Businesses today are more transparent than ever before. The internet is making business information widely available. Transparency means businesses are now held accountable for their actions. The same goes for businesses executives.
When you look at the difference between large corporations and small ones, you start to see differences in the way their executives act. As you continue to search online for more information, you are likely come across the term, “personal branding.” The concept of personal branding has been popularized by business leaders. Each has his or her own definition of the term. But what does “personal branding” mean? And how can it be of benefit to you?
Making a brand personal
What constitutes personal branding? Well, it depends on who you ask! Some people would tell you that the term “personal branding” is an overused buzzword and that’s fine. It’s important to realize that personal branding is simply the process of making yourself (or your company) memorable. It is the slow and continous process aimed at creating a unique and consistent image. Create a powerful appeal. Regardless of how you look at it, personal branding is a self-marketing strategy that can help you stand out from the crowd. Recognizable name and a quality image, has proved to shape success with career.
Defining personal branding can be difficult. It’s hard to cut through the noise and the information overload. It’s even harder to make sense of all the pieces. Personal branding is how you display yourself to the world. That’s it. It’s not flashy, it doesn’t need special effects, it doesn’t need anything out of the ordinary. Your personal brand is your behavior, your personality, your actions. Are you friendly? Are you helpful? Are you passionate about the things you do? Ideals like these are all part of your personal brand. As you think about what you can do to strengthen your Personal Brand, think about what you can do to be the person you want to be.
Crafting your personal brand
Personal branding is a lot more than showing off who you are. It’s more about who you are not.
Personal branding is the idea that every individual needs to market his or her own abilities. Not limited to your professional skills.
When crafting your personal brand, use positive language. In addition, you want to make sure you’re appealing to the largest audience possible. By remaining humble and empathetic towards others, you can create a strong personal brand. However, it’s important that you do not lose track of your goals.
Personal branding is about establishing an identity for yourself that is recognized by what you do, think, and say. It is not about putting your personal information everywhere, or being the “most interesting person.” Personal branding is about being honest with yourself, avoiding fads, trends, and gimmicks. It is about who you are, what you stand for, what your skills are, and what you value. Personal branding is about being confident in your abilities, being honest about your mistakes, and always having the courage to learn, grow, and adapt. It is the single most important exercise you do to build the trust of your audience. It will help showcase the skills you carry and the quality of work bring to the table. It is not about marketing it is about being present.
It is being present on the internet, web-presence.
You can see personal branding at work by looking at how many people are building online profiles, with their own on sites and on social media like LinkedIn and Twitter. Web presence is also the interplay of all these together. Together they help your skill shine.
Web presence allows our work to speak for its self !
Careers are shaped by who you know. Networking is connecting to people you don know. Networking and that show off at the office coffee counter .. both carry this negative overtone. Is it necessary and can that be done better? Can we let our work speak for its self? It will have to be displayed for anyone to seek it and read it. It’s all about finding the right channels. It will help to have a repository of work appropriately laid out and ready to be referenced. The digital world calls referencing links, collection of information appropriately laid out as a website, and social media calls all the personality traits you put out; profile. There are the lucky ones from yesteryears where the marketing department would choose you to talk about .. the market or annual results or other announcements relevant for traditional media. The media presence .. that just came as perks of the position.
A career is a long-term progression. Increasing complexity, responsibilities, and status are part of the turf. Leadership training is not just about how to be a leader. Rather, it is more of a journey of unearthing one’s passion and potential. read more about how web presence can make reduce challenges of senior management for top management and employees alike in my article talking about Challenges of senior executives and is help available? Management is a skill that allows an individual to achieve goals. Career management is a skill that allows an individual to achieve their career goals. A career path is a planned series of career-related decisions.
Potential to impact- self and other women
Diversity is a strength. The world is changing.
There is a lot of room for positive change. There needs to be a force that can influence people to make decisions with an inclusive perspective. One way this can happen is by having more people with strong personal brands make public statements on the benefits of diversity. A strong personal brand can make you influential, it also gives you the potential to make an impact with causes you believe in. A strong personal brand that is representing diversity with pride, can do good for the entire community, not just oneself!
The conversation around diversity is increasing. Women constitute 50% of the working population. They also are the least represented in the decision-making process in the corporate sector, world over. Can personal branding and web presence change that for individuals and the community as a whole?
Include yourself in the discussion about diversity, you can be a catalyst for change! Create content around your personal brand, it will encourage more women a chance to have a conversation about their skills. The natural gift to nurture is valuable. It has served of value when women groom the future generations at home. That strength can well be used by small and large corporations.
Social media is a personal profile.
The easiest way to brand yourself is via social media.
It is important to note that the key to personal branding is to be consistent. Having a clear and coherent message across all platforms is vital. Be clear with all your messaging!
As far as personal branding goes, it’s about establishing your unique tone of voice by deciding what you want to be known for. It will be the first step to opening doors. People are more likely to respond to someone who is confident in their abilities. Making sure that all of your platforms represent you. Building strong relationships with your network will make sure that people are thinking about you when opportunities do arise.
Welcome to knowing who “I am”
The nature of how people connect has changed drastically due to the internet. Web presence carries the power to open opportunities. Find people who share the same interests as you, learn new things, and connect over what is common.