Personal Branding – How to get started Part 1

Given the still active crisis on the job market, I’ve given some thought on how Personal Branding can help with finding a better job, faster.  But having a strong Personal Brand helps in other ways too – getting clients, getting known, getting to the right people. One of the best guys in the field seems to be Dan Schwabel – his blog here.

So how do you start to build a Personal Brand?

You can use the following 3 steps:

1. Think about who your target group is. Are you branding yourself for your future employer? Then focus on your achievements and skills. Are you branding yourself as an entrepreneur, for potential clients? Then focus on what they might need as services. Are you writing for a young audience? Then use crisp words and jargon expressions they use.  I’m writing mainly for my network and for whoever might be interested in personal effectiveness and growth. I gather that most of my readers are between 22 and 35, with a moderate to high income, working in business and open to self development.

If you’re not very sure who your target gr0up is, think about the people who appreciate you most. No, not only your friends. People you’ve worked with. What part of your work served them best? If they were your clients, in what category would you fit them? Now, could you generalize this category a bit? On age group, gender, income, interests. Well, there you have it.

2. What is it that you do, that interests your target group? It might be your creativity. Or your humor. Or the solutions you give. Find that unique selling point and make sure you put it in the front. From time to time, do a checkup to see if you can add anything to it. For example, mix creativity with practical advice on how to be creative.

3. How can you make sure that your target group hears about you? Here you have a few channels open. First and foremost, it’s your behaviour. Branding is not about what you as a “producer” believe about your brand – it’s what other people say about your brand. So why don’t you first do a checkup and see what the perception on your personal brand really is. And what kind of behaviour reinforces this perception.

Channels:  First, and obviously, day to day interactions. It’s how you speak, how you hold yourself up, how you dress, what type of equipment or gadgets you use. Even the minor details.

Second, in the online environment, there’s a few practical channels you can use.

But about these, in Part 2.