As clinical as it might sound, branding yourself is the new surefire way of catapulting your career. So stiff and fast-paced is the competition, that it’s no longer enough to sit back and rely on experience and skills alone.
Today, it’s all about finding your unique selling point, and promoting it, just like you would promote a brand. And it’s not as scary as it sounds. With some thought, planning and a few smart moves, you can develop a strong personal brand in a matter of months. Then watch your reputation, your income and your job opportunities go through the roof …
What do you want?
Look at what it is you want to achieve in your life. Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years? Finding your goal is key to developing a brand. When you know what it is you want, you can start to devise a path to get there.
Position Yourself for a Killer Personal Brand
So you’ve identified your goal, now what? It’s time to market yourself as you would a brand. If you want to become a CEO, you will need to position yourself as a self-starter, someone who is very focused, motivated and driven.
Align Yourself with the Best
If you want to be seen as a leader in a certain field, align yourself with companies and establishments, writers and experts that are in line with how you want to be perceived. Follow them on social media, read as much as you can about them, quote them. Use them as your inspiration.
The Killer Brand – Protect it at all Costs
There’s no point in building up a killer brand, if you’re going to ruin it all by uploading embarrassing or silly online posts. Everyone wants to see humour and personality shine through, but you will only undermine your brand by going overboard. So take it easy on the cute babies and kitten posts, and avoid rude posts at all costs.
Be Consistent
Keeping your goal in mind and a close eye on what you’re presenting to the world will ensure that your brand will remain intact and can be built on to achieve what it is you set out to achieve.
Now go build!
