Many people are familiar with the marketing term brand management: an application of marketing techniques to a specific line of products or services. Large corporations like Coca Cola, Nike, and Toyota are masters of branding. These corporations are known throughout the world and their names are synonymous with terms like valuable, trustworthy, and quality. They invest millions of dollars in advertising and marketing, stamping the concepts of their products in the minds of ordinary people.
Entrepreneurs can do the same on a much smaller scale by investing in their personal brand. Personal Branding is a career management tool that uses your unique qualities, gifts, and passions to set you apart from the competition. According to William Arruda of Reach Communication Consulting, the guru of personal branding, “What makes you unique makes you successful.”
Personal Branding is not about getting a logo, a letterhead and a website. It’s their way of doing business; is the tool that helps you build a reputation based on values and principles that are important to you. It’s the creative license to operate in a way unique to you, helping you build a successful business you love.
If you are not sure about your brand, please answer the following questions:
1. Are you happy with the way your career is going?
2. Have you reached the level of success you want?
3. Do you wake up excited to go to work every morning?
4. Can you honestly say how you are different from your competition?
5. Can your customers tell you how you are different from your competition?
6. Are you solving a problem with the work you do?
If you answered no to any of these questions, then you don’t have a clear mark. You are not communicating a clear message to a specific target audience. Perhaps your target audience is too broad or you haven’t defined your unique value promise.
A good way to start developing your personal brand is to understand how others perceive you. Feedback from family, friends, peers, and your managers about your strengths and weaknesses could give you the basics needed to develop themes that can help you build your personal brand.
Taking the time to invest in your personal brand is a surefire way to build a lasting reputation as a leader in your industry.