written by Mia Isaacson
How are you going to differentiate yourself in your world?
At first branding was something that we did to a product, then to a company and now branding has evolved into something that we do for ourselves. I feel that this can be hard to conceptualize for people, including myself. Personal branding is not a thing, or a product. It is not tangible and it is something that doesn’t just happen overnight. However discovering and developing your personal brand just might help you in the long run.
Having a personal brand is helpful because it differentiates you from all of the other “you’s.” And that is exactly what potential employers and clients seek, uniqueness.
In Heather Huhman’s article about discovering your personal brand, she describes that Personal Branding/Brand Identity include three main elements: Mission, Vision and Mantra. These elements can help you to see and accomplish both long-term and short-term goals, and can be added to one and other to constantly develop. Questions to ask yourself when starting to think about the aforementioned elements:
- What is your mission?
- What is your vision for the future?
- What are your key attributes, personality traits and strengths?
- What motivates you?
- What are your goals?
- What is your definition of success?
- What impact do you want to have on people?
David Trahan, describes the elements and what each should say about you.
Mission: Asking yourself “why do I exist [as a professional]?” As a professional, what goals are you trying to accomplish?
Vision: What do you want to be? Where do you want to go in life? This should be somewhat specific, measurable and achievable.
Mantra: What is your core brand promise? This should be succinct, memorable, and descriptive of you as a professional.
People process information in different ways, and the concept of personal branding can be hard enough to wrap your head around, so this article breaks down personal branding in a way parallel to that of product branding:
Positioning Statement: Who are you? What is your personality? What is your elevator speech?
Product Offering: What experience do you have? What is your expertise? What do you bring to the table?
Brand History: How did you get to where you are? How are your experiences related? How has your history created the person/brand that you are today?
Brand Tonality: What is your tone? How do you come off to others? What vocabulary do you use? How do you want people to relate to you?
Communications Strategy: How are you getting your name out there? Where can others find information about you? How are you sharing information with others?
When thinking about your personal brand, it shouldn’t be something that just happens overnight, but something that should take time. Obviously a lack of time seems to be the biggest obstacle in doing anything (reading a book, writing a blog, or maybe, you know, developing your personal brand). I know that there are a lot of other things that are “more important” right now, but taking the time to sit down and think about yourself could help benefit you in the long run.
Related articles:
- HOW TO: Develop and Maintain Your Personal Brand on Twitter
- Creating an Online Presence to Develop Your Brand
- Are you making these 5 Personal Branding Mistakes?