What is a personal brand?
So what’s in a brand and why should you care about personal branding? It’s tempting to only think of brands in terms of companies and businesses. According to Wikipedia, personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands.
Personal branding is essentially the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group or organization. Personal branding often involves the application of one’s name to various products.
A great example is Oprah Winfrey. Simply her face, name, and famous ‘O’ logo are instantly recognized worldwide.
Maybe you’re thinking: well I’m no large corporation or giant box store, so this doesn’t apply to me, right?
WRONG!
In today’s world more and more people are doing business on a personal level. Consumers don’t want the cold shoulder of a big corporation or box store that doesn’t care about you and only sees you as a number. They want to do business with a real person who knows your name, your husband’s name and possibly even your children’s names and where you vacation every year.
Consumers want to do business with people they know, like and trust. Think about it. If you’re in business today you know that referrals from past or current clients is far more valuable than an ad on Facebook or Google. Why?
Because it’s personal.
Okay, so get to the point, right?
My point is that the difference between being a person and having a personal brand is understanding that sharing who you are with your clients, colleagues, and potential customers can be financially lucrative.
Now, what exactly makes up your personal brand?
I was doing research on personal branding to get a clear definition, and WOW the amount of information out there … it’s endless! Here are some of the key aspects that make up personal branding:
– Personality
Your personal brand is how you show up in person, the information you share and images representing you online, and how others perceive you. Your brand is more than just images; it’s what differentiates you from others.
Now that your eyes have been opened to the importance of personal branding, I encourage you to look at how you show up in person and online and ask yourself: Am I being consistent and authentic? Do the images out there on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. represent the authentic, unique me? Am I showing up in person the way I’m showing up online?
If it’s been a while since you took a step back and took a good, overall look of your personal brand, now is the time!
Updating your website and need professional images? Christina works closely with clients for the most fabulous personal branding images. Send and email today for more information.
