Seven Corporate Communications Principles to Help Build Your Personal Brand

How people see and perceive us as individuals and leaders in the workplace can have profound effects on ourselves, our colleagues and organizations.

When I was asked to serve as a mentor at the National Confectioners Association’s Women’s Leadership Group breakfast at this year’s Sweets & Snacks EXPO, I thought about topics that link my profession— corporate communications—with those that would be valuable for women who want to rise in their respective roles, companies and industries. I chose “Building Your Personal Brand.”

Building our personal brand is where I’ve seen women, in particular, frequently struggle. The irony, of course, is that we are so adept at building brands for others that we sacrifice the focus on ourselves. Chalk it up to overloaded schedules, a lack of tactical know-how, or perhaps imposter syndrome, many of us simply haven’t committed to building and nurturing our own reputations.

I speak from experience.

While confident in my decision to speak on this topic, my own imposter syndrome set in immediately. I wondered, “How can I help other women develop and strengthen their own personal brand when I barely take care of my own?” Despite my reservations, my hope was and remains that by leaning into my own hesitations and vulnerability I can help other women overcome their reservations and commit to doing the same.

Developing, changing or promoting ourselves is an ongoing process and can quite often feel uncomfortable. While you don’t have to work in marketing or corporate communications to apply the following principles, they are timeless, tried and true, and many successful women (and men) leverage all or a mix of the following to keep themselves visible and relevant in their respective companies and industries.

1. Vision & Purpose – The vision and purpose for your brand should define what you want to be known for, both personally and professionally. This should also encompass what you want to accomplish and the impact you want to make with your personal brand.
2. Self-Awareness & Feedback – Step out of your comfort zone and be brave: Conduct “market research” on your personal brand. By asking trusted colleagues, mentors, advisors, you can collect additional information about what you’re doing well and where you might want to focus efforts and attention. 
3. Authenticity – A personal brand should be a true reflection of your strengths, skills, passion, values and beliefs. People are drawn to authenticity, so it’s important to be yourself.
4. Relationships – When thinking about relationships and third-party validators who can advance (or deter) your personal brand building, it’s important to consider who needs to know you – or about you – in order to make progress toward your goals, vision and purpose. Taking this a step further, introducing others to who you think they should know positions you as generous and well-connected.
5. Message & Positioning – What are the messages and ideas that will resonate with your audience(s)? How do you need to position your message in order for it to be well-received? While you’re on this thought exercise, keep in mind that your insights should be grounded in what your audience wants/needs to hear; not necessarily in what you want to say (this speaks to relevance). 
6. Consistency & Reliability – Consistency encourages your audience to anticipate and look forward to what you have to say. When paired with authenticity, it often keeps your audience’s trust and willingness to remain open to what you have to say/do.
7. Be Visible & Participate – Participation and visibility is where your personal brand comes to life. Where appropriate, participate in public speaking opportunities or media interviews. Develop and publish content that’s unique to your strengths and experiences. There are plenty of channels available to amplify your personal brand.

Make an appointment with yourself to focus on yourself and see where building your personal brand can take your career or business. Is there anything you’d add to this list? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.