What To Do When Branding Gets Personal

Branding gets Personal

 

If I have learned one thing from all my business courses and extra-curricular involvement during school, it is the importance of our personal brand. I have attended networking sessions, branding workshops, alumni panels, and employer info sessions that time and time again touch on the concept of developing, refining, and presenting our personal brand. This can be an intimidating undertaking, especially as marketing major. We are literally studying branding and social media, so the pressure is on when trying to create our personal brand. Additionally with all of the social media platforms we have access to and hold the responsibility for mastering this branding topic is easier said than done for some. However, I stumbled across a Mashable.com article this morning titled: The lazy person’s guide to personal branding with 10 tips that simplify this process. Here are some of my thoughts and interpretations of the list: 

1. Stop and Think- This is the point where you need to determine, who you are and what you value most. Once and ONLY once that has been identified you can begin establishing what you bring to the table and how that should be advertised as your brand. 

2.Analyze your Idols- A starting place for determining who you are and what you value. I had never considered this as a strategy but can immediately see the effectiveness in this exercise.

3. Find your niche- It is comforting to know that the world doesn’t expect you to graduate as an expert of all things digital marketing. If your niche falls more into social media or even more specifically within blogging for example, this is the time to share and advertise that expertise with the world. 

4. Label your expertise- What is the point of having a specialization if you don’t call attention to it? The post points out the importance of integrating your expertise across all platforms here to ensure you are broadcasting your expertise consistently across all outlets to maximize your reach. 

5. Get your opinion out there- At some point, you have to make the leap and begin posting your ideas, comments, opinions, and responses to current issues and stories in your field. This shows the viewers you have a voice and a desire to be heard. Especially for us in the marketing field, it is important to back up our passion for marketing and interacting with the changing times by posting our thoughts and actions. 

6. Use one photo across the board- I am guilty of making this mistake and do not present a consistent professional photo across all my social media platforms. Sounds like its time to make a change. 

7. Have one username- I find this to be difficult with certain platforms such as twitter and Instagram where many usernames may have been taken or restricted. However, the way I am combating this problem is to somehow incorporate my full name into each of my handles in the simplest way possible to maintain a sense of consistency and increase my searchability. (Follow me on Instagram: @gracehulett Twitter: @gracehulett2015 Facebook & LinkedIn: Grace Hulett) 

8. Audit your existing social media- I agree with this article that we need to be conscious of our previously posted social media and platforms and even go back through and delete inappropriate posts or accounts that are inconsistent with our personal brand. I have recently started a new twitter account that I am calling my “business twitter” and I plan to delete my personal twitter soon in an effort to keep my personal brand professional. I know many sites recommend keeping the personal twitter and just deleting posts to show the time and commitment we have had to one platform. Either way, you have got to start somewhere with auditing your existing social media, considering some of us have had accounts open since 2008 (you  might want to go delete your high school mirror selfies).

9. Leave Amazon book reviews- This suggestion is my favorite because I had never heard of this idea or thought of participating on Amazon as a way to promote and develop my personal brand. The article mentions that these book reviews will come up first when someone searches for you and is an awesome way to show you are serious and passionate about your field and/ or niche. 

10. LinkedIn- LinkedIn is more than just a digital resume; it is now becoming the best way to brand yourself and network. Developing your LinkedIn takes time and I would recommend researching all the features of LinkedIn to discover how best to promote yourself as well as connect with brands, topics, and people in your field to demonstrate your commitment to the field.

All in all, I agree with all of these steps and have determined I could use some polishing in a few of these areas. Although there are many different opinions about social media and how to go about branding ourselves, I agree with this list as a starting block and quick and easy way to establish, clean up, and/or promote your brand.

Article referenced:

http://mashable.com/2014/11/10/personal-branding-lazy-guide/