To Brand or Not to Brand

As I study the need for personal branding, I find there are many writers and professionals that speak out against the practice. I read an article that was anti-brand and stated that personal brands make people robotic. The article stated that personal branding is a myth and a social media trend for professionals. Which is it?

I believe in the personal brand. A brand is an identifiable product that is manufactured by an individual or company. The brand represents the individual and has value to both the consumer and the manufacturer.

The Coca-Cola Company manufactures 200 brands worldwide. If we select one of their brands and review the marketing of that brand. We can understand why we also need a personal brand. Let’s take a look at Dasani. The product is water. How do we make water look appealing and stand out amongst its competitors? You can get water anywhere, why should we pay for Dasani? Coca-Cola would say that the

“process of reverse osmosis filtration with a proprietary blend of minerals creates a fresh, clean, and premium tasting water that is pure and delicious.”

Dasani’s mission is simple: DASANI? was created to make premium tasting water accessible to everyone.

We may purchase Dasani due to the reputation of Coca-Cola or we may drink Dasani because we trust in the brand itself.

A personal brand is a product or skill that an individual brings to the table. You may be a talented writer that has social media influence and can bring attention to a specific company or product through a blog post. Your name carries recognition. You can either develop your own brand or represent the brand of another.

A roofer may have many technical skills and may do the work that many other roofers perform to earn a regular paycheck. If Gary the roofer has a specific set of skills to install and fix gutters. His employer may give him specific tasks to only work on gutters. Gary the roofer may decide to develop his personal brand and become “Gary the Gutter Guy!”. Gary may continue to work for his employer or he may choose to work for another roofing company that specializes in gutters. That other company may reach out to Gary as he is known in the industry as the “Gutter Guy”. In enough time, and with additional resources, Gary may develop his skills in a way in which he offers his services independently as his own company.

In today’s market, a career is a pathway to hone skills and develop a personal brand that can become marketable to potential employers and manufacturers. You will represent the company that employs you and you also represent yourself. Does your personal mission statement match the mission of your employer?

Do you have a mission statement?

Regardless of working for someone or working for yourself, you should start with a mission statement. You can’t reach your destination if you don’t know where you are going. Your mission statement defines your destination.

The interview process is a two-way communication exercise between a potential employer and a potential employee. Both parties should be interviewing each other to see if the brand fits the company. If an employer is interviewing for a potential purchase of talent and skills, why would we not develop a mission statement and brand to define the value?

I see many reasons to build a personal brand. If you would like to learn more about how to build a mission statement or develop a personal brand, you can reach out to a professional for coaching and consulting. There are many in the marketplace that can assist.

Do you have ideas or questions? I would love to network with you! Please leave a comment on this article below. Do you believe in personal branding? Do you have a mission statement?