Brand You

I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with people over the past two weeks about the importance of creating a personal brand. I haven't started these conversations with the intention of talking about personal branding; they simply evolved into the same conclusion: in today's employment and economic climate, it is vital to brand ourselves regardless of title, salary or even employment status.

Think about that. There are so many different elements here: the fact that even though your job title may define you in one aspect, it certainly doesn't completely encapsulate all that you are; the fact that, if people like and respect you, they will want to do business with you regardless of what your current business is; and, finally, even if you are a dedicated 'corporate type', you have to stand out from the rest of the suits in one form or another.

If thinking of a personal 'brand' is a little too foreign of a concept for you, replace the word 'brand' with 'reputation'. That's what we're really talking about--what other people think of us. Your reputation often determines whether or not people listen to you and how they react when you speak. Not all that different from your credit score: when someone is deciding whether or not to do business with you they want to know if you are reliable, if you keep your word and if they'll be able to find you later should they need to do so.

Just like traditional marketing, branding yourself encompasses everything from being kind to the waitstaff while you're out at dinner to whether or not your business card is consistent with your website design. Every little aspect of who you are rolls together to continually form the picture of you as a brand.


What has changed is that we are no longer in complete control of our brand. With social media it's very difficult to control what someone else might share about us via twitter, blogs, yelp and a myriad of other sites that, when complimentary can be a boon for business but when used to reveal shortcomings can be particularly devastating. More on that in the next blog.

For now, think about what you want your personal brand to be. I find it easier to reduce it to a list of adjectives. Do it freestyle....just start writing down the words that you want people to associate with you. That's the first step to creating what can be a personal brand no matter what circumstance you find yourself in.

As a side note, a long time ago (seems in another lifetime, really), I wrote about this very subject for a trade magazine called Rave Reviews!. Unless you owned a gift basket business I doubt you knew it existed. I'm posting that article on the ReInvent-U Facebook page.