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The Importance of PERSONAL BRANDING

Although thought of by most to be a relatively new concept, and a term that was first used and discussed in an article by American business management writer Tom Peters in 1997, personal branding is something that has existed in one form or another since the dawn of organized societies.

Even the alpha male of an ancient tribe who was expressing his dominance to make himself more attractive to the females of the group was participating in this time tested practice to a certain degree. Selling oneself and what one has to offer to others seems to be as old as life itself.

The roots of modern day personal branding are said to stem back to 1937. This idea was brought forth in the book Think and Grow Richby Napoleon Hill, a motivational personal development and self-help book. According to Hill, the book was designed to provide assistance to people with finding success in all lines of work as well as to do or be almost anything they want if they put their mind to it. Think and Grow Rich, which is one of many books of its kind that have been written over the years since, has sold over 70 million copies worldwide.

Personal Branding, a practice that continues to grow in importance in today’s marketplace, is a method used by individuals and businesses to separate themselves from the competition by establishing and clearly expressing their unique value proposition. Developing one’s personal brand starts with the organization of an inventory of expertise, proven capabilities, core competencies, and current degree of recognition. Market research and multiple forms of feedback can be extremely helpful in this process. Ultimately, your personal brand will be a combination of how you perceive yourself along with how others perceive you.

The most important questions that need to be answered in the development of a personal brand revolve around whom you are trying to reach, what needs you are most capable of filling, and what sets you apart from the others in your arena? It is essential that you definitively express and communicate your skills, personality and values, and continue to leverage these assets across multiple platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal.

A key part of the personal branding process involves the creation and development of personal branding statements. A persuasive value statement explains the type of person and professional you are, what inspires you and why those components are of the utmost importance. Almost of greater significance than what you have already accomplished professionally is your enthusiasm for doing the things that have made you successful, and that is exactly what you want to sell to your colleagues and the public.

In the present day marketplace it is essential to utilize a diverse mix of both online and offline means of personal branding. In addition to the formulation and delivery of personal branding statements, there are other significant features of self-presentation in the building of a brand, like business cards, spoken presentations, advertisements, and online marketing through the use of tools such as websites, press releases and social media.

It has become obvious with the expeditious evolution of cyberspace that there is an increased importance on the management of online identities. Regardless of the fact that they are intrinsically virtual, one’s online persona can have a powerful affect in the real world. Due to the fact that people want to represent themselves a certain way to their friends, they may attempt to cultivate a particular image on their social media sites that may not match that of their personal brand. It is crucial to be cognizant of any disparities present and confusion this may cause to one’s brand.

The successful creation and expansion of your personal brand carries with it numerous benefits aimed towards the long-term prosperity of your brand. One such benefit, which also happens to be one of the most important, is the growth of your network. This alone can open up pathways that would otherwise remain unseen. A properly formed brand will draw other like-minded entities towards you that can be incredibly advantageous to your business as well as your career. Ensure that you treat those within your network the way that you would like to be treated and it will be truly beneficial to the ultimate advancement of your brand. The expansion of your network will also lead to pertinent opportunities in the present and future.

Another absolutely necessary element to the continuing prosperity of your brand, that is far too often overlooked, is the establishment of credibility. When you put your brand out there, you are making a promise of quality to your public that you must maintain and add to on a  consistent basis. This alone will promote the reliability of your brand in a way that no media campaign could ever duplicate. Despite the fact that we live in an increasingly digital, fast-paced world, word-of-mouth still holds a considerable amount of weight and stability is what keeps one standing when the rest have fallen down.

The use of personal branding strategy can be an incredibly positive endeavor that has the potential to catapult you to the pinnacle of your profession, but it is critical that you stay true to yourself through it all. It is easy to get caught up in the fervor of a grandiose moment, but dishonesty in branding as in advertising or marketing will eventually catch up to you and send you crashing to the ground. The best thing you can do is to find your finest qualities and channel your inner strength to accentuate what you do best. Always be honest with yourself as well as with others and give it your all every step of the way. This will allow both you and your brand to be viewed as one with integrity and one that will last well into the future. For those who would like to learn more about the concept of personal branding, there are countless resources available in a multitude of forms. If you want to gain the knowledge, the answers are there to be had, and if you want to experience long-term success in the highly competitive, rapidly changing marketplace it is imperative that you properly develop your brand. If you wish to gain more in depth knowledge on the subject, visit our website at www.continentalwhoswho.co/and/or call our offices at 516-825-5634.

By Author Michael Fairlie