You have a personal brand, even if you don’t know it
Posted on 07. Mar, 2010 by Kelly Hobkirk in Personal Branding.
Everyone has a personal brand, whether they know it or not. If you change or define yourself in profound ways you can change how people perceive you. You can also change your own self-perception, which can be an empowering experience.
When you reinvent yourself, you could say that you are rebranding yourself. Your body language, identity materials, behavior, compassion, humor, expressions, contributions, the way you dress, the service you provide – all of these characteristics and more define your personal brand. You may be surprised to learn that your social media profiles have little to do with personal branding.
The idea of a personal brand is not really a new concept. It’s just a newer take on an old practice. A personal brand is much like a corporate brand, but perhaps simpler. The process of personal branding is pretty much identical to branding a business.
The big difference between corporate branding and personal branding is end-goals. Personal brands are generally designed for personal advancement or improvement. If you work for a company with a weak corporate brand, you may benefit from strengthening your personal brand and carefully standing apart from your employer’s brand.
Common goals for personal brands include elevating your personal or professional profile, clarifying your goals, stating and living by your beliefs, building confidence, and changing the way people perceive you. Can a personal brand really do all that? Yes, it can, but not by itself. You have to believe it and live it. It’s not enough to say, ‘I’m going to change.’ Change only happens when you really want it as bad as you want the air you breathe.
One of the most profound parts of personal branding is the development itself. In the development process, you get to see yourself in a whole different light. You discover habits and patterns you perhaps weren’t aware of, you learn how you developed into the person or professional you are, and you learn strategies for change that really work.
I’m going to publicly explore my personal brand right here in the coming months. The best way to learn about personal branding is from experience, so if you would like to be profiled or spotlight your own personal brand, get in touch.
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