YOU, YOUR IMAGE AND YOUR BRAND
F is for Fame?
I may have alluded to this before but do permit me to expand on it as I think it bears repeating. A lot of people wrongly believe that Personal Branding is solely for celebrities, stars and superstars. In other words the whole idea of having a strong brand is synonymous with seeking fame?
To answer this properly I would like to define what a Personal Brand is. I think one of the easiest ways to explain it would be to quote Jeff Bezos once more, that your brand is “what others say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Now what if what they are saying about you is neither representative nor accurate of who you really are? What if your boss or star client is actually unaware of your true value or potential? Or what if the community you wish to serve believes conversely that you are only out to exploit them? The problem is that the reputation you have may just be one which is wrong, or which does not completely represent who you are or what you truly stand for.
Building your Personal Brand in my definition, is the art of influencing those perceptions to more accurately reflect the truth. It helps to project your unique value to those who need to be aware of it. This audience may just be your extended family, your colleagues at work, your local community or maybe the world. It is just as relevant for a professional within an industry as it is for a rising star.
If Personal Branding is about fame then, it is of a selective fame with your target audience, be they 50, 500 or 5,000,000 in number!
Building your Personal Brand in my definition, is the art of influencing those perceptions to more accurately reflect the truth. It helps to project your unique value to those who need to be aware of it