Personal Branding 101
What is a personal brand and why should you have one?
For all the recent interest in the topic of personal branding, there is still a lot of confusion about what exactly this is, the value of it, and why any of this matters so much today.
So here is my attempt to tackle the 5 most fundamental questions about this topic, which are:
What IS a personal brand?
What’s the value proposition?
Who needs one and why?
Is this all really just BS?
What’s the ROI?
Question 1: What is a personal brand anyway?
To put it simply, your brand is the most fundamental distillation of who you are and what you stand for.
While there’s some debate about the term ‘personal brand’ itself, I like it and here’s why: because whatever it is you’re branding – whether it’s for a company, a product, or a person – the concept of branding centers around two components: logic and emotion.
We know that the vast majority of decisions are driven by our limbic systems – the part of the brain that controls emotions. So, to build a brand you have to understand how something makes you feel just as much as what you want people to know (logic).
The brands that succeed today tend to be the ones that understand this deeply, and who bring together a clear sense of authenticity (persona), purpose, and value. The same principals apply for people and personal brands, too.
And, when you’re clear on what you want to stand for, it makes it that much easier for the universe to respond to you and help you achieve whatever you’re trying to do.
Your brand is the most fundamental distillation of who you are and what you stand for.
Question 2: What’s the value proposition?
People seek to build a personal brand for any number of reasons. Here are a few of the most common that I hear:
“I want to be considered for that next promotion.”
“How can I make the case to switch into a new industry?”
“I wish I were seen as more strategic.”
“I want to connect with and rally my new team.”
“I’m not sure what I want to do with my life.”
“I feel stuck.”
In short, if you’re experiencing a moment of change in your life or career, if you’re looking to make a pivot or transition to something new, or if you’re simply looking to find more meaning and impact in your career, then it’s a great time to explore (or revisit) your brand.
But regardless of what drives you to this work, the core value and outcomes of personal branding tends to be the same: confidence and effectiveness.
Leaders who have done this work universally feel more confident in how they present themselves to others and find that they are more effective in pursuing and achieving their goals. And that, alone, leads to many more benefits for them, for their companies, and for their teams.
Question 3: Who really needs one?
The short answer: We all do.
Life is short. We only have so much time to make an impact. Defining your intentions and your brand will make you more effective while also clarifying what actually matters – to you.
The longer answer: The top 3 types of professionals who are most likely to benefit from defining a personal brand are:
Corporate leaders – Whether you’re new to leadership, at the end of your career, or stepping into a new role, leaders with a strong brand tend to connect more authentically (with internal AND external stakeholders), inspire followership, and attract more opportunities for themselves and others.
Job Changers – When you are looking for what’s next, having a very strong grounding in who you are, the value you bring, and what you want to achieve, will help make sure you attract the right opportunities for you. It can also help make the case for why your background is suited to whatever roles you may be pursuing.
Entrepreneurs & Founders – When you’re at the helm of a business, people are buying into you just as much as your business idea. Defining your brand will help make it easier for potential partners, clients and employees to connect and buy in to what you’re trying to achieve.
Question 4: Is this all really just B.S.?
There’s a fair bit of skepticism about the idea of personal branding, which can be misconstrued as self-congratulatory, self-important, or inauthentic.
But if that’s what you see, or what you feel, then you’re missing the point.
Personal branding is the opposite of these things. It should start from the inside-out, and exploration to both understand yourself and your story from the vantage point of where you’re at and where you want to go – and to be able to own and share this information so you can be even more impactful in your work and your life.
This isn’t about inventing something and selling it. It’s about harnessing who you are, and understanding how you make an impact on those around you. It all starts with asking the right questions.
This isn’t about inventing something and selling it.
Question 5: What’s the ROI?
Endless.
To unearth and capture the language to describe your purpose, your value, and your brand can unlock so much for anyone. It takes the control of defining your own narrative away from everyone else – including, often, the company you work for – and gives that power and control back to you.
It makes you feel closer to the meaning of your work and the way you spend your days.
It will help others around you understand you on a more fundamental, human level – and trust you, because of that understanding.
Practically, defining your brand can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $30k and beyond. But the return on that should be infinite, because it will impact every aspect of your life.
For a company looking to make this investment in their people, the ROI is a sharp increase in self-awareness and communication about what makes each person tick and how they value themselves. It will make your teams more effective, your people less likely to burn out, and will mobilize your employees into your best spokespeople and champions.
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There’s a reason personal branding is everywhere at this moment in time. And that’s because everyone deserves to be recognized, celebrated, and in control of their own narrative.
So, roll up your sleeves and get started. Here’s a great place to begin.