Personal Branding in the Digital Age

In future installments of Quite Honestly, I’ll be going over the techniques and strategies on how to build your brand, as well as the technologies to connect to the “new buyer”. Before I do that, I’ll be diving into the foundational knowledge needed to be able to execute it effectively. Be forewarned that the next few articles will be highly focused on the basic concepts. However, this is the first crucial step in the “humble mindset”.

The word “brand” has been a growing buzzword over the last decade. It’s probably the most omnipresent term in marketing and advertising, and yet, very rarely are people able to quantifiably define what it means. The common misconception about branding is that it is limited to the visual representation of a company, such as logos and advertising.

The generally accepted definition of a brand is “the sum total of all visual and non-visual, verbal and non-verbal, tangible and non-tangible elements that help to identify, form, create and influence unique and positive associations for a product, service or entity, that differentiates it from its competitions, creating meaning, value, and preferences in one’s mind.”

In simple terms: a brand is the perception portrayed by any touchpoint associated with a product, service, or entity. It’s all-encompassing.

Below is a list of examples of what affects a brand:

• Product
• Packaging
• Logo
• Product Instructions
• Manufacturing
• Website
• Sales Representative
• Distribution Channels
• Customer Service
• Legal Settlements
• Public Relations
• Reviews
• Charitable Involvement
• HR
• Ad Copy *

*Please note that this is by far not a comprehensive list

Any one item on this list could turn the tide of how a brand is perceived and could be detrimental to your bottom line. In today’s political climate, it has never been more evident that your brand can easily slip away from your control. A solid brand voice can not only prevent negative repercussions, it can actively benefit your business.

Chick-Fil-A is a great example of this. Following some political controversy, Chick-Fil-A positioned its brand to resonate with their target consumer. Though the company may have suffered a loss of sales due to the boycott, Chick-Fil-A received a surge of support in other markets. This turned out to be a strategic move on their part that earned them over $4.6 billion in sales growth immediately following the event. While this is an extreme example, it serves well to illustrate how sticking to a brand voice that resonates with your target audience can translate into sales.

So, what does a corporate brand voice have to do with an individual? When you accept an association with a business, you are implicitly adopting a company’s brand and public perception. This can either be an asset or a hindrance to your personal and professional goals.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does the company’s mission statement align with my professional mission statement?
2. Does this company embody their mission with how it treats their employees, business partners, and vendors?
3. Does this company’s outside reputation align with their mission statement?

If the answers to any of these were “no”, I would highly recommend you re-evaluate your association. Think strategically about where you see yourself going, what your personal goals are, and whether the lender you’ve decided to work with will get you there.

For example, let’s say your personal mission statement is to provide the best possible service to your clients. It’s your personal credo, and something you pride yourself in. However, when a prospective client does a Google search on you, they can’t find any reviews that confirm that or any content that speaks to your commitment to service.

The next best thing is to research the company you are associated with. If you are partnered with a lender that generates horrible reviews online, that potential client is most likely going to choose to work with another loan officer. Furthermore, if your goal is to be identified with quality service, you should be looking for a lender that will proactively provide you with the technology and resources that help you meet that goal. This is why our team at New American Funding has worked hard to develop a suite of marketing tools to help loan officers brand themselves. To date, we’ve been able to generate a 4.9 rating based on 138,000 reviews for our loan officers.

Reviews are just one example of a tactic you can use to validate your brand strategy, but it is hardly the only tool you should focus on. In the age of information, you can find the answer to any burning question with a couple of taps on your phone. A successful personal brand communicates a clear message and offers proof that validates it in every interaction someone has with you (even if they have never met you). It is the foundation of how you would like to be perceived, and it acts as your guide when making any kind of decision that can impact your professional career.

Without a personal brand to make you stand out, you will just be another webpage that ends up discarded and forgotten about in an endless universe of content. Your personal brand is all-encompassing the same way a “brand” is. It includes your social media, website, word-of-mouth testimonials, the vendor you work with, and so on.

In next week’s article, I’ll be giving you some practical steps on how to start defining your personal brand. In the meantime, take the next few days to reflect on your goals and how you want to be perceived. This will be the vision that drives the blueprint of your personal brand.