• January 3, 2022

What is a Personal Brand?

And How Can You Take Charge of Yours?

 

What is a personal brand?

Your personal brand is what people know you for – it is your reputation. Jeff Bezos suggests: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Your personal brand is what makes you memorable; your personal brand differentiates you from others. Others attribute your personal brand to you based on their experience with you by evaluating how you look, how you act, and what you say.

Taking charge of your personal

If other people are attributing your brand to you, do you have any control over how you are known? YES, you absolutely can proactively control your personal brand to make sure you get recognized for who you are and what you are good at. Having a strong personal brand will help you advance in the world of work. The keys to building your strong personal brand are: assessment, authenticity, communication, congruence, credibility.

Assessment

Take stock of yourself. Give yourself the gift of time and space for serious introspection. What is it people come to you for? What are your skills and experiences? What do you really enjoy doing? What are your personal values and principles? What differentiates you from others? Figuring out who you are and what you want to communicate about yourself is the essential starting point for “packaging” your personal brand message.

Authenticity

Intentionally creating a personal brand is not about adopting a new persona; it is about representing yourself as you are authentically. I like the maxim often attributed to Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” So, strive to be the best possible version of yourself, but don’t try to be someone you’re not. If you adopt a false brand, you won’t attract the right opportunities.

Communication

Putting your personal brand into words concisely is a challenge worth tackling. Think about who you serve, the problems you help them solve, and the results of your work. Draft multiple defining statements and say each aloud. When you find one you really like, practice it repeatedly so that it trips off your tongue easily.

When you can easily articulate your personal brand, you’ll find it much easier to introduce yourself at a networking session, write a compelling LinkedIn headline and About section, share with your customer how you may be helpful, make a compelling impression at a job interview, and more.

Craft your LinkedIn profile with care. LinkedIn is one of the primary ways people find out about you.

Congruence

An intentionally created personal brand is like a contract with yourself and others. Michael Hyatt says: “Literally, every point of contact is an opportunity to create a positive brand impression—if you are intentional.” But if how you look, how you act, and what you say are not aligned, the brand you intend to convey will not be the brand others perceive. For example, if part of your stated personal brand is that you are “customer-focused,” but you consistently show up to meetings late, fail to listen, and don’t complete projects according to the agreed-to deadline, then something is definitely not congruent – and your brand is damaged.

Credibility

Have you heard the admonition “show, don’t tell?” Instead of telling us of your greatness, you can use your LinkedIn profile to increase your credibility by including your education, honors, and awards; by quantifying your results using key performance indicators; by including the names and logos of companies you’ve worked for; by endorsements and recommendations. These credibility indicators are easy to include on your LinkedIn profile, as well as on your resume and other personal marketing materials.

Building an intentional, strong personal brand is the key to career advancement – and of course, sharing your brand online via LinkedIn is an essential career strategy.

 

 

If you are a C-suite executive or senior leader who would like to improve your online personal brand, LinkedIn profile, and presence, I can make it easy for you. I have a track record of working effectively with C-suite executives and senior leaders to create LinkedIn profiles and other executive-branded materials that help them show up as authentically and powerfully online as they do in person. This way, they can attract the talent they want to hire, increase their visibility and influence, and control their career. I also mentor clients on LinkedIn etiquette and effective posting strategies to ensure their success. Let me help you use this essential business tool effectively. Contact me through my website: www.carolkaemmerer.com or profile: www.linkedin.com/in/carolkaemmerer. 

Other resources:

Book me to speak either virtually or in person on the topic of personal branding via LinkedIn. I am a member of the National Speakers Association, a Certified Virtual Presenter, and an Advisor to the C-Suite Network.

My NEW book Second Edition: LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive: Promote Your Brand with Authenticity, Tact and Power is available through online booksellers. For your author-inscribed and signed book or quantity discounts, order at: https://carolkaemmerer.com/books

 

For DIY instruction on improving your LinkedIn profile, register for my self-paced, online course: How to be Found on LinkedIn: Key Strategies for Attracting Ideal-for-You Opportunities, https://carolkaemmerer.com/onlinecourse

 

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Other Articles by Carol Kaemmerer

Twelve Changes You Can Make in About an Hour to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

Why Is My LinkedIn Profile Getting So Few Views?

How Can LinkedIn Be Part of Your Company’s Strategy for Responding to the Great Resignation?

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Missing the Mark?

Comfortable in Your Job? Uncomfortable Life Lessons to Safeguard Your Career

How to Be Found on LinkedIn: Ten Top Strategies to Rank Well on a LinkedIn Keyword Search

Why Are You Playing Small on LinkedIn?

If You’re Not “Writing to the Margins” on LinkedIn, You’re Missing Out

Don’t Be Hooked Through a Big Phish: Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams on LinkedIn:

A Small Omission That Undermines Your Credibility on LinkedIn

“Tell Me More…” — On LinkedIn

What is Your Poor LinkedIn Profile Costing You?

C-Suite Executives: Stop Hiding Online