May 29th, 2012

A Guide to Personal Branding

According to Dan Schawbel, author of "Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success," the rise of social technologies has made branding more personal and within reach.

Personal Branding, by definition, is how we market ourselves to others.

Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter have given individuals and small companies the same power as big companies when it comes to promoting their services and products. We are now responsible for managing our reputation online as well as in real life.

Are you happy with the face your company is showing to the world? Or are you leaving your reputation to chance?

Do you want to know how to discover your brand? Here are some tips on how to do just that.

1. Discover your brand

Spend time writing down how others see you. Organised? Reliable? Fun? Quirky? Dependable? How do you make them feel? If the words you have chosen are the same as how others see or experience you then it is part of your brand.

2. Create your brand

Ask yourself: What words would I use to describe my work? Example would be creative or strategic.

3. What is your Purpose?

What exactly do you do? What do others come to you for? Ask yourself: What is it that makes me unique? What makes me stand out from the competition?

4. Your brand description

Now look at the words you have chosen and select only those ones that show your strengths. Put them together to make a mantra. It should convey who you are to others in a clear way and should be memorable. E.g. “dependable strategic planner,” or “quirky, fun, creator”

5. Promoting your brand

Once you know your brand, its time to promote it online and in real life. Through your website and blog (blogs rank higher in search engines and over time you show your expertise to the world) Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and through business cards and curriculum vitae if relevant.

It's worth taking the time to define our personal branding as it has a huge impact on our business.

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By Onika Staas | Posted in: Web Design Tips , Social Media , Marketing | 0 Comments