Posts in the ‘Personal Branding’ Category

How and Why CEOs Should Consider Personal Branding

Written by Joan on June 19th, 2011

Over the past few decades, America has seen the rise and fall of scores of high-profile CEOs. Names like Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, and Tony Hayward bring an instant image to the mind of the reader, linking their reputation to the companies they represent. Because the reputation of a company becomes intertwined with the personal reputation of the CEO, it’s vital that CEOs build a personal brand image that is separate from their company brand.

The challenge for many CEOs is understanding that if they fail to create a personal brand, their customers will create one for them. Without carefully crafted personal branding, the CEO will be equated with the company, meaning that failure for one leads to failure for the other. CEOs with strong personal brands can recover and move on even if the company fails; conversely, if the CEO makes a bad decision (think Martha Stewart) the company can remain intact.

The first step in creating a successful personal brand is choosing the image you will portray. The knowledge of a good brand firm can provide critical advice during this part of the creative process. It’s usually wise to project the same values in your personal brand that the company you work for expresses. However, it’s also important to showcase your individuality since your personal brand will remain with you no matter what company you work for.

Once you know what image you want to project, an experienced branding firm can help you learn how to accomplish that goal. This phase of the process involves finding and correcting any areas that don’t support your brand image as well as engaging in meaningful interaction on venues such as Facebook, Twitter and email.
Lastly, as a CEO it’s important to market yourself in order for your personal brand image to take hold in the consumer’s mind. Personal blogs, social media outlets, and email all provide excellent opportunities to build your brand. If you’re not an expert in marketing, your branding firm can offer their knowledge of marketing techniques and strategies to ensure that you present a unified, positive image.

Studies show that people who trust a company’s CEO generally exhibit high levels of trust in the company as well, even if they don’t know much about it. By creating a strong personal brand as a CEO, you give your customers a person they can relate to, while at the same time positioning yourself for success throughout your career, wherever your professional goals may take you.

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What Does Your Personal Branding Say About You?

Written by Joan on May 20th, 2011

Personal branding is a hip buzzword among professionals and people who want to become leaders in their fields, especially in the world of social media. If you have a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, a blog, or a business, then you have the beginnings of a personal brand already in place. The problem is that if you haven’t thought about this concept before, you could be sending mixed messages or worse, negative implications about who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish. First encounters based on a non-flattering Facebook picture, a controversial blog post or too much personal information communicated via Twitter can create negative impressions in the minds of others that are nearly impossible to erase. That’s why it’s essential that you focus on personal branding immediately in order to send the right message.

Who Are You?

Discovering your personal branding idea is the first step toward projecting the right image. Ask others to describe you in three adjectives and then describe yourself the way you want to be seen. Ideally, your view of yourself should be equivalent to the way others view you. If the two don’t mesh, then you need to start working on the image you project. The goal is to be honest about who you are while still projecting a professional image that elicits trust from others.

Who Is Your Audience?

The next step in creating your personal brand is determining to whom you primarily want to market yourself. Start by finding a niche that reflects your passion and that can adequately represent you as a person. Next, work toward becoming a recognized voice in that niche by connecting on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and in the blogosphere. Finally, reach out to other respected voices in your niche by networking with other bloggers and people providing similar services.

What Next?

Once you know what image you want to project and who you want to be the primary audience for that image, you’ll need to focus on creating a persona that accurately reflects your personal brand. You can accomplish this by building your portfolio, honing your Facebook profile to showcase your personal brand, crafting a detailed and up-to-date LinkedIn profile, and showcasing your style with a website or blog.

Whether you realize it or not, you already have the foundations for your personal brand in place. The next step you take depends on how accurately your public image portrays the person you want to be. By taking steps to develop an accurate personal brand, you’ll set yourself up for effective job marketing, small business promotion, and thought leadership in your niche.

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