Personal branding isn’t only important for promoting a product, business or political cause, but also for promoting yourself .

• Think of yourself as your #1 product.
• Manage your career like your #1 product
• Market yourself like your # product.

The first priority in developing “Brand You”, is to develop your skills and abilities and professional reputation. You can do this by identifying your strengths, value and accomplishments, then broadcasting them in your community, through social networking sites or on the web with your own page.

An observation to consider by Alisha Nicole on her blog, PR Vision: ” I came across an interesting site created as experiment in brand perception. Noah Brier’s Brand Tags shows visitors a logo and asks them to submit a word or phrase that they immediately associate with this brand.  “The basic idea of this site is that a brand exists entirely in people’s heads. Therefore, whatever it is they say a brand is, is what it is.”

The take away from that observation on brand perception is that you have a blank canvass on which you get to create the best possible, and also true, image of yourself.  Focus on the positive, on your best traits, strongest skills and greatest accomplishments.  Modesty doesn’t create opportunity.

The benefits are many. Personal branding:

• Adds perceived value to your product or service
• Increases your earning potential
• Differentiates you from the competition
• Enhances your reputation and prestige
• Positions your focused message in the minds of your target market
• Confers top of mind status
• Increases your authority and credibility

Branding yourself should become a life long habit. Once you’ve recognized and developed your strengths, think about how you best connect with people. Consider what your target audience needs and wants, identify the value you deliver to meet those needs and wants, and communicate that value in a way that reaches your target market through the channels that work best for you.  Word of mouth works.  Speaking works and giving presentations works.  Websites and social networking sites work.  Practice them all.  Or start by identifying which venue you feel most comfortable with and do that first.  But keep expanding your comfort zone until you’re doing them all.

Brands are built over the long term, so don’t expect instant results.  But the rewards and benefits are also long term, so an investment of time and energy in building and broadcasting “Brand You”, will be a productive and valuable investment earning lifetime returns.

( Brand Perception graphic from PR Vision by Alisha Nicole)

See also Professional Online Career Portfolios