Tonya VanOrder, MBACareer & Educational Consultant

Michigan State University

SEPTEMBER 2010

What is A Personal Brand?…And what in the world would I need one for?

Brand “You”

The phrase was probably coined by Tom Peters back in 1995. In a nutshell, it actually refers to the image others have of you when your name is mentioned.

Generally, your brand is your professional reputation - hopefully accompanied by positive examples of your

key talents and knowledge of your ambitions.

The challenging part for most people is the process of discovering what is truly unique about you in the

workplace, and then learning to help others to see you in that light.

BusinessDictionary.com

Branding: Entire process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product (good or service) in the consumers mind, through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.

Your Personal Brand & Networking

KNOW IT, LIVE IT, LOVE IT!

In conversations, in any setting, can you answer these questions? What do you do for a living? What do you like about your job? Why do you want to work in this industry? Why a (insert degree) degree?

In a Clear, Brief, Specific, & Interesting way? Whether you do or not, you ARE leaving an impression on the other person – memorable or not. After enough conversations, this becomes your brand, so make it great!

“Why do you want to be President of the United States?

Here’s a short video interview that highlights the damage a poorly-articulated brand message can be…

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Teddy), November 4, 1979 by Roger Mudd, CBS News Correspondent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5TkhNWPspM

A Short Exercise…

Think of 2 or 3 people you interact with regularly. Come up with 3 adjectives or phrases to describe each

of them. Try not repeat a word or phrase.

Then, think of 3 adjectives to describe yourself – in ways you’d like others to see you. Go one step further – give an example of something you have done that demonstrates this quality.

Can you tell a good story?

The building blocks of your brand…

It starts with gaining sharper focus

about who you are. Take time to self-inventory what you prefer to do – all day. Not just sometimes, but the things you really like doing when YOU get to set the priorities, and why you like them.

To create your personal brand message blend your strengths (what you’re good at and what you’re KNOWN FOR), with your interests – what you love to do and why. Then try to describe “YOU” in 3 sentences or less.

Dialogue to Build Relationships

Networking is building relationships for mutual benefit, not just for your own benefit. That’s why we care about personal branding, and why we want to be not just known, but memorable (in a positive way)!

You have to sow the seeds to get a harvest, right? What that means is great networking starts with giving. As you listen to others’ personal introductions (branding statements), think of ways you can help them advance their own goals. You will be earning favor with that person that will go a long way when you need it!

Get out there, Get noticed, Get ahead!

Excellent Resources do exist for further help in personal branding and networking. Here are a few of my favorites…

Tim’s Strategy: http://timsstrategy.com/Executive Career Brand:

http://executivecareerbrand.com/ Career Rocketeer:

http://www.careerrocketeer.com/ Reach Personal Branding:

http://www.reachpersonalbranding.com/ Daniel Porot: http://www.porot.com/ Personal Branding 101:

http://personalbranding101.com/