What Is Branding Anyway?
Branding is the art of shaping perceptions.
Branding is making assertions about yourself.
Branding is an illusion.
Branding can be lucrative…
Ultimately, branding is about creating a unique image and identity that sets you apart from the competition. Whether it’s for a product, a company, or yourself, branding is crucial in defining how others see you.
Of course all branding isn’t good branding. When it’s done right, it can catapult you to the top like some of our top brands (Apple, Nike, Coca Cola). But remember, for every successful brand, there are thousands of failures…
The devil is in the details.
What Is a “Personal Brand”?
According to Harvard Business School, your personal brand is the amalgamation of the associations, beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and expectations people hold about you.
This definition is very important:
Your personal brand isn’t what you say about yourself, but instead, it is what others think, say, and believe about you.
In this context, we can clearly and conclusively say that your “personal brand” is extremely important. It can make or break your career. It is the practical manifestation of your reputation. It’s the real reason why people pay you the big bucks.
Keep in mind, search volume for the term “Personal Brand” has grown over 5x in recent years; it’s clear that many professionals are catching onto it’s power. The concept is gaining traction.
That being said, “personal branding” is not the same as your “personal brand”. Let us explain…
What Is “Personal Branding” & It’s Main Goal?
Personal branding is your efforts in building a personal brand. It’s the “what you say about yourself” part of the equation that influences “what others think, say and believe about you”.
The goal of personal branding is to ensure that the narrative other’s believe about you is a positive one, and is also:
- Accurate: Is it true?
- Coherent: Does it make sense?
- Compelling: Does it draw people in?
- Differentiated: Does it demonstrate what makes you unique?
Remember: your professional success heavily depends on persuading others to recognize your value. It’s not just about what you do, but how you communicate and demonstrate your unique worth.
Personal branding is one part of “self-promotion”. And self-promotion is of paramount importance…
In fact, there’s absolutely no question about self-promotion: You do need to understand, leverage and master all forms of self-promotion including personal branding if you have any hope of succeeding in today’s job market. Sure, you may be able to get to a 6 figure income without it by simply following our material, but in our experience, 7 or 8 figure salaries require personal branding.
But again, the devil’s in the details…
The Real Impact of Personal Branding
Before we take any action towards building your personal brand, it is important to ask:
“Does personal branding really work?” or “Does it make a difference?“
The Answer Is: It Depends…
Studies suggest that personal branding can lead to greater career satisfaction, because it enhances “perceived employability” (source: NIH). However, this is more about how you feel rather than a concrete measure of success.
Just because you believe your experience is in demand doesn’t mean the job offers are pouring in… In fact, on the negative side, personal branding can give the illusion of progress.
For example, statements like “My experience is in demand on the labor market” or “Given my age, my career is on or ahead of schedule” reflect a perceived advantage rather than a factual one. Both of these statements were used by the study above to correlate personal branding with career satisfaction.
In other words, a lot of the personal branding is just in your head. But that doesn’t mean it’s just a cope or that it’s all worthless…
There is some evidence that marketing yourself effectively, especially when others don’t market themselves can get you noticed. Which means, in the right context, personal branding can make a material difference in your career outcomes.
Remember: You don’t have to be the best in your field; you just need to be the most visible. This visibility can sometimes make you appear as the top expert, even if you’re not (source: Hinge Marketing).
Of course, HOW you do that personal branding matters:
In order to build an effective personal brand that gets you ahead, authenticity is crucial – building a brand solely on ego, spin, or leveraging others’ efforts won’t last. An authentic personal brand must demonstrate a track record and promise continuous value (source: ResearchGate).
In short:
- A lot of the benefit of personal branding is subjective.
- We have some evidence that personal branding can help grow your career, but it won’t help everyone.
- We do not think it creates the type of transformational change that matches the hype (i.e. turning an intern into a CEO overnight).
It’s a tool, which in the hands of competent people, can enable a lot of success. It’s like adding fuel to the fire; if you already have some success, it can amplify your success significantly.
But it’s not a miracle in and of itself.
Should You Be Doing Personal Branding?
Yes. But it’s nuanced.
Everyone’s Doing It
In today’s world, everyone is engaging in some form of personal branding. However, we don’t know how much of a difference it makes compared to your actual credentials, track record, ability to network, generate contacts with decision makers, and ace interviews.
Think of it like running a marathon. Everyone can join the run. But only those who have the physical aptitude, discipline and prior training will reach the finish line. Personal branding is just like that:
- If you have what it takes and do it, you’ll get results. Even enviable results.
- If you don’t have what it takes and do it, you’ll get marginal benefit, if any.
- If you have what it takes and don’t do it, you’ll miss out. (Our goal in writing this article is to reach this group; there are more of you than you can imagine)
- If you don’t have what it takes and don’t do it; who cares!
The Reality Check
No one’s going to give you an executive job just because you have excellent personal branding with cool, successful-looking pictures, a killer website, and a LinkedIn profile with tens of thousands of purchased followers.
They will, however, give you the job if you have the required skills, a track record of excellence, or if you have learned how to speak the Language of Value.
What’s crucial to understand in today’s environment is that, having the goods, the track record, the aptitude is no longer enough. In today’s hyper competitive environment, you have to do more than just “have the goods”.
You have to know how to promote yourself.
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s talk about that how…
Crafting Your Personal Brand
What Are the 5 As of Personal Branding?
Although reductive, the 5 As of personal branding provides a good starting place for setting some success criteria. Your personal brand, if it is to be successful, must have:
- Authenticity: Be genuine in your self-presentation.
- Authority: Have others buy into your story and see you as credible.
- Aspiration: Inspire others with your vision and goals.
- Affinity: Build strong connections and relationships.
- Appearance: Maintain a professional and polished image.
Figure Out What Drives You: Define Your Purpose
Before you begin, it’s essential to figure out what truly motivates you and drives your ambitions – otherwise you cannot be authentic.
Define your purpose by asking yourself meaningful questions about your passions, interests, and long-term goals. Understand what inspires you in a brutally honest manner. Don’t set a purpose that you think you should set like “I want to save the world”, unless you are burning with an all consuming desire to save the world and you’re losing sleep over it.
Set a purpose that possesses you into the depths of your psyche. A good place to start is modeling those individuals who you admire.
Assess Professional, Social and Cultural Capital
Audit your personal brand equity. This has three components:
- Professional Capital: Your expertise, qualifications, credentials, skills, and achievements within your field.
- Social Capital: Your network of relationships and connections.
- Cultural Capital: Your cultural knowledge, experiences, and identities. (This can hold value in specific social contexts and open doors: for instance, being a native Japanese speaker can help you work with Japanese companies, etc.)
Assessing these assets will help you understand your strengths and areas for growth. Use tools like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to gain clarity on your personal and professional attributes.
Align Your Values With Target Organizations
To build a strong personal brand, it’s crucial to align your values with the goals and values of the organizations or communities you aim to engage with.
Study them. Take the time to identify the core principles and beliefs that guide their actions and decisions. Read their mission statements. Get to know their leaders.
In this process, modeling the leaders of target organizations is also very productive.
Define Your Unique Value Proposition
Next, clearly define and articulate your UVP.
Your unique value proposition (UVP) is a clear statement that describes the benefit you offer, how you solve your employers’ or clients’ needs, and what distinguishes you from the competition.
Ensure your UVP is evident in all your professional interactions and materials.
(Pro Tip: When developing your unique value proposition, refer to our chapter on “career positioning” in the Launch Your Career program)
Construct Your Career Narrative
Next, you must craft a compelling career narrative. This involves weaving together the various experiences, achievements, and milestones that have shaped your professional journey.
Start by outlining key moments and accomplishments that highlight your skills, expertise, and unique perspective. Then, organize these elements into a cohesive storyline that showcases your progression, growth, and future aspirations.
(Sidenote: We talk extensively about career narratives elsewhere, you should explore them. You also want to learn about the archetypal stories that create implicit trust and admiration.)
Learn to Communicate and Embody Your Brand
Learn to articulate your value proposition, strengths, and expertise clearly and consistently across all channels and interactions. Ensure that your messaging aligns with your brand identity and values, and embody these qualities in your actions and behavior.
Congruence and consistency are the keys to successfully embodying your personal brand.
Make Yourself Visible: Build an Online & Offline Presence
In today’s digital age, your online presence is crucial. But you should not forget about offline either.
Utilize every platform and channels available to you, such as social media, professional networking sites, blogs, and industry events, to increase your presence and reach a wider audience.
THE KEY TO PERSONAL BRANDING IS SELF-PROMOTION. SELF-PROMOTION MEANS BY GETTING EYES ON YOU – AND IT TAKES EFFORT, TIME AND CAPITAL.
Network Strategically
In the context of personal branding, networking with other individuals to support your brand identity is also an important, as well as a delicate subject.
In short: you want to associate yourself with, collaborate with, be seen around, and be promoted by individuals who support your personal brand and career narrative.
This means, getting off your computer and meeting people in the real world!!
Attend industry events, join professional associations, and seek out mentors who can provide guidance and opportunities.
(Pro Tip: Career Insiders offers a range of events designed to connect you with influential professionals.)
Showcasing Your Expertise
Now that you have an idea about what it takes to create your personal brand, you should also learn about what to do next…
An important element of personal branding is your creation and dissemination of value.
It’s not enough to just establish a personal brand and have it sit there. You also need additional delivery vehicles that can spread your personal brand. The two activities listed below are some of the most effective delivery vehicles we have identified:
Content Creation
Creating and sharing content is an effective way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Such content also becomes evidence of your expertise and track record.
Write articles, blog posts, and white papers on topics within your expertise. Share these on your website and social media channels to reach a wider audience.
Public Speaking and Workshops
Remember: personal branding is ultimately about getting eyes on you.
Offer to speak at industry conferences, webinars, and workshops. This not only showcases your expertise but also expands your professional network. Look for speaking opportunities, including ones through Career Insiders’ courses (assuming you have the leadership experience requirements).
Continuous Learning and Development
As you build your personal brand, don’t forget to continue learning.
You don’t want to be a “yet another” brand that just keeps repeating what other’s are saying. You want to be in the bleeding edge of your industry, as well as the professional world at large.
Stay ahead in your field by continuously updating your skills and knowledge. Enroll in relevant courses and certifications. Our Launch Your Career program is an excellent resource for early career professionals aiming for high-value jobs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, personal branding is not a panacea, but when done authentically and strategically, it can significantly enhance your professional image and career satisfaction.
Focus on delivering value, maintaining authenticity, and promoting yourself effectively.
Remember: personal branding is about getting eyes on you. It IS self-promotion. How you do that promotion of course matters, but the fact that you do it… the fact that you get in front of people that don’t know you, the fact that you introduce yourself to others, that you reach out to others, that you put yourself out there – THAT is the crux of the issue.
There are no magic bullets. Learn to do it right, but ultimately: get out there.
Because your competition already is…