News & Press Releases

Personal Branding - You Should do Better!

 
Generally business and life itself is becoming more and more hectic as we seek new opportunities for ourselves in the burgeoning global market.

It really doesn’t matter if you are an employee or company owner; you or your service need to stand out from the crowd of others supplying a similar service. Personal branding allows you to distinguish yourself in a positive and unique manner.

Knowing what you do and more importantly how you do it differently from others and then being able to relay that to your market places is what personal branding achieves - whether you are taking control of your career or launching your new business, it is a must!

As business becomes more competitive and you seemingly offer the same as others it makes sense that you must be perceived as unique and able to do the job better than others. Your website, your clothes, your voice, your business card, your attitude, your values - all of these elements form part of your brand and affect your current and future situation.

People are their own personal brand - and having PR, logos and business cards won’t increase your chances unless you are the brand too.

It’s vital that you learn about Personal Branding in order to understand your message and who you are, so it can be portrayed effectively to others. Personal Branding is a way to gain creditability and be ahead of the pack whilst living with your own values (most of the time) and promoting what you have to offer as a USP (unique selling point) whilst enjoying the success it brings.

Yes, it is as simple as that.

Branding yourself gives you the ability to build a portfolio that clearly shows who you are and the services you offer your current and future clients. In the job market this has the advantage that next time you go for a position, you will get noticed, considered and hopefully appointed, if it is in line with your branding.

Business is a two-way exchange of information, however the bit that really matters is influencing others and that’s where a good brand helps - it gets others to take action. If it’s a new service that you have and you have done your branding properly, people will come towards you. Branding in its purest form is identity with essence. It combines values, experience, senses and uniqueness to take to the market.

A brand is not a product or service. A good personal brand allows you to add all sorts of things within it. Think of Madonna and David Beckham, each has their own personal brand: Madonna is Changeable, Challenging, Progressive, Adaptable; David is Homely, Talented, Handsome, Stylish, and Stable.

In the case of Madonna her changeable element means that she has been able to create sexually explicit books and music and then later produce books for kids – and it all works due to the strength of her brand. Both have built their brands so that they can sell their own products, appear in advertising and still ride out the rough and the smooth while under the constant scrutiny of the press.

These and many other stars and business leaders market themselves as individual brands – and so can you. Even if you work for a company you are a brand within a brand!

Personal Branding gets you what you want and in this fast moving economy it makes sense to get it right.

Everyone buys brands - you don’t just buy a car, you buy the brand first, and the lifestyle that brand brings you. Everyone has something that can be made into a brand, something that makes you memorable. It really is worth taking time to clarify and bring to the fore elements that you know you are good at in your life but haven’t been promoting. We each have so much to say and yet so little time to say it!

Start now by showing the world your personal values through developing them into a brand, and then let the world avail its self of your services.

Start with your values - write them down, think of how you are different from everyone else, in a positive way! Combine these and all the other elements you have and there you are - you have a brand. You must also be willing and determined to live up to your values – where would David Beckham be if he was all mouth and no trousers?

Actually, I am making this sound easier than it is. Even when I work with established companies they sometimes do not really know what their brand is – they still think it’s just a bunch of products and services – and this is not the case.

In America, a long established hairdresser thought he was going out of business because another hairdresser started up in the same road with a great big sign saying haircuts for $10. He thought that’s it, I can’t compete -  I will lose my customers or lose everything if I don’t drop my prices too – but this wasn’t the case.

The point is this; though the newcomer’s brand was cheap – his was not. After some searching and encouragement his brand was established and developed further in response. He then felt confident in putting a large sign outside his shop saying “We repair $10 haircuts”. At last he understood that he was not cheap, why he was different, and what he had to offer. In the process he nearly doubled his takings.

If you are still not convinced just think about the people you know and how you would describe them as a brand. Now think about how you might just increase your visibility and presence by boosting your confidence and knowledge through your Personal Brand.

 Knowledge is power after all, and I know you want more of both!

Big companies like Coke, Nike and Virgin and Dr M (well, HE’s not big, but his brand certainly is!) have created their success on brands and its now time for us all to get an identity with a Personal Brand. Get this right and the world really is your oyster.

Next Personal Branding Workshops Monday 28th April 2008 (same details as for 3.3.08)

LondonMICE members get a 40% discount if they book before the end of March; so you can build your personal brand and give Dr M a run for his money while you save yours!

More information
For more information on talks, training and executive behaviour development either generally or for your next event, please contact Carole Railton via www.lifeafterbranding.com or at carole@lifeafterbranding.com, quoting LondonMICE. You can also reach her on +44 (0)7866 531 400.