Personal branding has emerged as a crucial aspect of career development. It offers ambitious professionals the opportunity to align their authentic identities with their work, paving the way for greater distinction—and therefore greater success.
And the word “authentic” is the key ingredient for that success. As you unearth your brand, you need to make sure that it reflects who you are now, along with your aspirations for who you want to become. Strong personal brands express what’s real with an eye toward what’s next.
When defining your personal brand, take a cue from the most successful chief marketing officers. The best ones deliver clear and consistent communication in all six of the following essential brand elements:
Brand Mission or Purpose
This is your WHY. It’s your reason for being. It provides your brand direction. Take the time to reflect on your deeper motivations and long-term vision. These will guide your brand’s essence.
Brand Values
These are your operating principles. Think of them as your non-negotiables— things like harmony, belonging, competitiveness, winning. They are what’s important to you and they inform how you do what you do. Often, the adjectives people use to describe you are the external manifestation of your internal core values.
Brand Personality
You are unique, and the style and tone of the way you show up in the world are a reflection of that. Are you sophisticated and buttoned up or informal and chill? Are you funny or witty or mischievous?
Brand Presence
These are the visual components of the brand. For all personal brands, this includes your personal style, attire and all the tools you choose to do your job. For thought leaders, solopreneurs, and others actively build an online presence your brand presence includes a complete brand identity system (color, logo, imagery, fonts) and other design elements that are recognizable and memorable when they are used consistently in your communications and your digital media.
Brand Vernacular
Your brand vernacular is the language you use when you communicate. It needs to be consistent with your brand personality and values, helping to reinforce your brand in the minds of those you want to influence. When you communicate in a consistent way through spoken and written words, you stand out and become known.
Brand Story
This is your emotionally connective narrative that lets people know who you are and what you are about. It includes your accomplishments, goals and personal elements— like passions and values. You can’t build relationships based on a series of facts. After all, you are human. Your brand story tells people who you are and why they should get to know you. Your story should grip those who hear it, impelling them to want to hear more. Your story is shared in many forms, including your elevator pitch, bio and online social media profiles (especially your LinkedIn About). When crafting your story, get feedback from people who know you. They can help you identify your differentiators and those things that make you truly compelling.
Of course, the most important part of all of this is making it real. Your personal brand should align with your aspirations, reflect your authentic self, and connect with others on an emotional level. Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote in Gift from the Sea that “the most exhausting thing in life … is being insincere.” Effective branding shouldn’t be insincere (or exhausting). By becoming the CMO of your own personal brand, you’ll be in control of all six essential branding elements, celebrating your true traits while easily making yourself memorable to the decision-makers you respect.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and creator of the 360Reach Personal Brand Survey that helps you get candid, meaningful feedback from people who know you.
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