The Power of Personal Branding: How to Create Long-Lasting Impact

Last month I joined Drew Neisser the CMO Huddles Tuesday Tips. to discuss the power of building your personal brand. I was thrilled to discuss this important topic alongside branding experts James (JD) Dillon , R. Jeffrey Lamboy and Brett C McCarty?? . This made me realize just how important developing, and sustaining, a personal brand is today.

Personal branding is when you craft your image and guide your reputation. If you’re unsure how to get started, remember that it’s a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years, but it’s well worth the efforts. And the benefits are tangible. The more exposure you can generate for your personal brand, the more exposure your business will ultimately get.

When you’re building a personal brand remember that you're never playing a role. Instead, you're delivering on your unique brand promise. Success comes from the way that you package yourself and evolve that packaging over time. When done right, personal branding isn’t something you create; it’s something you reveal. It shouldn’t feel draining. On the contrary, it should feel invigorating.

Warren Buffet is a phenomenal example of effective personal branding. As one of the most well-known investors in our society today, Buffet’s life and work is thoroughly documented, and his personal brand is clear and well-respected. If you take a moment to do a quick Internet search on him, you'll find plenty of resources and quotes that have shaped who he is. This is personal branding. While he likely did not set out to intentionally create a personal brand, he certainly understands the value it has brought to him.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." – Warren Buffet?

Yes Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha and the master at simplifying the complex with plain language, has nailed the importance of proactively managing your personal brand.

Reputation is what makes people feel secure working with you. Buffet doesn't care what people think of him, only whether they trust him enough to work with him.?This is a key difference.?Personal branding is how you prove to the world you're worthy of their trust and partnership. Personal branding isn’t bragging, and it's not being narcissistic. It's your opportunity to share with others how you use your talents to serve them. In short, personal branding is a powerful way to create the career and life you want.?This is key – creating the career and life you want, because if you don’t actively cultivate your personal brand you leave it up to the default perspectives of others. Passivity rarely leads to a successful and sustainable personal brand.

Pay attention to your online presence

Everyone has an online presence, whether they like it or not. Managing that presence is not about vanity anymore but about professional responsibility. Friends and prospective employers may not admit it but searching on a person's name is the first thing they do when they need to learn about that person.

If you Google yourself, what will you see? Will others like what they see? If you were an employer, would you hire yourself based on your name's Google results? Given a choice between two qualified candidates for a job, would you hire one who posts comments all over Facebook responding negatively to brands or products? Would you take a chance on someone who can’t be bothered to change their post settings so that their rant against their previous company isn’t publicly visible?

As you consider the overall view of your personal brand, I encourage you to consider the below traits:

Authenticity

To develop and convey an authentic personal brand, be the person you are proudest to be. Ask yourself whether what you are saying (or posting) sounds like you. Are you being genuine or are you being who other people want you to be? Be straight with yourself. And when you find that you’re not accurately representing yourself don’t be afraid to take a step back and regroup so as not to come across as self-serving or phony.?

Accessibility and attitude

Develop?a?persona that is reachable and approachable. Put?your?best self forward, even if you don't feel like it or it’s difficult to do so. The reality is that social media has little to do with what we say about ourselves and has everything to do with what other people say about us.

Open-mindedness

There are two types of people in the world: those who keep their arms wide open, and those who keep their arms held tight against their chest. Personal branding is all about being open minded, and welcoming others into your world. Now that doesn’t mean you will agree with everyone, nor them with you, so you need to be comfortable acknowledging others’ views and giving them space even if you don’t agree with them. Easier said than done at times, but necessary none the less. Aspire to be the bigger person always.?

Appearance

First impressions matter, especially on social media. Decide which platforms and accounts you are going to focus on and delete any that you are no longer using. For the networks you will be using, make sure all your information is complete, accurate, and consistent. This will help you to build traffic to the places where you want to showcase your work. It can also remove any potential “questionable” content from year’s past that doesn’t have a positive effect on your professional image.

Interaction

How you interact with others is an important part of your brand. It’s important to think before you post. Avoid complaining about your job, co-workers, or boss. Don’t reference potentially illegal activities — anything you wouldn’t do or say in front of a police officer (or your mother) shouldn’t go on social media! It’s okay to comment on divisive issues so long as you are doing so respectfully.

Sharing online allows you to craft a persona that reflects your personal values and professional skills. Even if you only use social media occasionally, the content you create, share, or react to feeds into your public narrative. How you conduct yourself online is now just as important as your behavior offline and has a direct impact on your personal brand.?This is true whether you are broadly well-known or not.

If you’re not sure if investing time in your personal brand is worth it, I can assure you it is. Personal branding takes time and effort, but it can help you foster valuable connections and make a long-lasting impact. Building this muscle of good personal branding pays dividends throughout your career and life. Social media is one of the most valuable tools you can embrace to reveal your personal brand, which hopefully will be an honest, authentic representation of your best self.