Be clear, be consistent: how to get personal branding right

In today’s hectic digital lifestyle, everyone has a personal brand that defines who we are, what we do professionally, our personal lives, and the message that we project online. Whether you like it or not, personal branding plays a huge role in today’s online market. We are now forced to think about our own network of friends and how we communicate and engage with them. In reality, it basically comes down to providing value and meeting needs.

I believe that some brands aren’t successful just because of the brand. Have a look at Apple. This brand isn’t successful just because of the logo, but due to the fact that two awesome entrepreneurs had a great vision for the company and made it happen. The same applies to Microsoft and basically any other brand. It’s successful people making an impact. Add value to your name online and treat it as a personal brand. It defines who you are and who you are connected to.

Many people still believe that personal branding is just about keeping your Facebook profile up to date and having a professional LinkedIn profile. Even though these are very good starting points, they miss the overall point of branding yourself. Personal branding is all about problem solving and differentiation. What unique background skills do you have? How can you leverage your experience and knowledge to answer questions or meet a real need?

A big problem for most of us is that it isn’t easy to assess our own personal brand objectively and in the light of the audience we are trying to reach. Our personal message can be quite different from the message our audience receives. It is really not about what you say, it’s about what people hear.

Consistent and clear messages with personal branding

It is important that you send consistent and clear messages with your personal brand that bring in real value to your target audience. When assessing your personal brand you will get an honest look at what your own personal branding is saying about you. This will help you make adjustments to your message and provide ways on how you can strengthen it.

The days are gone where a simple cover letter and CV were all that you needed to get your dream job. Today, you have to use social media, traditional media, and a couple of other related digital marketing techniques to get the message across about your unique skills and experience.

The benefits of a personal branding are numerous. With personal branding you will know exactly what skills makes you unique, who the target market is that you want to share your message with, and what value you can provide your audience that’s relevant and compelling.

As Seth Godin points out in Personal branding in the age of Google: “Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you’re on Candid Camera, because you are”.

What you say and do online will stay with you forever. Treat your name as a valuable brand and it will pay off.