Creating a truly unique money-making asset: the art of personal branding
Today, people seek to have more control over their lives. Creating a truly unique asset that can be branded and traded becomes essential. What we are here to discuss and decode is how this ability is unlocked. It is through a process called personal branding, first defined by Tom Peters in his article “The Brand Called You” in 1997. We will unveil some of that mystery in the next article. Remember, this is a framework and a starting point, each individual is different. There is no magic formula that allows for duplication. As you read, keep in mind that what each individual draws from this article is unique to them. If this is something that sparks interest, join us on the journey as we define what personal branding means and then lay out the initial steps to begin the process.
The definition of personal brand
Personal branding can be defined in many different ways. The reason for this is that even among experts there is really no one-size-fits-all definition. So looking at the definition requires more than a simple word search. Googling the personal brand will take you to the definition on Wikipedia. According to him and its editors, personal branding is defined as “the process by which people and their careers are branded.gets better, the concept of personal branding suggests, instead, that success comes frompackaging. “Another way that people have defined personal branding is to see it as an extension of the social media fad, making it technology-based and treating it like internet marketing. However, both definitions have shortcomings based on the fact that they ignore aspects of the process that are key to personal branding. First, they ignore the fact that personal branding is more than just “self-packaging,” and discard the “self-improvement” part. Second, personal branding It did not start with the advent of the Internet. There is a strong personal branding story in which people like JC Penny, Sears and Roebuck or Deloitte and Touché used personal branding to launch vast empires. Therefore, I offer my personal brand definition of as follows:
“The creation of an asset that belongs to a particular person or individual; this includes, but is not limited to, the body, clothing, appearance and knowledge it contains, resulting in an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguished “.
This definition allows each individual the opportunity to develop and create their own personal brand, without believing that the packaging alone or the presentation only makes the mark. Defining personal branding is of course only a starting point, as once the term has been defined, steps must be taken to start the process.
Steps to get started with your personal brand
Step 1: Get to know yourself.
This step is the foundation of everything. As many have said, if you are “not sure of yourself, how can you be sure of something”? Trying to start a personal brand before one is sure who they are is practically impossible. Therefore, a careful examination of the individual’s wishes and dreams is tantamount to launching a successful personal brand. There is a key reason for this. The person who marks himself must decide what he loves. By getting to know themselves, they find out what topic, hobby, or area they like best. This directly impacts the next step.
Step 2: become an expert in what you love.
Does this mean that there is only one expert in that topic or area? Most likely not. That really makes one work harder to improve. This also means research and a deeper understanding of this topic or area. It will mean keeping up with the changes, so a continuing education in this topic or area as well. This is where one should focus on changing behaviors and modifying the way they act to accommodate this new part of life. Remember that keeping the brand fresh is an important key to making the brand desirable. That can only be done if the brand continually publishes new information and a desirable message.
Step 3: Find out who benefits the most from this brand.
This is not an easy step, and the fact is that some of the biggest and most well-known brands have made horrible blunders in this area (see example 1 below). Knowing the brand’s market base allows the brand to create a strong message that specifically targets that market. When working with companies, marketing companies typically do thousands and sometimes millions of dollars of research to find a market. However, with each of the personal brands mentioned above they started with a simple message, because there was only one person to create, mold and execute the message. However, this step should not be taken lightly, as inconsistency with the message can cost credibility with a new brand and significantly set back an established brand.
Step 4: Find the best way to get your message across.
This is the area that people confuse with internet marketing. It is the most misunderstood area of personal branding. Getting information everywhere is not an effective way to get a message across. That will cost the brand control of the message and make it more difficult to improve and maximize it. Keep in mind that the rules exist in all areas and that they are there for a reason. Many people will tell you how to bend the rules, change the rules, and even in some cases break them, but unfortunately, as with everything, when the rules are broken, the effect can be devastating. As you observe this step, it is imperative that a plan be established and a schedule is followed that allows one person to fully control your message. The last thing any brand wants is for someone else to control what others see with their brand. (See example 2).
Step 5: Make the message consistent at all times.
When I finish the last step, I start with the truest example of why execution is so vital. The brand message must be consistent. This means that the management of the brand message must become habitual and constant. It is not enough to do the first four steps and put something in there to establish a personal brand and then forget about it. There are many people who do just that and are not establishing a personal brand, they are just posting information. Establishing a personal brand means that one is observing not only what is published, but also what people are looking at and observing when it comes to that brand. There are free tools available to help one achieve that and when creating the brand, researching which tools will be the most effective for that brand is part of the plan and program that needs to be designed.
As you can see, establishing a personal brand is not something that is done in a few minutes on the computer while connected to the Internet. In fact, of the five steps above, only one has to do with the Internet, and that is not the case if you choose to use traditional media as the best way to spread your message.
By following these steps and keeping the above definition in mind, any individual can begin the process of creating a personal brand. The fact that it is not as easy as it might sound should not be a barrier to someone if this is what they really want to do. In fact, the fact that it’s harder than it sounds should make everyone a little more convinced that this is something worth doing. Remember that the only barrier to making an effective personal brand around anyone is the limitations they place on your own individuality. So be proud of your individuality, discover what makes you unique and start your journey to a personal brand.
Example 1: The New Cocaine Incident
“In April 1985, The Coca-Cola Company management announced its decision to change the taste of the company’s flagship brand. This decision was made based on the fact that Pepsi consumer research found in evidence of taste blindly that most consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi to that of Coca-Cola. The “Pepsi Challenge” campaign made this public knowledge and Coca-Cola executives moved quickly to change the main United States brand. United. New Coke arrived in a new can, with updated red and silver graphics replacing the traditional red and white styling. Although New Coke taste tests had shown that the majority of people tasted preferred the new product, these tests failed to measure the emotional appeal of “old” Coca-Cola. In other words, consumers want their cake and eat it too. The public outcry occurred during the 1980s. days when the old Coke was no longer on the shelves. Coca-Cola quickly reintroduced the “old” Coca-Cola when they realized their market share was falling and dubbed it Classic Coke. “
This article is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Example 2: The Michael Phelps Incident
This example was set in public with a well-known public figure who, if necessary, could have had someone work with him to prevent something like this from happening. In early 2009, a story broke out in Britain published in the News of the World. They had in their possession an image showing the most recent American hero, Michael Phelps, using a bong. This according to the Wikipedia article and the News of the World websites, linked at the end of the example. An occurrence like this is an example of what can happen when someone else is controlling a personal brand message. Michael Phelps, his winning attitude and down-to-earth personality have made him an incredible spokesperson for numerous products. All of this was backed up by their internet sites and the fan sites that were on the internet. However, all it took was one image to provide a major setback and ultimately lead to US Swimming suspensions for 3 months and Kellogg’s did not renew their endorsement deals.
Reference sources: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/.