Comments on: Defining Your Personal Brand

By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » Your Personal Brand is Nothing if Not Global

HRM Today - Blog Archive » Your Personal Brand is Nothing if Not Global — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:43:13 +0000

[...] Defining Your Personal Brand Defining Your Brand Defining your brand is critically important to… [...]

By: Personal Brand Equity | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Personal Brand Equity | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:16:12 +0000

[...] how does global brand equity apply to building personal brand equity? As I mentioned in last week’s post, defining your personal brand starts with who you are: What do you stand for? What are your values? [...]

By: Chad Levitt

Chad Levitt — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:32:01 +0000

It’s true this world needs both leaders and followers, but now with personal branding and social media everyone has the opportunity to lead in their own way.

If you’re career minded and want to be successful in your niche you will absolutely need to have an online presence. If you choose not to build your personal brand you will eventually lose to the people who have. The individuals who have strong personal brands will find it easier to land higher paying jobs they actually enjoy and the benefactor of many wonderful opportunities.

By: Maria Elena Duron

Maria Elena Duron — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:08:26 +0000

Torley,

Thank you for your feedback on the post and blog design, too. We want it to be easy for you to comment because conversation and relationship are vitally important to us.

Regarding your comment, personal branding is not only about standing out, in my opinion. It is who we are, authentically. All of us, whether we know what it is or not, have some sort of ‘reputation’ or way that people describe us or think of us…whatever that is, is our brand. Branding is not about being grandly different or famously, uniquely you… it is about being authentically you. And, that, as Mary commented, can be a tough personal journey of discovery in and of itself.

I appreciate your post and feedback!

By: Beverly Macy

Beverly Macy — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:26:25 +0000

Mary,
Agreed, you’re points are well taken. I will be blogging on Personal Branding Blog each Tuesday. Would love your input on future topics and would be happy to include and quote your thoughts on the subject.

By: Mary H Ruth

Mary H Ruth — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:16:32 +0000

Uh-oh, gotta chime in again here. See, if I understand correctly, brand is something that applies to absolutely everyone. People may vary in how much they make use of their brand … but everyone has one. Everyone brings up a certain combination of thoughts when they come to someone else’s mind, right? That’s brand. Character. Your face and your name. Defining a brand means articulating and communicating your face and your name in terms of how they’re useful to others. Anyone can (and probably should) do this.

As I mentioned previously, HOW to do this is the major question. How to figure out the interface you have/want to have with the world. Listing words, or drawing/doodling, or making any kind of collection, or aerobic exercise, or playing music … people have moments of insight into their brand through many different channels. You have to be willing to spend time on the search, and be encouraged to believe it’s a worthwhile investment. So many people skip this step.

By: Beverly Macy

Beverly Macy — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:43:53 +0000

Thanks for taking time to comment, Mary. You are right, defining a personal brand can be a new way of thinking for many. I would suggest that the brand audit process I mention is a good place to start. Good branding agencies will often begin with a new client by taking them through this audit process. II suggest in my post an individual begin by listing words that capture who and what they are and what they do. It sounds simple, but can be harder than you think and very revealing. From there, you can hone in on the words that most specifically define you and your brand and see the beginnings of the message you wish to communicate. I’ll continue to speak about defining the brand in the coming weeks.

By: Torley

Torley — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:43:12 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts, Beverly.

Another importance of stating what you will *not* do (or stand for) is it frees you from some laborious distractions and time-wasters that don’t get you closer to your goal. There is pointless hobnobbing on social media where you may get artificial points, but they don’t count for applicable results… or at least not ones towards your ends (so in other words, what you’re doing could be right for someone else, but not you).

Also, not everyone is suited for or interested in a personal brand; not everyone can “stand out” and that’s alright, we need strong supporters as well as leaders. And people who learn now, and then teach later.

(This comment box is very light gray and hard to read.)

By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:31:51 +0000

There has been a lot of conversation on how Barack Obama may have the best perosnal brand. I read a post on http://www.brandfasttrackers.com
where Brain Martin, CEO of Brand Connections said this:
“Leadership = Influence. …. We are all INFLUENCERS and influence is a craft worth cultivating.”

Influence has a great deal to do with personal branding. Who do you want to influence, how should you influence, what influence can you offer? All personal branding really is, is us being leaders in our own respective fields. Thus, back to what Mr. Martin posted.

By: Mary H Ruth (required)

Mary H Ruth (required) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:02:49 +0000

Beverly – Thank you for a fine post. When I read the title, though, I was hoping for a treatise on doing the defining part of branding. I perceive that’s the hardest part for many – not how to gain visibility for the brand, but how to define it in the first place. It’s a different way of thinking for most people.