I’m launching my 7-part Personal Branding series today, and what better way to kick it off than with a brief overview of what a Personal Brand really is.
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YOU are a brand.
Whether you like it or not.
YOU are a brand.
And your brand is your single, most important asset.
If you’re running a business today, failure to pay attention to and care for your personal brand is career suicide.
Every single interaction people have with you – makes up Brand YOU. It’s what sets you apart from the crowd and makes you different.
Having a powerful personal brand builds your credibility, visibility and influence with your most important audiences. And just like the big players, Apple, Nike, Oprah, Martha Stewart and Starbucks – your brand can literally make or break you.
Here’s how I define personal branding:
At its core – personal branding is a way of clarifying and communicating what makes you different – what makes you special, unique and sets you apart from the rest. It’s about those qualities that are inherently YOU – your strengths, your values, your passions, your vision, your goals, your attributes and what you stand for. It’s the way you make people feel about you when they interact with you – what emotional responses they have when you’re around.
And it’s about your brand promise – what YOU have to offer YOUR specific target audience and why YOU are the best one to offer it above all others. It’s about value, and the way you market yourself to others – and what you are known for.
Personal branding is no longer a luxury – and it’s not just for superstars like Oprah or Madonna. In today’s marketplace, personal branding is a necessity and your most important strategy to achieve professional success and happiness.
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Tomorrow we’ll look at why your personal brand is so important and what it can do to catapult you and your business forward.
