Introduction
The concept of 'personal brand' has gained momentum over the past few years as the job market becomes more and more competitive.
Personal brand is essentially a way for people to know what you are all about: your ethos, your goals and your mission in the professional world.
We all know high-profile individuals with a personal brand: Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, and various other impactful public figures; these people have all established an identity in the public realm - their personal brand - that enables others to have a level of understanding about the type of persons they are.
But beyond the hype, branding yourself is an important consideration within a professional context. The pervasiveness of the internet and the flourish of social networking sites has made it essential for any professional with a presence on the internet and networking sites to mould and manage their personal brand.
Why is Building your Personal Brand so Important?
Your personal brand is critical because it is a representation of you that others are presented with when they look for you online, as well as the image that you choose to project in face-to-face interactions.
Meet Emmanuel Nduka, with over 50,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Whether we are aware of it or not, all of our activities online - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms form an online personal profile that is searchable. And today, employers, recruiters and clients are using the internet to conduct background searches and to have an idea of the character and interests of their potential employees or individuals they look forward in doing businesses with.
Interestingly, 57% of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they can't find online.
So actively creating your personal brand for yourself allows you to have a say in how you market yourself and gives you control in creating an accurate picture of your identity, rather than allowing it happen by simply default.
In many approaches, be proactive!
While social networking is predominately about engaging a social environment, it's wise to view them as platforms on which you can easily start building a personal brand.
How to market yourself
Your personal brand needs to be constructed so that it is easily articulated in an online environment, as well as clearly communicated verbally and through behaviours and actions.
Because you will 'live and breathe' your personal brand, it's essential that your brand is genuine and an accurate depiction of who you are.
Follow this steps for building a marketable personal brand:
1. Figure out what you are passionate about.
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Your personal brand must be aligned with and reflect your likes and interests. What is it that you want to do, and what attributes and qualities express your passion? If you want to be a professional speaker, for example, market yourself as someone with public-speaking skills and ambition in your field of expertise.
2. Grow your Social Footprint
Create portfolios that reflect your passion(s) on social netorking platforms. Maximising your LinkedIn profile to reflect your interests, skills and ambitions is essential. If you are active on Facebook and Twitter, make sure your profile and the information on these platforms is consistent with the overarching tone and messgae of your personal brand.
Meet Emmanuel Nduka, with over 50,000 followers on LinkedIn.
3. Make a plan for yourself.
How will you use your personal brand? Just as any commercial or coporate brands have plans, goals and targets, you should create a development path for yourself that leverages and buoys your personal brand. Start making contacts, decisions and planning career moves that are in line with your brand.
4. Tell a Story.
One of the most effective ways to build a compelling personal brand is through narrative. It's easy to state who you are and what you do professionally but a 'ho-hum' description of yourself is not going to get through the noise and allow you to stand out from the pack.
Think about what makes you unique: have you taken an unusual path to where you are today? Has your career taken interesting twists and turns? How have you life expereience impacted your professional choices? The more clearer you can add to your story, the more compelling your brand will be.
It's one thing to have a message, it's another that the message is communicable, and another that the communicable message reachs potential audience. Personal branding bridges this gap.
Building a personal brand is particularly important if you are seeking a pay raise, looking forward to secure more clients or are considering changing jobs or careers.
By creating a brand for yourself, you can gain a clearer idea of what you want to achieve and how you need to be percieved to get it, and from there market those attributes to your audience.
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