Personal Branding: How to Do It Better!

In the Relationship Economy, you need to create your own brand so that when people see your name, they automatically think, "Oh, that person knows about craft beer," or whatever you know about. The same way Mr. Walt Disney created "the happiest place on earth," you need to have people think, if not say the name, of you and your brand.

Whatever your line of work is, whether sales, management, songwriting, or marketing, you need tocreate your "brand" to drive yourself to the next level. Personal Branding expert, Dan Schawbel explains the importance of branding. By branding themselves, "individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence."

There are easy and fun ways to brand one's self. Blogging is an excellent way to create a reputation. But just setting up a blog on blogspot or wordpress won't get it. Those two sites are fine, but you have to be disciplined in order to create brand,or name, recognition. By posting only when you feel like it or when the mood hits you, you won't create "fans" - the readers who return to read and re-read your posts. You need to do it at least five or six times a week, if not every day.

Social networks are another fun way to increase brand recongnition. But again, the use must be consistant. Posting to the boards only when you feel like it won't really give you credibility or the reputation of an expert. At least once a week, you need to make some sort of contribution to on-line social networking sites. In the virtual world where everything is online, it is evenmore important to make your presence known than in the physical world. Who would expect to gain anything from traditional networking-groups if they didn't even go? I get several newsletters about networking, and one of the first tips was to get to the meeting early and leave late.By spending more time there, you meet more people and can establish yourself as the expert in your field. The same is true with virtual networking groups. The more time you "invest"online, the quicker you will establish yourself as the expert.

Generating relationship capital is another great way to create your personal brand. By establishing relationships and a rapport with others, you are not only generating possible leads, but confidence in you - that you know what you're doing. As Dan says, create your own evangelists! Get others who believe in you and your brand to tell more people. It's a little like viral marketing.

Source: Link to Nashville. Posted by Nuno Batista