What Is A Personal Brand?
As you advance in your career, business, or online presence, consider the immense value of having employers and clients inherently understand your principles and offerings without constant explanation. Imagine the advantage of shaping their perceptions of you and your work so effectively that these perceptions. precede your presence. It’s not just the visuals and colour schemes you use on your social media pages. Its the substance and essence of who you are and what you can do or offer.
Ask yourself the following questions
When you think of a consumer brand like Apple or Coke, the first thing that probably comes to mind is their famous logo or their flagship product; A single image that is instantly recognisable around the world. If I were to describe a yellow, rounded capital M you would instantly know what company I was referring to and what they offer their customers. But think carefully about what these single visuals actually represent. The Apple logo, for example, represents quality, innovation, and cutting-edge technology from a functional perspective. But it also conveys a less tangible sense of beautiful, aspirational, must-have products that scream style. People who buy Apple products, when there are so many cheaper options available, are buying into both the brand’s reputation and its representation – its functionality AND its form. When someone discovers you use an Apple iPhone, they don’t need to ask what it can do – they already know because the brand credentials are so strong.
A personal brand is essentially a conscious effort, made by you, to present yourself consistently in a certain way under certain circumstances. For example, you might not portray yourself in the same way with your family and friends as you do with your work colleagues, and this is quite normal.
However, it is important to distinguish between your branding and your reputation. While branding is within your control, your reputation is often shaped by others based on their observations, biases, understandings, and interactions with you. You cannot always control how others perceive you, and their perceptions may not always be accurate or true to your intentions.
By defining and living by your personal brand you can take control of your narrative and showcase the elements of your total persona that make you unique. You can also work to minimise the impact of the flaws we all have to some degree. Your brand is complex – it’s why all humans are different. It’s not just how you look or what filters you use on your social media page. You are not defined by the colour scheme you chose for your website or CV. It’s unlikely you can be summed up by a single image or logo.
It is instead a holistic blend of your character, the value you can add to your company or clients, be it through your products, services, or skills and how you present yourself. It’s strengthened by how you communicate or the quality of the content you create.How you behave at work may be different from how you are at home or with friends but the greater the disconnect, the greater the stress we feel.
Character – who you are and how you present yourself to the world. What is important to you and what you excel at.
Credentials – The skills, knowledge, and achievements you have acquired over time. What others say in support of you.
The last 2 components are relevant mainly to those looking to carve a niche for themselves either as a side hustle or a full-on business or influencer venture. Of course, they could also be useful to anyone with a message they’d like to share with others, even if just within your own circle.
Content – This is what you produce, be it content, a service, or a physical product. It covers your business plan and how you craft your content to inform, entertain or educate.
Connection – this is your audience or market . Who are you trying to talk to and where will you find them?
It’s Not Really About Me.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ve had a great career. I’ve held senior positions in sales and marketing in some of the biggest companies in the world including Marlboro and Coca-Cola. I’ve spent over 30 years learning what makes one brand fly whilst another one falters, no matter how much money was spent on it
I’ve gained two degrees in electronic engineering (don’t ask!) and psychology. I have professional qualifications in both floristry and wine tasting. I also hold a professional qualification from the British School of Stylists. Oh yes, and 20 years of accreditation as a coach and trainer.
My proudest achievements, however, are my two kids, Sophie, 27, and Matt, 23. She is a web designer for EA Games and he is a Med Student at Cambridge University. I like to tell them it’s because they had a good coach.