subject: Personal Branding - How To Identify You, Inc [print this page] Personal Branding - How To Identify You, Inc
Personal branding is a process based in repetition - but not the kind of repetition that someone faces on a factory line. No matter where your career takes you, whether you're changing jobs, climbing the ladder or relocating you need to constantly evaluate who you are and what makes you the individual that you are.
You, Inc. is a unique brand, at least it's supposed to be. In order to stand apart and promote yourself you first need to know who you're promoting and what it is exactly that you want to leverage; only then can effectively articulate your value to those people who have some measure of influence in relation to your career or business.
To stay on track and continuing with the iterative process of branding, you should regularly research yourself so that you can truly represent You, Inc. Start with these important questions:
Are you able to effectively describe what makes you different from those you are competing with?
How do you describe your offering and the people you're offering to?
Who is your target audience for your message - do you know who you're speaking to, where to find them, and what they need to hear?
Are you able to state your three most relevant brand attributes?
You might be able to identify your strengths, but what do those within your social circle perceive to be your strengths?
Do spend time each week doing ego searches to proactively manage your brand online?
What areas of your niche could you target to become a thought leader? Are you leveraging it now?
What are you currently doing to leverage your brand visibility - what can you do to improve on your current process?
Something you should always keep in mind is that branding is about how others perceive you or feel about you and your image. How you see yourself may be different from how others see you. When you're developing your personal brand and your approach to self-promotion you should take the time to discuss your strengths and weakness with those who know you best. This will keep your own image in line with how others perceive you and allow you to target opportunities to improve your brand message.
