The Most Important Brand: ME
I did a search of the CMA blog to find out when someone had last written about Personal Branding. I thought, surely there are many many blogs on this topic but, while personal branding is mentioned in blogs here and there, I only found one written about a year ago where it was the primary topic. I feel very passionate about personal branding and so I’m going to put my two cents in. The definition I u
se for personal brand is: how other people see you and what perceptions they have based on their interactions with you. Your job is, through consistent communication and actions, to shape those perceptions. Understanding, promoting and managing your personal brand is relevant for both personal and professional growth.
To start to determine your brand, answer these three questions:
1) What do I do better/different than others?
2) What does my audience value?
3) What benefits do I offer?
Your personal brand statement should be 20 words or less. Sounds simple? NOT. Give it a try. I have and I’m having difficulty being focused on one market or one skill. I want to include them all – sure I’m a helluva marketer (I was born that way) but I’m also a general manager and a leader and a communicator and so on. It’s very difficult to not try to be everything to everyone. Products try and fail and, I believe so do humans.
I also believe this is a work in progress. So here it is – my latest and greatest personal brand statement: A brand and direct marketer who consistently delivers top and bottom line results through creative strategies, expert execution and dynamic leadership. The next step is to promote our brand. We know how to market – let’s use those skills for ourselves. Websites, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, resumes, speaking engagements, business cards, bios – all places to reinforce your brand.
I’ll leave you with a tip I give to people on my team at work. Consider two or three things you want people to say about you when your manager goes out for feedback during the next performance review cycle. Examples are: “go-to-guy for x”, “team player”, “always willing to help”, “company expert on x”, “inspirational leader”. Write them down and post them somewhere you can see them. Now, take the time to act and communicate each day in this manner and let’s see what happens when the feedback comes in! So what is your personal brand - what do you want people to think and say about you?
Dawn Marchand