We live in a world where the topic of personal brand is becoming a bigger area of focus, content creation and reinvention.
With more competition in the marketplace, whether you are working for an organisation or running your own business, personal branding is now a must.
Creating a personal brand is not very different from building a commercial brand coming in the shape of a product or service – except the brand here is you as an individual.
Considering the many Marketing concepts, frameworks and tools, there are 3 in my opinion that anyone can use to build their own brand.
1 – Marketing Mix
Once you understand the concept of Marketing Mix and the role it plays in brand building, think how you can use the 4 P’s model to create and promote your personal brand.
PRODUCT = You and the value you have to offer
• What is your overall proposition (i.e. specific knowledge, skills set, experience)?
• What are your specific traits and strengths that make you relatively different in the marketplace?
• What are your brand DNA components?
PRICE = Your desired ‘price tag’ in the marketplace
• What kind of salary / day rate do you want to achieve, considering the value you have to offer to your target audience?
• Does your personal brand have a niche value proposition that can command a higher price in market?
• How do you want to position yourself versus your competition?
PLACE = Where can your target audience see you / find you?
• What is your physical and digital availability?
• Are you present and active in industry events, online communities, social media?
• Who are you seen with?
PROMOTION = How do you promote yourself?
• How do you drive your visibility in the marketplace?
• What do you communicate to your target audience about your personal brand?
• What communication channels are you using, how and why?
2 – SWOT Analysis
This Marketing framework used to summarise an organisation or brand performance (Strengths and Weaknesses) and the dynamics of the environment it operates in (Opportunities and Threats) can also be applied to individuals.
For example, let’s say you are a Junior Marketer looking for your next role within a large organisation, what would your SWOT look like and how can it inform your personal brand strategy?
Take the time to understand the SWOT framework, work on your inputs and review your thinking.
Seek support from a peer, line manager, coach or mentor to help you with this exercise if you get stuck or want to broaden your perspective.
3 – Brand Planning
Like brands, individuals should have a game plan to get to their desired end goals.
When creating brand plans, Marketers typically seek to answer 3 key questions:
• Where are we now? = Situation analysis of what is working / not working
• Where do we want to be? = Objectives for the short and longer term
• How do we get there? Strategy, action plan, resources needed
This framework is not unique to the Marketing discipline. Life coaches tend to use a similar approach when working on personal development plans with their clients.
So, ask yourself those 3 questions:
• Where am I now? What is my current personal brand proposition, image, reputation etc…?
• Where do I want to be? What is my desired personal brand in the marketplace and by when?
• How do I get there? What is my overall personal branding strategy? What is my specific action plan and what do I need to make it happen?
Take the time to self-reflect, ask for feedback and get support to create your own brand plan.
Conclusion
We can borrow a lot from the Marketing discipline when it comes to building ourselves into personal brands, for our professional journey as well as our broader personal life.
Like any personal learning and development initiative, give yourself some time for quality self-reflection, get some support and remember to regularly review your thinking as you grow on your journey.