How to Build a Personal Brand: 5 Steps

Building a?personal brand?with intention and purpose is imperative in the modern marketplace. Alongside a rapidly changing workforce landscape, the internet has standardized how we source information about companies, products/services, and, of course, people. And your reputation depends on it.

Five Steps to Building Your Personal Brand

Step one: Find Your Purpose

The first step in the branding journey is to discover who you are, identify what makes you unique, and describe your true values, beliefs, passions, purposes, and superpowers. Focus on learning who you are at the most core, authentic level and knowing your driving purpose in life.

Step Two: Catalog Your Knowledge and Interests’ Inventory

Identify things you admire about yourself, elements of your life you enjoy, describe your values, attitudes and beliefs, and areas where you give the most effort. Think about what energizes you and what you are most passionate about. List as many as you can in a short period of time.

Step Three: Take Note of Your Emotional Inventory

Listen to the voice in your head and ask yourself what it feels like to interact with you? Ask how do you want people to feel when interacting with you? And how do you want people to talk about you?

Step Four: Determine Your Idea of Success

It’s essential to add in a little visualizing of your definition of personal success, how your perfect day would be structured, what you are doing, where are you living, what are your priorities, who are the people you are around the most, what activities excite you, what mantras do you live by.

Step Five: Add Clarity to Your Purpose

What are your superpowers? It helps to add focus to the vast number of things you’re good at or interested in – the world is full of folks with similar interests, but focusing on your best few will really help you stand out from the crowd.

Reimagine Your Personal Brand As You Grow

As the digital ecosystem changes and your career evolves, so will your personal brand. Adjust your persona accordingly as you meet different people, find new networking opportunities, and grow in your career.

If you’d like a personalized, guided approach to helping build your personal brand, take a look at my Personal Branding Workshop.?

This article first appeared in Leadership EQuation Journal vol 20, a bi-monthly email newsletter authored by Michelle and Jeff Mariola. If you'd like to join our growing list of subscribers, sign up here!