"THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ALL HAVE A PASSIONATE, DEEPLY PERSONAL SENSE OF PURPOSE"
As you reflect on these questions and arrive at answers, you’ll need to distil it into a sentence or title statement much like the headline found below your name in a LinkedIn profile.
The LinkedIn headline is perhaps a good example for what a completed brand statement would be. LinkedIn allows a limit of 120 characters for a headline and by default creates your headline based on your current job title and employer. However, the truly discerning understand that you should never leave your brand headline to a computer default function. Doing so would be the equivalent of Nike’s headline/brand statement being just a “retailer of shoes”.
Your brand statement should state the who, the what and to whom. Here is an example of a possible brand statement for myself: “Servant Leader and Transformational Coach to Senior Leaders and Entrepreneurs”. Once you have identified the ONE word best defining your purpose and a clear and concise brand statement, then you are ready to work on the story behind your brand.
The third step is creating your Brand Story.
Every great brand has a compelling and awe-inspiring narrative behind it. The narrative can be told in a story that illustrates and even impacts or connects with us on an emotional level. Effective storytelling is a very powerful tool. Through stories, we get to know people and the powerful brands we are loyal customers of. Think about the stories behind such iconic brands as Apple, Google, Nike and Amazon and think about the narratives they engage us within their marketing.
So, what is your story? Think about two or three key stories that define who you are today and write them down. This could be something as simple as a childhood memory or some challenge from your adult life. If you are coming up empty or have doubts about the ideas you arrived at; perhaps you should interview family and close friends to get their input.
Storytelling is key when marketing yourself in your professional life. We all have a story and an effective story behind how we evolved into the person we are today is what makes you more authentic, humble, personal and vulnerable. It is these basic human elements that are so powerful to connect and engage with others. It allows us an avenue in which to impact other people’s lives and in so doing – continue to bolster our own personal branding.
You may not feel comfortable doing this but I encourage you to do it anyway. It is much like physical exercise to strengthen your body. This exercise will serve to make you more grounded in your identity and what you offer to others.
The fourth step involves the effective marketing of your brand.
Building a personal brand is much like building a business brand. Doing so effectively, you need to know your target markets, your marketplace, and which medium to use to get you the most relevant visibility. This step in the process takes time, some creative thought and concerted effort to build. You need to be driven and focused about the task and you need to understand how to best connect with your target audience. Setting into this task in an organized manner with your own unique originality will make you an effective brand ambassador of your own personal brand.
The digital or online platform is the most effective medium for developing a successful personal brand. First off, it’s the most cost-effective and its today’s leading medium for doing so.
For example, this article is one of my own tools for connecting with my target audience of executives and entrepreneurs. Writing this article allows me to give something back to the coaching side of my profession and the broader community of talent that both informs while also driving business.
You also need to learn how to promote yourself without resorting to shameless self-serving promotion.
It is okay to promote what you do well, but it is equally important to practice good business networking etiquette. Enter the “humblebrag”. You know the person who wraps an accomplishment inside of a “woe is me” – such as “I’ve been nominated to another… but when will I find the time to….?” It’s completely okay to promote yourself but success lies in how you do it. Perhaps the humblebrag would be better served by mentioning how proud he/she is of the collective contributions of their team that led to the successful nomination…? Self-promotion is completely within the rules of networking etiquette but should reflect your confidence in including others as well as being authentic in its reflection that no one succeeds completely alone.
The fifth and final step is effectively living & leveraging your Brand Value.
Creating an impactful and influential personal brand for Impact and Influence is not a one-time-and-done kind of event. It is a bit like the quote, “Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the road.” So in other words, leveraging your brand value is a constant daily exercise that requires you to be mindful of it as you live out your life.
Not so long-ago personal branding was more about collecting as many online followers and connections as possible. Today it is about being strategic in your brand reflecting what you’re good at, being visible to the people who need what you offer and connecting with them where they are most likely to engage with you.
Effectively leveraging your personal brand will be an ongoing daily element of your life. As trends and media channels change, you need to be prepared to change with them. However, if you understand the basics of leveraging your brand’s value; you can pivot as you need.
There are many ways to effectively live out your brand to engage with others in a way that resonates your value. Here are two critical elements of living your brand.
Dress for Success
Many people correlate “dressing for success” as being about formal attire such as business suits, however in reality it’s about both your professional and personal leisure attire. What you wear says as much about who you are as it does about promoting and instilling healthy self-esteem and sense of confidence. Make no mistake, your choice of attire can help or hurt your cause. If you’re in doubt, consider these points: