questions will help you hone in on what your brand is.
Think of it this way…when you’re asked what you do for work, you can respond with your title, or with your tagline. Your tagline is basically the end result of the work you do and it’s much more meaningful than a title. For example, if you’re a Social Media Manger or Brand Marketing Manager at a consumer goods company you might respond with:
“I create strong bonds between consumers and the products they use in their daily lives by engaging online audiences in conversations about things that matter most in their lives.”
Another way to consider your personal brand is to ask yourself what value you deliver, how you deliver it and to whom?
Now that you know what a personal brand is, make sure you’re clearly communicating it on your social networks, as well as on your resume! Consistency is critical in delivering the powerful message that is uniquely yours.
