What brand are You?

Your personal brand sums you up in a nutshell. It determines how others look at you, what they think and feel about you. Branding yourself is the crucial first step in establishing who you are, especially in the workplace.

At RB, we understand the power of branding. Our 19 Iconic Powerbrands are famous across the world. That’s why we want to share our expertise with you, so that you can become a self branding superstar.

Personal branding starts with knowing yourself inside and out, and then consistently communicating your key strengths both online and offline. Your brand heavily influences how others perceive you. So actively shape those perceptions yourself. If you don’t, someone else will.

This self-branding guide will show you how it’s done,
in 9 essential steps!

  • Identify who you are, what you do and why others should pay attention. You need to know yourself before you start branding yourself.
  • Take the first step by playing PROFILE DERBY, our own profiling tool designed to give you insight into who you are and what makes you tick.
  • How do others see you? Is this in line with how you want to be seen?
  • Identify your strongest area of professional knowledge, especially in comparison to everybody else in your peer group. It may not be what you think, so try asking others what they think you know most about.
  • Build on your sphere of knowledge relentlessly and become a trustworthy and reliable source of information.
  • Who do you want to attract? What’s your audience looking for? Where do they look for it? And most importantly: Why? In step one the task was to identify what makes you tick. Now find out what makes your audience tick. Then deliver it to them.
  • Write a short but detailed paragraph about your target audience. This is a key point of reference when developing any brand.
  • And the more detailed the better. Are they people in senior positions? What field of business are they in? How do their own brands communicate? Where do they operate, and talk to their audience?
  • Get your message out on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media platforms. But optimise your message on just one or two before rolling it out across the board. There’s no sense in being everywhere unless what you’re saying is polished to perfection!
  • Once your message is crystal clear, think about purchasing your own domain name and giving it a permanent home. Then link it to your existing social networks and even tack it on to your CV. Prospective employers will be able to find out more about you with a single click that way.

Identify what makes you different. This is what will make you stand out. Use this point of difference along with your personal assets to make a lasting impression. This can include:

  • Successfully communicating your brand by simply being confident.
  • Body language: smiling, eye contact, gestures, an open and relaxed posture and delivery style.
  • Physical appearance: dressing for the occasion according to what you want your brand to be.
  • Develop your own tagline or ‘elevator pitch’ – a one minute sell-yourself speech that flies off your tongue whenever needed. Your tagline and elevator pitch should clearly sum up who you are, what your brand stands for and what you want to offer those reading it. If you cannot explain who you are or what you do in ONE minute, you’re not explaining it properly. Practice this pitch until you get it right!
  • And always ask for feedback from your audience. Don’t go through this process on your own. Think of the opinions of your target audience as the road demarcations along your highway to success.
  • Build relationships with your target audience and get your name out there in order to become known within your network.
  • Forge genuine connections with people you really have something in common with. Make it clear to them that you have something to offer and aren’t just interested in what you can get out of it for yourself.
  • Keep in touch with your contacts – make sure they remember you when new opportunities arise.
  • Networking events are a way to practice your networking skills and an opportunity to meet likeminded people. They’re also fun!
  • Finding out how others see your brand and whether they understand your message will give you the truest picture of how you come across.
  • This feedback can come from friends and family. But also make sure you ask for feedback from an interviewer or colleague so you can work on the points they address.
  • Constantly communicate your brand. As long as you’re on the radar, they can’t forget you.
  • Continually assess your online brand and monitor your online reputation. What information do people get when they search for you online? Regularly optimise your search results so that your outside reputation matches the one you’ve worked so hard to create.
  • Delete any irrelevant sites or outdated content, i.e. your old MySpace profile or anything you don't want to show up when someone searches you.