Writen by Liz Pabon
Recently, while thumbing through my old high school yearbooks it occurred to me that even as far back as high school, we were being branded. Class clown, Most likely to Succeed, Class Cutey, were all brands we bestowed on those select few that made a favorable impression on us. While others, like Billy Schneider* who was named Most likely to Repeat Senior Year, was branded as someone that I know he did not want to be known as. We all posses a Personal Brand whether we realize it or not. In life, like in high school, if you don't brand yourself someone else will.
We know all too well how essential branding is to the success of any business but how often do we consider the role that branding plays when we market ourselves. Billy Schneider was given a brand that was not of his choosing. Had he understood the principles of personal branding, he may have had a different experience.
It is our beliefs, values and our self-image that drive our personal brand. Failure to identify and cultivate these drivers affects our ability to attract interest, differentiate ourselves from our competition and promote and market ourselves effectively.
To experience the greatest success and impact in your relationships, consider making this the year you introduce that incredibly unique brand called YOU:
1. Identify your unique values: Like any good marketing plan, you want to begin with what makes your product unique. In this case, the product is you. Remember that you are an original – there is no one else quite like you. What do you stand for? What are your beliefs? Jot down several key words or phrases that best describes your unique values.
2. List your key attributes: Identify your key strengths/talents in a few key words or phrases.
3. Develop your personal brand statement: Compare your unique values and key attributes and from those key words and phrases begin to develop your personal brand statement in 1-2 sentences. This statement represents your personal brands unique promise of value and is distinctive to you and only you.
4. Integrate your brand statement into everything that you do: Since your brand statement is the essence of you, incorporate it into all of your printed collateral. Make it a part of your introduction at networking and other functions. Communicate your brand statement in the way you conduct business and in your personal image.
5. Watch your Appearance: If the visual image you are projecting is not a direct reflection of your personal brand statement, you are doing yourself and others a disservice. Consider your personal image as the packaging of your personal brand. Remember, YOU are now the product and your packaging will either attract or detract from your product.
6. Check your Brand Behavior: Packaging your brand includes not only your appearance but your conduct. Do you return phone calls and emails promptly? Do you deliver on your promises? Although it may seem obvious, being forgetful, stretching yourself so thin that you don't deliver on what you promise can negatively affect the integrity of your personal brand.
7. Communicate your brand: Studies show that our appearance represents 55% of influencing power when meeting someone for the first time, while 38% comes from tone of voice/behavior. The words we speak reflect the balance of 7%. Although 7% may not seem high, it still has influencing power when meeting people for the first time.
Therefore, speaking in a manner that reflects the core of our personal brand is key. If your brand statement depicts energy and creativity, for example, then your speaking style should reflect those key elements as well.
8. Let your brand take center stage: One of the most effective ways to promote your brand is to speak in public. When asked, public speaking is one of the things most people are terrified of doing, followed by dying. Shake off the fear and communicate the brilliance of your personal brand by looking for opportunities to tell others what you can offer. The more people you can touch with your brand, the more valuable your brand becomes.
9. Evaluate your brand regularly: Make an appointment with yourself twice a year to re-evaluate your personal brand statement. If your unique values and key attributes have undergone changes (we are continually growing and evolving and there are times when that growth is so great it alters our personal brand) compare those changes with your personal brand statement and adjust as needed. By evaluating your personal brand on a regular basis, you are also confirming that you're on-track and staying true to your unique self.
10. Delight in your brand: Many people will make the excuse that they don't have enough money, or time, to invest in themselves (or their brands). Here's a brand truth, no brand is successful without making an investment. Stay interested in the success of your brand by paying attention to how your brand is being received and look for opportunities to tell others about your brand. The more comfortable you become with your brand the greater your chances are of attracting brand interest. Be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your brand. Building brand equity takes time so take the process a day at a time and enjoy the journey!
*name has been changed to protect the wrongly branded
About the author: Liz Pabon is a Personal Brand and Image Management Strategist. Liz publishes a monthly eZine entitled Keys to Success providing entrepreneurs and small businesses with personal brand and success strategies that work! Register for your subscription at http://www.head2toeconsulting.com If you'd like to learn more about developing your unique personal brand, contact Liz at 916-788-2962 or email her at lizp@head2toeconsulting.com
When not coaching her clients or presenting Small Business Branding Intensives, Liz enjoys family time with her husband and four "fur kids" in Rocklin, California.
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