What's your personal brand action plan?

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. What do you want that to be? How do you want to show up, and how do you want others to perceive you? Know who you are, know what you want you want to talk about, and know how you want to be viewed. Are you a community builder? A teacher? A coach? Is your tone warm and nurturing, or more of a tough love attitude? The two keys to it all are authenticity and consistency. Never try to put on a persona that isn’t authentic to who you are. Be consistent in how, where, and why you show up. Both are necessary to build trust.

At the risk of sounding like a contrarian, I think this is overkill & one of the fastest ways for people who are intimidated by building a "personal brand" to procrastinate or quit altogether. You don't need a SWOT analysis. You need to be self-aware and comfortable being your authentic self on this platform. Is it good to be intentional? Absolutely. Should you know your target audience? Yes. Should you know your value to that audience? For sure. But if you treat personal branding like this massive, daunting product launch, you might just find it's harder to launch than you hoped. Start simple: ??? Be yourself. ??? Be present. ??? Be patient. Watch what happens. You can do the deeper reflection & research later.

I have ever in 25 plus years of senior level retained executive search had a hiring manager use the word "brand". Doesn't happen. And, I've recruited from small privately held companies to Fortune 500 companies. What hiring managers want to know and what I teach my career strategy clients is this: 1) What can you show evidence that you can deliver. 2) For whom. 3) And, how. 4) What is your potential---since executive hires are not only hired for what they can do now but what they can do long term.

Perhaps I am not taking this issue in the spirit it is intended, but I find the idea of a "personal brand" a bit contrived. If I ever had a persona as a government analyst, it was for precision in interpreting laws and regulations to provide management with its maximum flexibility. That is, providing sound advice that was both responsive and ethically safe to pursue. I did not consider this so much as a "brand" as what was expected of an expert in my field. That I would give the same answer up and down the chain from the lowest to the highest level perhaps distinguished me somewhat from those who might have been more inclined to be "respecters of persons." It also helped not having to remember more than one story.

The first thing you need to do is know what type of personal brand most resonates with you because there are several types. A few types include: Expertise Brand: This type focuses on your knowledge and expertise in a specific field. You are known as an authority and go-to person for information in that area. Innovator Brand: An innovator brand showcases your creativity and ability to come up with new and unique ideas. You're seen as a trendsetter and someone who pushes boundaries. Leader Brand: Leader brands are known for their ability to guide and influence others. You inspire and motivate people to achieve their goals.

Alternatively, I'd suggest this: 1) Look at those whose career trajectories you admire. 2) What are the elements in their trajectories that you can define? 3) Break them down, eg., small to large company, large company to small, going from one function to the next, or staying in the same lane. 4) Follow and connect with your role models. 5) Ask if you can ask them one specific question. 6) Make that question specific and pivotal to your 3 year goals.

It’s always good to have goals. But don’t overthink it. Defining your audience is far more important. Are you looking to attract new clients? New customers? Do you want to catch the attention of recruiters in your industry? Or C-Suite executives? Know who you are trying to reach, in order to know how to tailor your content accordingly.

It holds great significance to accurately define the appropriate segments for your strategy. While addressing narrower segments is acceptable, it is crucial to deliver exceptional service and emphasize your unique selling proposition. A widely practiced approach to determine your target market involves delineating TAM, SAM, and SOM. This exercise can effectively guide you in identifying your desired audience.

Setting goals is important but the main thing is to make sure you are thinking long term. It is very easy to set goals based on metrics especially on social media. When you are thinking long term, you are thinking: - why am I do this? -what is the long term goal that I want to achieve? - do these goals align with my long term plan? Once you have set some long term goals then you can start to work backwards and formulate short term goals.

Defining your target audience which, for job search, is your target employer(s), is a critical first step. Without knowing who your personal brand is designed to influence, you'll never be able to clearly state what makes you unique and valuable to specific people (or companies and organizations you want to work for). Your brand will be generic and unable to hit home with anyone. In other words, you can't write personal brand messaging that will resonate with anyone, if you haven't identified who you want it to resonate with.

Key word here for me is "develop" because your voice should be something that comes naturally to you and be an extension of your voice in all other mediums. Depending on how intentional you want to get about your personal brand, you may want to create logos, colors, fonts, images, tones, etc., but it's also not imperative to have these things in order to have a personal brand. To me, the biggest thing you have to nail is your 3Cs or Core Content Categories. These are ideally topics you are fascinated by and passionate about. The kind of topics you could talk about for days on end, and then some. Once you've identified those core categories, create consistently & deliver value to those consuming your content. That's a great start.

If we retain 10% of what we hear, 20% of what we read, and 80% of what we see, the visual presentation of our brand is even more important than many realize. To get your audience to devour what you bring to the table and ask for more, don't forget the tasty visuals. Spend time to develop a coordinated and strategic visual augmentation to your content message, focusing on, but not limited to, your Profile photo, Background photo, Featured section, Post Content, and Rich media uploads to help tell your story and create demand. Without supportive visuals we are committing Personal Blanding? Go Grand, Never Bland, Brand to Land & #KeepRockingLinkedIn! Kevin On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding?

This is great advice for Influencers. But, there are caveats for those who are seeking professional career advancement without a corporate structure. Look first at your role and your "lane". Are you an aspiring Executive Director of a not for profit? or Are you a b to b marketing executive? or Are you a Ph.d. in chemical engineering in academia? Where do the most effective people in your lane present themselves and how do they present themselves?

Being YOU- is the most important point - you listen to your audience and actively communicate in the way it fits you. You do not need to cry any style which might work for someone lese, but is not YOU. Authenticity is what counts and being human.

Your personal brand is a blend of: - your visual aesthetic such as photos, colors, and fonts - your tone- how do you want others to view your content? Inspirational, comical, educational,polarizing. - your values and story Having all 3 points is the recipe to create your personal brand.

Without a focused action plan we open the door to Personal Blanding?: the intentional or inadvertent act of demarketing or making oneself appear generic, dull, boring, commonplace, tedious, dreary, tiresome, monotonous, run-of-the-mill, uninspiring, insipid, vapid, limited or no value add that ultimately may negatively impact opportunities or careers and allows others to overlook potential. Contributing factors to Personal Blanding? include but are not limited to the overuse of buzzwords, adjectives, and claims of greatness with the lack of supportive media, written recommendations, lackluster engagement, and any measurable proof metrics. Go Grand, Never Bland, Brand to Land & #KeepRockingLinkedIn! Kevin

Sharing your personal brand online is key. If you are first starting out, start on 1-2 platforms that align best with your long term mission. Ask yourself, where does my content make sense? Where does my target audience spend their time on? Once you have answered those 2 questions then you can figure out which social media platforms you should be focusing on. As your brand matures and you improve with creating content you can start to branch out to other social media platforms.

In job search, you need to be findable online. Recruiters and other hiring professionals will Google "your name", if you're a potential candidate. Your personal brand needs to evident in what they find. If the search results are anemic or non-existent, they may pass you by in favor of those competing against you who DO have a vibrant and diverse online presence. Get into the habit of posting on LinkedIn and other relevant social media. Even simply posting comments on other people's LinkedIn posts is a smart strategy.

At the executive level (250k and above), unless you are in a not for profit sector where who you are is blended with your mission, most executive hiring isn't done based upon on-line presence. It is done based upon these elements: Your LInkedin profile. Recommendations by others in your industry to you as a potential great fit candidate. Professional or industry visibility.

Your most important asset is your signature file in your email. An often overlooked element, it can tie in all your platforms in a single place. When you post, don't forget to add the links to all your platforms where people can reach you. Make it easy for them!

My perspective from 2 decades recruiting senior executives, 30% of your on-line network should be executive recruiting professionals at your target companies. 20% at the retained executive search firms focusing on search in your industry/function or the major generalist firms, e.g., Korn/Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds, Heidrick & Struggles and Egon Zehnder. The remaining percentage should be prior colleagues, connections through industry or functionally specific executives in your "lanes".

I’ve always focussed on growing my network and being a valuable connection to others. This has served me well over the years. Too many on this platform are focused on spamming and pitching, playing the short game. All that does is burn bridges. If you are smart you’ll care more about the big picture than a quick sale. Play the long game. It’s actually shorter. Slow down to speed up!

Growing your network comes with sharing content. The more content you share and the more you let people into your life the more people will feel like they know you. Your goal should be that you want people to feel like they know you as online friends. Use your social media platform to grow your connections- I met a ton of very interesting people from social media.

Your network is your net worth! This doesn't mean adding every person you can find to your network. You need to CURATE your network with like-minded individuals. This way you can contribute to the community in a more meaningful way and learn a great deal from your network in return.

Don't grow your network for the sake of growing your network. You need to reach out to specific people who could benefit from your content. We often see large numbers of contacts but almost no engagements on the content and the network isn't shared between platforms. Instead, choose your contacts with a purpose in mind and always with this in mind: "What value can I offer this person and why would they want to see my content?"

As I learn and grow, and my focus changes, my messaging changes. Many things remain the same due to authenticity, AKA me being myself. The one constant is change. You must continuously evolve while being true to yourself and your core values. Put yourself out there and your vibe will attract the right people.

For career health and fulfillment it’s wise to revisit your personal brand at least once a year, whether or not a job search is looming in front of you. You never know when your job may be pulled out from under you. And you never know when a new job opportunity (internally or externally) may come your way. You may suddenly need to impress someone, like a recruiter or hiring decision maker, who asks for up-to-date information about you. And there you’ll be, scrambling at the last minute to update or pull together your resume, LinkedIn profile and other materials. You may know what it’s like to tackle a task as important as that with a time-crunch hanging over you. That’s an awful lot of last minute pressure.

I totally agree with this. I see brands often make a mistake because they are rigid! We're living in a time where everything around us is constantly evolving, growing and shifting at a rapid rate. Adapting to these changes is more than crucial for businesses in any industry and in any region! Who could guess that realtors would be selling properties worth millions of dollars through social media?!

As opportunities present themselves to you, you’ll inevitably find yourself tested to make choices that may not align with your desired brand. When creating your personal brand plan, also make an agreement with yourself to uphold your brand (and values) when at a crossroads. Your personal brand agreement is where you pull reinforcements to ensure you stay the course. To create your agreement: 1. Write out your goals 2. List out the benefits you'll receive (and others will experience) as you reinforce this agreement 3. Identify potential roadblocks and obstacles 4. Enlist a support team With your agreement, you can confidently and reliably make decisions that are in alignment with your goals and values and repel those that don’t.

I believe that we cannot dismiss the importance of crafting a story for your bio. Who are you, where do you come from and where are you going? People want to connect most of all. They want to relate. If you can accomplish this, then you will have a fan base. Don't underestimate the power of collaborations. Don't tag people for the sake of having views. Reach out to people at your level, collaborate on a piece together and as you grow, people may start reaching out to you for collabs. Finally, don't do this for others. Do it for your own sake and for the learning and experience you will gain out of it.

It’s easy to get hung up in the perfection and performance of a personal brand. Therefore, I think it’s important to call out that personal brands are fluid, just like human behavior. I’m other words, your personal brand can shift and grow more regularly than a product. Honor that and have fun with the exploration.

Big thanks to those who have contributed! This is much better than my approach of throwing stuff out there and hoping that something sticks, haha.

Talking from a more holistic point of view, I feel people often miss out on their own personalities while creating their personal brand. Does your brand really reflect you as a person? Deep inside, are you really passionate about the industry you are in? Does your business give you a sense of fulfilment? I believe it is necessary to ask yourself these questions to increase self-awareness.