A brand
new you

A strong personal brand is key to a successful career.

By Keely Grasser

You have unique talents and strengths. You’re confident about what you can provide to employers. You know you bring something remarkable to your work. But how do you advertise that to the world? Building a strong personal brand is a great way of letting others know of your talents and abilities.

Savvy professionals know that personal branding is a key to career success. They adopt the same mentality as product marketers. To develop your personal brand, you need to start thinking of yourself as a product, a product with something valuable to offer your market.

Look within yourself

Building a brand begins with soul searching. Some questions to ask yourself are:

• Who am I?
• How do others perceive me?
• What are my strengths?
• What are my weaknesses?
• How do I correct my weaknesses?
• What makes me unique?
• How do I stand out from others doing similar things?

Know what your brand offers

Having a strong knowledge of not only who you are, but also how you can benefit others is essential. If you are the product, you must know what that product offers that others want or need.

A great salesperson can discuss his product without having to stop and think about why it’s great. You must become a fantastic salesperson of your personal brand. An excellent tactic is to create a 30-second elevator speech. Address the most important things people should know about what you do. Think about what makes you so compelling that people will remember you long after that half-minute spiel.

Don’t sell yourself short—lay out your aptitudes and accomplishments. But be truthful and don’t exaggerate. Focus on the unique features only you can deliver.

Launching your brand into the world

Now that you’ve realized your brand, how do you market it? Put it to use everywhere. Incorporate it into everything from your résumé and business card to your appearance. Promote it at work and networking events.

The online world also presents many opportunities. Strong personal branders use Web pages, blogs, LinkedIn and social networking sites. Think of Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s web spam team. He uses his popular personal blog and other online tools to effectively position himself as a human face of the Internet giant.

Another great tactic for putting your brand out in the world is to find ways to share your expertise. Look for opportunities to speak and write about what you do best. Entrepreneur and strong personal brander Tony Hsieh is CEO of Zappos.com, the online shoe and clothing company that revolves around friendly, accessible customer service. Hsieh pioneered the promotion of his own personal brand on Twitter, and he published a book, Delivering Happiness, about his personal and corporate beliefs.

Brand everything, every day

Personal branding should be part of every aspect of your professional life. The most successful personal branders ask themselves if their actions help or hurt their brand. Brands should be managed every day, in everything that you do—every document you prepare and every meeting you attend. It ensures your brand is stamped on everything you’ve done in your career.

Everything Oprah does—from her show, to her magazine, to her television network—has her brand’s fingerprint on it. Oprah’s actions aren’t haphazard.

A brand is nothing without a strategy

Baseball Hall of Famer and wordsmith Yogi Berra was quoted as saying, "If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there." This is true for anyone developing a personal brand. You must have a long-term plan. Always be thinking about what you want next. Is it a promotion? A new job? What about further in the future? What is your ultimate career goal? Strong personal branders stay focused on their goals—and they don’t let bumps in the road throw them off track.

Even the strongest brands encounter obstacles

Realize that your path toward a strong brand will have challenges. When you encounter them, assess your options, come up with a solution and put it into action.

Some of the most powerful personal brands have overcome major obstacles. Take Steve Jobs. He was once ousted from Apple. He then started up his own successful company, later bought out by Apple. That eventually led him to being appointed CEO by the company that once pushed him out. Jobs is touted as a legend. The power of his personal brand is undeniable. Jobs’ adherence to his brand was unwavering. There’s a lesson to be learned in that.

Make sure your brand serves you well

A strong brand requires dedication. It’s important to continuously evaluate your brand to make sure it’s serving you well. Although it is important to maintain the integrity of your personal brand, you may need to adapt to new environments, conditions, market demands or customer expectations. To ensure your brand still meets your objectives and the needs of your customer, it’s a good idea to ask yourself:

• Can I deliver what I am promising? Am I over-hyping?
• Am I putting my stamp on every action I take?
• Have I taken a risk lately?
• Is my brand appealing to my target audience?
• Have I been effective in creating awareness of my brand?
• What can I do next?

Building and maintaining a strong personal brand is worth the effort. It is an effective way for you to find career satisfaction and success.

Keely Grasser is a freelance journalist, writer and researcher. Her work has appeared in a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites, both in the United States and her homeland, Canada.