Five Tips To Help Brand Yourself

Your mom loves you, and that's great. She probably knows more about you than you think she does – and probably a lot more than you want her to. But beyond your parents and a few

possibly jealous siblings, nobody else cares. Sorry, the truth hurts. And yes, I'm joking…kind of.

When your mom (or dad) want to brag about you, they’ve had years of experience getting to

know you and seeing you operate in thousands of different circumstances as you grew. They

saw you at your worst, and they saw you at your best. They probably already have a logo, a

tagline, and an elevator speech all ready to go at a moments notice should anyone ever be

curious enough to ask about their kids. In fact, they likely have a few pictures of you in their

wallet or on their phone at the ready. You have been branded in a role as son or daughter

unknowingly, my friend, at least in their eyes you have.

Unless they happen to be hiring, that's not going to be of a substantial personal benefit to you. But hey, your family loves you, and nobody can ask for more than that! But you sure can learn from it and use it to your advantage as you search for the perfect job with the people who are hiring.

Large companies spend millions if not billions of dollars every year to etch their branding firmly into the brains of consumers to the point that they become impossible to forget. Amazon, BMW, Starbucks, Nike, Coca-Cola, Google, Apple and so on, all understand and value the purpose of branding. All know what it means to their bottom line, and none would have experienced the level of success they have had they not invested in branding.

But these are companies, not people, right? The concept is the same for individuals as it is for

businesses, and maybe even more so. Personal branding is one of the most underestimated and underutilized tools in a job-seekers toolbox. Take a minute and try to name seven people who have incredibly powerful personal brands.

I’ll get you started – Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Lady Gaga, Tony Robbins, Paris Hilton, Gary Vaynerchuk. None of these individuals just happened across the idea of personal branding. Ok, did you come up with your own seven?

Was your name on that list? If not, let’s get you started with 5 tips to help you brand yourself so that you can go about building your personal brand.

1. Take Inventory:

Grab your resume, a few letters of recommendation, a few close friends, and maybe even just an acquaintance or two. From those resources, document a list of words or phrases that describe who you are. This list is a brainstorming list, so there are no wrong entries. You might even find some of the descriptors to be direct opposites of each other, and that's ok! For those who you ask input from, just write.

Don't judge or comment. You'll get a much better idea of where you are starting from if

you do more listening and less talking in this stage of brand development. You want to

know what your current brand is to any given audience.

This process will provide you anofficial and authentic starting point to develop your personal brand. You can analyze the heck out of them later, and you'll want to. Personally, I think this idea is great for anyone to try, whether they are starting down the path of branding themselves or not!

When you write your descriptors down, it's imperative that you be as honest as you can

with yourself. Don't write down Coke if you know in your heart of hearts that you are

Pepsi if you catch my drift. Be honest.

2. Eliminate:

Once you are satisfied with your list, start crossing off the words and phrases that aren’t true. Circle the one's that are true but might be areas you’d like to grow in. And put a star next to the descriptors that you really feel cut to the core how you identify yourself as a professional, a potential employee, or business owner.

Be prepared. A vulnerable evaluation of yourself can be a humbling experience and not

very comfortable for many people. It's especially difficult to take a step outside of

themselves and be honest, but It's worth every tear you may shed. Keep tissues next to

you, and plow your way through this.

You are a warrior of self-evaluation! You are building something very special here, and every effort you put into it will reward you times 100! In reading this back to myself, I couldn't help but notice another example of strong branding. When I suggested that you keep tissue next to you," I wanted to write Kleenex, but I didn’t. Why? Because Kleenex is a brand, not a product. That is where you are heading. That is a lofty goal, but one you can aim for and achieve over time. Your goal is to create a personal brand that is synonymous with the very essence of who you are.

3. Create Your Personal Brand Slogan:

Take your marked-up list and put it away for at least one day. When you come back to it, go through it and see how you feel about the accuracy of what you eliminated, identified as “needs improvement,” and starred. That time in between your first attempt and the following day or so will give you a fresh set of eyes. On this second evaluation, make any changes you feel you need to.

And then write out a phrase that sums up that list with the goal in mind of summing up you! You can write 10 or 20 short sentences or phrases if you want and I would encourage you to

do just that. Play with them, change the words around and experiment with them. Run that slogan by a variety of people and ask them for a reaction. Sometimes we invent slogans that might seem obvious to interpret for ourselves, but it resonates differently with different people.

This feedback should come without judgment or criticism. Once

you have narrowed it down to a single phrase see if there are ways to shorten it or

replace any of the words with words that are more accurate or impactful. Here are a

few examples of branding slogans that might inspire you:

• “Business Magnate And Inventor” (Steve Jobs)

• ‘Normal Is Nothing More Than A Cycle On A Washing Machine” (Whoopi Goldberg

• “Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out?” (Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss)

4. Create Your Physical Brand Identity:

Your “physical branding identity” is usually in the form of a logo for businesses, and many logos also come with a slogan or tagline. There is no reason why you can't do the same on a personal level. A logo or a particular graphic used in every communication you make will have an impact if you use it consistently and it resonates with the audience you are seeking to attract. It should be simple, yet distinctive.

It can be unique, but always remember who your target audience is when taking a stab at uniqueness. A graphic representation of you as an

artist will be unique in a different way than it is if you are in accounting. The most important thing is that you feel that it exemplifies an honest representation of who you are.

5. Spread The Good News:

Establish your branding identity by using it consistently

everywhere. If you don't have a blog, get one. Blogs are a great place to refer people to

who want to know more about you. Your branding should be clear on any blogging

website or e-Portfolio if you have one.

Embed it into any domain name you own as well as on all of your professional social media accounts. Your brand can appear on letterhead, your resume, or any other written form of communication. As always, it is wise to hire a professional that can provide personal branding, resume, and career and job-seeking consultation and services. Whatever you invest will come right back to you in time.