What Is Personal Branding?

The misconceptions about personal branding abound. Because branding is a powerful buzzword today, plenty of people are doling out advice and services without a clear understanding of what branding is and what it can do for you.

I compared the misinformation with the straight skinny in my post over at my Executive Career Brand blog, What Personal Branding is NOT.

The key to grasping the concept of personal branding is to understand the beauty of it — you already have a brand.

We all have a reputation for the way we make things happen for our companies, for ourselves, and for the world — the things people rely on us to always deliver.

Here’s how I describe it:

Personal branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal clear message that differentiates your unique promise of value and resonates with your target audience.

What’s great about branding is that it generates the kind of chemistry that indicates good fit to decision makers assessing whether to hire you or do business with you.

My own promise of value comes together in my brand bio.

When Tom Peters coined the term “personal branding” in his 1997 article “The Brand Called You” in Fast Company, he had this to say:

We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc.

You’re hired, you report to work, you join a team — and you immediately start figuring out how to deliver value to the customer. Along the way, you learn stuff, develop your skills, hone your abilities, move from project to project. And if you’re really smart, you figure out how to distinguish yourself from all the other very smart people walking around with $1,500 suits, high-powered laptops, and well-polished resumes. Along the way, if you’re really smart, you figure out what it takes to create a distinctive role for yourself — you create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called You.

 William Arruda who, with Kirsten Dixson, innovated the Reach Certified Personal Branding program, which I’ve taken, and co-authored Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, commented on a blog, “Your brand is held in the hearts and minds of those around you.”

 And offers this description on the Reach Branding website:

Personal Branding is a way of clarifying and communicating what makes you different and special – and using those qualities to guide your career or business decisions. It’s about understanding your unique attributes – your strengths, values, and passions – and using them to separate yourself from your competitors or peers. In this sense, personal branding means clearly communicating the unique promise of value that you have to offer your employer or your clients.

Dan Schawbel, personal branding guru for Gen Y and mastermind of the Personal Branding Blog, puts it this way:

Personal branding is the process of how we market ourselves to others.

The way we manage our careers is changing, due to the rise in competition and the introduction of web 2.0. In order to extend our reach, visibility and networking capabilities, we must turn to personal branding as our savior. In the digital age, our name is our only currency.

For a detailed breakdown of what makes a powerful personal brand, see my Executive Career Brand post 10 Steps to an Authentic, Magnetic Personal Brand.