Preserving our personal reputations has always been a cultural priority. But what about our professional reputations? Yes, we try to maintain great relationships with former employers, which is essential for furthering a career. However, there is a significant value that exists when you are able to translate your professional experience into thought leadership and thus build your own personal brand.
1. Define your brand
Treat your personal brand like a business. As a professional, answer the following questions:
- Who am I?
- What do I do?
- Why is it important?
For example: I am a marketing coordinator who specializes in content creation, curation, and brand development with a proven track record of increasing brand awareness and driving traffic and conversions.
Once you can concisely and confidently outline to anyone your areas of expertise and how they can positively affect a prospective employer or client, you can begin to craft your personal pitch and your personal marketing strategy.
2. Sell your brand
One of the easiest way to build a brand is to get the product in front of potential buyers. If you’re going to sell Brand You, you need to take the time to get in front of influential people in your industry.
- Start by networking: Attend events specific to your industry and make it a point to give away 5 business cards to people you have meaningful conversations with. Also, consider joining and serving on committees of professional organizations and offer to speak at the group’s meetings and events on topics that relate to your brand message.
- Build your influence: There recently was a story of an IT guy who decided to set up a Twitter account. His tweets were so funny and amassed so many followers that he was offered a job as a writer on a late night show. Use social media and blogging to your advantage by creating content that that is interesting and applicable to your personal brand. The more you write, the more you solidify yourself as a subject matter expert, which will only strengthen the value of Brand You.
Building and preserving your personal brand is one of the most important things you can do as a professional. Here at Mediacurrent, we have a team full of the Drupal thought leaders who have each built solid personal brands. When a personal brand and a company’s brand gel well and create a mutually beneficial relationship, magical things occur.
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