It’s personal .. Personal Branding meaning and definition
What is personal branding?
Influenced by the way we conduct and present ourselves personal branding is; what we are known for and what we wish to be known for. This article is the insider’s guide to personal branding. We discover the benefits of building a personal brand if they are there at all! Make suggestions about how to build one that is uniquely yours.
To put things in perspective we will go back to the books and start with the basics. Philip Kotler/Gary Amstrong define ‘Brand’ in their book Principals of Marketing. The definition will need minor modifications and it will serve the topic here well. Definition of personal branding will thus read “A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies .. distinct from those of other… ‘. Authors in the same book define “Branding”. That definition will need no adaptation to bring it to context here. Branding is understood as “endowing products and services with the power of a brand”.
A personal brand should thus be understood as what individuals are known for or what they wish to be known for.
Personal branding, web presence, social media profiles are manifestations of the digital world that we are familiar with. The internet may is a web of connected computers, those who have spent years harnessing its power will affirm, it is a personal affair around here. It is so personal that it is important. Let us understand why!
Importance of personal branding
Avatar .. from the https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary. The word Avatar derives its meaning from the Sanskrit language, and means “descent”. First appeared in English in the late 18th century, the word its self had to adapt over time. In the age of technology, the avatar has developed. It is now used for the image that a person chooses as his or her “embodiment” in an electronic medium. Personal branding brings alive your digital avatar.
The use of the internet creates a digital signature. A signature that is leveraged upon by all individuals, small businesses, and internet giants. We might be one in a million, quite literally. It will be relevant to be “the one”; we like being.
Being “the One”.. with personal branding
First the antithesis of a personal brand .. that loud shows off at the office coffee counter .. is a good example of a personal brand from when social media profiles were not the norm. With the advent of the digital world .. everyone is happy to hit the “find” or “search” button. It is a simpler way to find an answer. Why would it be different for people and what they represent?
Recent research talks about “touchpoints” and tries to quantify how many times does an individual needs to interact with a brand before they are willing to buy. Studies suggest different figures from 8 – 26 touchpoints. The number is only going up.
Hubspot.com defines “touchpoints” and enlists 20 of them. Touchpoints are interactions between businesses and customers that occur during the customer’s journey. These moments influence customer experience and brand perception. We have classified them into “digital and non-digital” touchpoints. The intent is to classify how many touchpoints in today’s age use the digital medium to increase the amount of time the customer spends with a brand.
The number of digital touchpoints is twice that of the non-digital form. The ratio of digital touchpoints to non-digital ones is 2:1.
| Digital- Touchpoints | Non- Digital Touchpoints |
|---|---|
| Social media Online Advertisement Digital Marketing Content Ecommerce Product Reviews Thank You Letters Product Feedback Surveys Upsell/Cross-Sell Emails Subscription Renewals Customer Support Channels Customer Onboarding Customer Loyalty Programs Self-Service Resources | Company Events Peer Referral Conversations With Company Representatives. Outside social media Physical Product Catalogs Point of Sale (non-e-commerce transactions) Thank You Letters Customer Success Programs, Efforts like recall by automobile manufacturing, |
Managers from the human resources department, you for clients and clients for you, all admit to hitting the search icon before they engage with anyone for anything. Understand the paradigm shift that the internet brings to the table. Internet connects people, which is why personal branding is important.
The digital medium carries the ability to display intent. I am talking about being valuable as you become visible around the internet in my article http://web-presence.net/personal-branding-visible-valuable-web-presence/
Branding has its benefits: how do you go about executing it!
All executions are done best when done as part of a well-crafted strategy. What should be your personal branding strategy..
When it is personal, we are making a conscious choice all the time. It will help to continuously have a conversation with yourself. Conversations about your personal influences, vision and personality traits that you resonate with. Chances are that these conversations are already open. They are often the loudest when no one is listening. Once you get it right in your mind when you get it right on paper, like posts, as comments and all forms of written expression. This is why web presence is one of the strongest tools of personal branding strategy.
Present on the internet .. it will be in one of the following..
- Personal Website.
- Persona Blog
- Video, for self or your work.
- Social Media profiles
- Online Directory Listings.
- Web presence is important for all businesses, even those that don’t do any deals on the web.
- Web presence: place where we showcase our unique interpretation through articles, tweets and more
Web presence helps display your version of what was dished out in a leadership development program. I write more about that and how passion can be a profession in my article, http://web-presence.net/when-passion-becomes-profession/
Everything that is displayed as part of activity around the internet carries the power to display intent and personality. It is important to be conscious of what is getting reflected as part of your web presence. It is important to be conscious of your personal brand. Social media is a great tool for seeking and serving information.
I believe the hidden secret to discovering the qualitative aspect of a human personality is through web presence. Senior is a synonym of experience, challenges are ever-present. Leaders are leaders because they have consistently displayed that they have the right skills. Leadership skills as brand elements. I write more about the challenges of senior executives in the article http://web-presence.net/challenges-of-executive-leadership/
Personal branding is the idea that every individual needs to market his or her own abilities. Not limited to your professional skills. The idea of personal branding has its core centred around how individuals can be valuable. The loud colleague at the coffee counter might have made other choices had personal branding and web presence been explained to him.
Concluding summary : FAQ’s around personal branding
What is personal branding?
“A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies .. distinct from those of other… ‘ It is your digital Avatar and manifests through content on a personal website, personal Blog, Video about you and your work, Social Media profile, Online Directory Listings. A personal brand should thus be understood as what people are known for or what they wish to be known for. Read to understand how web- presence helps personal brands.
What is a personal branding strategy?
Conversations about your personal influences, vision personality traits that you resonate with you. Chances are that these conversations are already open. This is why web presence is one of the strongest tools of personal branding strategy. The use of the internet creates a digital signature. A signature that is leveraged upon by all individuals, small businesses, and internet giants. We might be one in a million, quite literally. It will be relevant to be “the one”; we like being.
Is Blogging for personal branding helpful?
Blogging is the simplest and one of the oldest tools used for personal branding. The written text carries the power to engage the audience, evoke emotions, display intent and personality. Other forms of written text that we see are social media posts, comments, articles.
Benefits of personal branding
Some of the many benefits of personal branding
– Helps employers curate the skill and personality of prospective employees
– Increases “touchpoints” that convert customers to buyers. Read the article, http://web-presence.net/insider-guide-to-personal-branding/ it describes touchpoints and shows the ratio of digital touchpoints is twice that of non-digital touchpoints.
– Helps address the challenges of senior executives. Senior is a synonym of experience. Understand the relation between increasing life-spans, and how personal brands are helping bring value to the table in the article http://web-presence.net/when-passion-becomes-profession/
– The digital medium carries the ability to display intent. It for this reason personal branding is important.
How to implement personal branding?
Everything that is displayed as part of activity around the internet carries the power to display intent and personality. It is important to be conscious of what is getting reflected as part of your web presence. It will be relevant to be conscious of your personal brand.
Social media is a tool, It helps display and reinforce what we wish to be known for. Our comments and posts become brand elements. Each social media platform has its unique positioning. LinkedIn is a social media platform positioned for professionals in the mind to do business. If that positioning adds value to the brand you are aiming to create, use the option judiciously.