Personal branding is a marketing strategy focused on your most important product: You! Your personal brand is something that you cannot afford to ignore. Personal branding is all about building your reputation . . . it’s how you are perceived by others personally and professionally whether online or in the marketplace. Your personal brand follows you everywhere you go. So, you may want to make sure you are giving off the right impression to have the best chance of attracting valuable clients, landing that promotion you deserve or establish yourself as a leader in your field.

It’s About a Feeling

When you think of Apple, what is the first thing that comes to mind about their brand? Great customer service, excellent customer support at their Genius Bar and the joy you feel when you unbox a brand new Apple product.

So, when people think of You, what is the first thing that comes to mind about your brand? How do they feel when they are with you or think of you? Your brand is the consistent, confident and competent message you send to others by your soft skills (people skills) such as how you treat others through your body language, the way you introduce yourself, your ability to communicate through small talk, listening to others and showing empathy, how you dress, what kind of dining habits you have, your online presence, just to name a few. A Harvard-Stanford study concluded that your success is based on 85% of high-level social skills and only 15% on your technical skill set. Never forget, your personal brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.

Core Values in Your Personal Brand

I love the quote a blogger Candace Smith shared recently, “Polished behavior is just a crust if character isn’t substance.” Your character is the firm foundation of your personal brand. Brands are more and more value driven today and your personal brand must be even more so. What do you stand for? What do you value most in your personal and professional life? Integrity and respect? Discipline and dependability? Grab a pen and paper and try to come up with five core values. May I suggest that one of your core values personally and professionally should be cultivating good everyday etiquette. The core of good etiquette is that you are kind, respectful and considerate to everyone and anything on this planet! Etiquette practiced daily improves your relationships and expands your influence with others. As Thomas Sowell, an American economist said that “Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back.”

Great In-Person First Impressions

There is no impression like a first impression, specifically in business. Your first impression is the part of your brand that strongly influences a person’s decision on whether to do business with you. We want people to like us, work with us, hire us, respect us, and invest in us. The foundation of business is professionalism and respect and we want people to buy into that from the start. No matter the industry, a first impression is what makes or breaks the trust of others in business. Most of us have sold a house in our lifetime. But, before we placed a For Sale sign out in front of the house, we created some serious curb appeal inside and out! That’s true for real estate as well as YOU!

Body Language

You’ve got 7 seconds to WOW people from the moment they meet you with your personal pizazz. The way you carry yourself is crucial. Do you want people to see you as confident and approachable? Try out this secret: the brain equates power with the amount of space you take up so stand, sit and walk with your shoulders back to maximize the amount of space you fill. People are attracted to people with confidence.

Your Personal Brand Strategy

Building a personal brand intentionally will allow you to tell your story as you want it to be told. Keep in mind two things: 1) the impact you leave on others and 2) all we have is our own reputation and that’s our brand. The world needs that special gift that only You have. Now is the time to take the steps to ensure that the image people end up with is the image you want for your personal brand! Want more personal branding tips? The next blog post will provide a First Impression Tool Box to include in your personal brand strategy and differentiate yourself from the competition.

My greatest triumph is seeing you triumph! Until next time, be well.

Your partner in success,

Cathi

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