Your Personal Brand Matters

Last month I attended an event with fellow marketing executives. Much of what we discussed centered around our corporate brands and staying connected to customers that are constantly moving around. During one of the breaks, I spoke to a handful of people about their personal brands. I wanted to know what they were doing to keep their own brands relevant and top of mind in their respective industries.

 After a brief silence, someone said “I barely have time to keep up with the brands I’m managing for my company. I hope that my personal brand is benefiting from all the hard work I am doing there.” I thought “It is…and it isn’t.”  

 Your personal brand matters. In team sports such as baseball, football, and basketball, each athlete wears the same uniform (corporate brand), but they have different numbers (personal brand). They have contracts with their team, but when the contract is almost finished, they use their personal statistics and accomplishments to either get a new contract with the same club or find a new team that will offer them more money and a better chance to win. You need to use the same approach in business.

 First, you must know that almost no one in business is indispensable. The time to start thinking about your brand is not after you’ve been laid off or fired from your current position. I remember reading a great quote about planning for things, “Dig your well before you are thirsty.” It also applies to your personal brand. You need to start working on it now!  

 Here are four smart ways to start building or reinforcing your personal brand.

 1)     Blog Posts – Think of everything you have learned over the years in your business. The mistakes, the successes and all the stories that go with them. There are many people in your industry that would benefit from hearing your stories. By writing a blog post on a monthly or even bi-weekly basis, you share your expertise and add to your credibility.

2)     Social Media – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are great channels to connect and engage with colleagues, influencers, partners, vendors, and customers in your business. Like writing blog posts (that would go on your LinkedIn profile page), using social media channels to share your knowledge and advice helps build your personal brand as a thought leader. The key to success is being consistent. Don’t write 10 messages one week, and then not use social media for 4-6 months. You are building relationships on social media; it’s a two-way conversation.

3)     Conferences/Events – If you are invited to speak at an industry event or be part of a panel discussion, take advantage of the it. There aren’t many better opportunities to build your personal brand than face-to-face discussions. But, you can just as easily ruin your personal brand if you don’t properly prepare for event. Find out who will be in the audience (e.g. customers, media, analysts, colleagues). This will help you deliver the right message to the right audience. Do your homework on your topic (have there been any recent developments or updates?). Lastly, practice your speech so that you are comfortable delivering it; you want to make it seem natural.   

4)     Podcasts/Webinars – Here are two more ways to build your personal brand. Podcasts and webinars are popular ways for people to learn more about a specific topic. Prepare for a podcast or webinar in the same way you would prepare for an in-person speaking event.

 Lastly, review your social media platforms on a regular basis to make sure they reflect the right brand image that you want to portray….because your personal brand matters!