Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

In This Chapter

Arranging your defining building blocks

Promising uniqueness in your value to others

Expressing the essence of your personal brand

Preparing to take your brand public

Personal branding is about finding your own voice, taking ownership of your own career path, and feeling empowered in what you contribute to the world. It’s also about managing how others perceive you. In this chapter, you synthesize all your qualities into a statement that is the foundation on which you’ll communicate and live your brand. This statement is the heart and soul of who you are and what motivates you. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

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In Chapters 4, 5, and 6, I introduce you to the defining pieces composing your brand. In this chapter, you gather the building blocks from those chapters to craft a personal brand profile that highlights your authentic self. In doing so, you bring to light your unique promise of value, which allows you to then write your personal brand statement and develop a strategy for using your brand.

The pieces of your puzzle come together in this chapter, allowing you to see the whole picture of who you really are. Working on the personal brand profile can be really exciting, and you’ll walk away having a clear sense of what makes you tick.

Compiling Your Personal Brand Profile

If you work through Chapters 4, 5, and 6, you can gather a lot of information about yourself that you can use to craft your personal brand profile. If you haven’t yet read those chapters, you’re absolutely welcome to keep reading here, but I encourage you to refer to them at some point so that you’re able to fully utilize the tools in this chapter. In this section, for example, I show you how to place all those tidbits into a personal brand table so that you can see at a glance who you are and where you want to go.

Gathering your stepping stones to success

Each of your characteristics is like a piece of a quilt; it’s important, but it’s only a part of a greater whole. Only after you assemble the larger product is its true beauty revealed.

Your quilt pieces — the building blocks of your brand — are these characteristics, which I discuss in depth in Chapters 4 and 5:

• Needs:The necessities you must have. Needs direct your feelings and influence your values.
• Values:The emotional currency of your life. Values are the core principles that give meaning to your life and are defined as a set of standards that determine your attitudes, choices, and actions.
• Interests/passions:Things that intrigue you and motivate you to devote energy to them. They determine how you want to spend your time.
• Mission:Statements that clarify what you’re all about and what you want to do in life.
• Vision:Your ideal version of how you’ll use your mission. Expressing your vision involves describing what you see as possible in the world.
• Strengths:Patterns of interests and abilities that consistently produce a positive outcome in a specific task.
• Freak factor:A unique quality that makes you different and unusual.
• Personality attributes:Words describing the face that you show to the world.
• Education and work experience:Solid brand attributes that you can use to describe yourself.
• 360º feedback:Information about your character, which is provided by people who know you best (such as friends and coworkers).
• Goals:What you want to achieve.
• Target market positioning statement:A tool used to identify how your brand will be positioned in the market. The statement puts into words what makes your brand important and differentiated so that your brand is noticed by those who need to know about it (see Chapter 5). Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

Creating a personal brand profile table

I’ve found that the best way to capture your information is to build your personal brand with a profile table. By having your information in one place, you can see your patterns emerge. Taking this step allows you to see the words that best describe you and synthesize them into an authentic personal brand statement.

You won’t use everything that you gather in your table. However, when you have all the pieces together, you can easily extract the pieces that best convey your essence.

Figure 7-1 is an example of a personal brand profile table that has been filled to show you how you would fill out your own table.

Developing Your Unique Promise of Value and Personal Brand Statement

Your unique promise of value and your personal brand statement are closely linked; the statement is an expression of the promise. Both of them focus on what your target audience expects from you; they create an expectation of what you can deliver.

These pieces of your personal brand profile are probably the most important (no pressure!), so you want to take your time and get them right before you start to communicate with your target audience. In this section, I walk you through how to develop each of them.

Identifying your unique promise of value

Your unique promise of value is a promise that you make to your target market (see Chapter 5) that your brand will fulfill. It’s the personal aspect of your brand that is aligned with your mission and values. Your promise of value is the essence of what you have to offer and guides you in how you live your personal brand. It clarifies and communicates what makes you special — what makes you different from other people. Crafting this promise requires understanding your values, interests, strengths, and personal qualities and using them to distinguish yourself.

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Figure 7-1: A personal brand profile table lets you see patterns.

Lida Citroën, in her book Reputation 360 (Palisades Publishing), offers this advice when crafting your brand promise:

Your brand promise should look something like this: “In order to be known for (your desired brand qualities), I will hold myself out to others in this way: (your behavior, actions, attitude); and I will demonstrate authenticity in this way: (how you will let people see you as real, genuine). I will know my brand promise is working when I see this: (benefits, goals you hope to achieve).” Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

You must be able to live up to your promise of value. You’re always better off underpromising and overdelivering to those you serve. Your brand promise is what you want to be known for. It can be the promise of value of who you are today or it can be written as who you aspire to become.

Here’s how I’ve written about my own unique promise of value:

I am known for my creativity, enthusiasm, and intelligence by serving each client with respect, giving them individual attention, and treating them with unconditional positive regard. I am an expert in my field and use my knowledge to help my clients and students excel. My clients appreciate my solid, grounded approach during times of transition and trust my guidance through the process.

Moving from your promise to your personal brand statement

After you’re satisfied with what you’ve developed as your unique promise of value, you can turn your attention to writing the all-important personal brand statement.

One method I like to use when I’m developing a personal brand statement is to look at someone’s profile and get a feel for the whole person. That’s why I consider it so useful to compile a personal brand profile table. (For an example, refer to Figure 7-1, earlier in this chapter.)

When you work on your own statement, keep in mind the central themes that emerge from your profile table and think about your attributes. Then, envision your best self! I often put keywords on separate sticky notes and stick them to a blank wall. Doing so gives you time to think about what the core of your brand is and what message you stand for. It may take a few days and several rounds of rearranging the words, but eventually a statement will emerge.

To begin your thought process on what your brand might include, answer the following questions:

• What three or four keywords describe your essential qualities quickly and clearly?
• What is your essence factor,the core of who you are? “I know I am in my element when __________.”
• What is your authority factor,the knowledge that you hold and skills that you possess? “People recognize my expertise in _________.”
• What is your superstar factor,the qualities that set you apart? (This factor is how you get things done or what you’re known for.) “People comment on my ability to ___________.”

Adapted from Be Sharp (CreateSpace Publishing) by Paula Asinof and Mina Brown. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

Peppering your statement with “wow” words

When writing your personal brand statement, you want to use words that best describe what you offer. The words you use should highlight your emotional attributes and motivate you so that you can deliver that brand to your target audience.

Chapter 4 is filled with multiple word lists. If you haven’t done so, I encourage you to review the values, interests, strengths, and personality characteristics lists for the words that best describe you. Add those words to your profile table.

Then, to communicate the action in your message, add key verbs like the ones I list here. For a more complete list of “wow” words, see Best Keywords for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews, by Wendy Enelow (Impact Publications).

Drafting your statement

To give you a sense of what a personal brand statement could look like, here are examples:

• I am passionate about the development of people and am able to lighten the mood with my humor. I enjoy bringing that competitive spirit to solving my clients’ key advertising problems. The continuous challenge to learn fuels my love of accumulating knowledge.
• Driven by the energy of connections to others, I apply my solid intelligence as the interpreter of complex issues to create practical solutions while bringing a sense of fun into every situation.
• Grounded in my core beliefs, I identify the patterns and am able to look strategically into the future with a global perspective.
• Analyzing the DNA blueprint for my clients, I act as the bond between science and business to find opportunities by joining people and businesses through unique value-added insights.
• Acting as the conductor to the orchestra of people that I lead, I bring the pieces together to close the right deal at the right price. My enthusiastic yet calm approach brings equilibrium to each situation that I encounter and to the problems that I solve.
• Riding the wave of a sale, I serve as the master architect in developing vision, creating alignment, and nurturing the transactions toward successful completion.
• I bring self-confidence and empathy in performing complex, high-risk medical procedures while making the patient feel comforted that the solution is at hand. People enjoy working with me because of my collaborative and friendly approach when delivering exceptional medical service.
• I am the visionary sales leader of the South American practice. My customers count on me to navigate the complexities of multinational business. I am admired for not only how I lead my high-growth business but also for my work in the community in creating pathways out of poverty for those that I serve. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

My own statement reads this way:

I bring creativity and enthusiasm into the lives of professionals using my expertise in career development and personal branding with an intelligent, customized approach.

To help you get started writing your statement, place your keywords from your personal brand profile on separate sticky notes. Gather the words to use as a starting point for writing your statement, and then let it simmer until you know how you want to express yourself.

Summing up your personal brand in a tagline

A tagline or slogan is a phrase that follows your brand name and sums up your unique promise of value. A tagline is shorter and catchier than your personal brand statement, but it serves a similar purpose: It distinguishes you in the minds of your target market, expresses your personality, and/or gives a sense of what you do. A tagline is a short one-liner that you can add to a business card or to the signature of your e-mail.

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In Chapter 2, I discuss the power of branding by illustrating how corporations use an element such as a tagline to create a lasting impression on target audience members. For example, you’re likely to recognize the phrase “Just do it!” as Nike’s tagline. And even though it has tried to transition to “So good!” in recent years (to emphasize an increased focus on healthy foods), Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Finger lickin’ good!” was such a constant in its ads for half a century that people still associate KFC with that earlier tagline.

Taglines are best when they’re simple and easy to remember. With 11 or fewer words to convey your message, you have to work hard to craft a worthwhile tagline. If you struggle with this step, keep in mind that a tagline isn’t absolutely essential; it’s just a helpful tool for getting (and keeping) your audience’s attention.

Some people use famous quotes as their taglines. (Maybe you have a friend whose e-mail signature line always includes such a quote.) Some people display a great sense of humor in their taglines, which speaks volumes to their personality. If you’re going to use a tagline, just remember that it must align with your unique promise of value and your personal brand statement. Otherwise, you’ll just confuse your target market. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

A well-done tagline is so clear that anyone who reads it can determine what business you’re in, even if the person has never heard of you. See Chapter 2 for a list of real-life examples of corporate taglines and consider these effective solopreneur taglines:

• Abigail Marks Marketing:Make your mark with Abigail Marks Marketing
• BarbaraSmith Accounting: Making accounting personal
• Deb Dib:The Brand-to-Land Coach for gutsy CEOs & rising stars. Rise faster, earn more, have fun, change the world!
• Susan Guarneri:The Career Assessment Goddess
• Thomas Fuller, Personal Trainer:It’s not just fitness … it’s personal
• Valerie Sokolosky:Companies improve when people improve. We focus on people skills

Here are some guidelines to develop your tagline:

• Google your phrase and see who else uses that tagline.
• If you’re using your personal brand tagline internationally, know how your words translate into other languages.
• Keep it short and make sure that it’s consistent with your brand.
• Make sure that it’s easy to say. (Practice saying it out loud.)
• Use your unique characteristics to make it catchy.
• Write it in the present tense.

Test-driving your personal brand

If you’ve navigated all the steps I outline earlier in this chapter, you’re ready to launch your personal brand and take it for a test drive. Taking your brand out to the public for the first time can feel very strange. You’ll be saying words about yourself that up until now have been only on paper or in your head.

Your very first step is to talk about your brand to yourself, maybe in front of the mirror or while driving to work. After all, no one will believe your brand unless you do! Make sure that you can speak the words with confidence before you say them to anyone else. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

Then, the easiest way to introduce your brand is by trying it out on people who genuinely care about you and understand your message. Solicit their feedback about your personal brand before moving on to your target audience at large.

The key is to begin using your key personal branding words. I had a client who was attending a conference of her professional colleagues. I gave her this assignment: “Say your branding statement in some form in ten separate conversations during the conference.” She was to start with a word or two, and as she got comfortable saying her brand out loud, she was to add another word. By the end of the conference, her goal was to be able to articulate her brand message and not feel embarrassed to do so.

When you first test out your brand, do so in person — not via written materials. Here’s why:

• You can see how comfortable you are with your new brand and what it sounds like out loud.
• How you phrase your brand when speaking may sound different from how you phrase it when writing.

The idea is not to quote your written brand but to weave the essence of the brand into a conversation. Saying it out loud allows you to observe the reaction from others. At this stage in the game, you need to play with the idea that you have a brand and that it’s ever-evolving. So give it a try!

In Part III, I show you how to develop a communications strategy using a variety of communications tools to help you take your brand to the public. You definitely want to take your brand for a test-drive before jumping in to a full-blown communications strategy.

Gearing Up for Your Personal Brand Strategy

All the steps I discuss in this chapter (which build on work I outline in the preceding Part II chapters) are the hardest part of the personal branding process. These steps help you discover more fully who you are; who you want to work with; your needs, values, mission, and unique promise of value; and maybe more than you wanted to know about yourself — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

The work I discuss in Part II involves mostly self-reflection and examination. Developing a strategic plan for your brand and implementing it puts your brand into action. For most people, this step requires hard work and the devotion to live a more authentic life.

What will your personal branding strategy be? Will you market yourself as the first to do something, as a leader in your field, as an expert, by using your race or gender, or by aligning yourself with a cause?

Before you begin devising a strategy, look at your brand from your target audience’s point of view. If you were to stand in their shoes, what would they want from you? You must identify the key reasons that your target audience would want to work with you or do business with you.

In addition, you must take a series of crucial steps to bring your personal brand to market. These steps, which I discuss in upcoming chapters, include Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

• Writing your brand story (see Chapter 8)
• Determining how you can best communicate with your audience (see Part III)
• Fashioning your image (see Chapter 12)
• Creating your visual marketing materials (see Chapter 13)

In other words, much of the rest of this book is dedicated to helping you devise your strategy for moving from the self-reflection stage to the “Look out world, here I come!” stage. But before I talk about that work, I want you to think about two crucial topics: money and time.

Figuring out the finances to take your brand to market

Personal branding requires money, though not necessarily a lot of money. Obviously, the amount depends on what you’re doing to build your brand. Starting a business requires a bigger plan and a bigger budget than simply trying to stand out and create a certain image (for whom creativity may matter more than money).

As you look to the future to build your personal brand, ask yourself what you need to support your brand:

• Do you need additional training or education?
• Will you need career-related materials, such as a resume, bio, business cards, or letterhead?
• Does your wardrobe need updating?
• Will you need money for a website or online marketing?
• Does your transportation fit your personal brand? Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

Thinking about your financial needs early in the personal branding process will prevent angst during the implementation phase. Take the time to look at your finances now so that you aren’t surprised by your money needs later.

Scheduling your successes

I encourage you to set a timetable to make your personal brand happen. In Chapter 4, I explain that the most successful people in this world are often those who set goals for themselves upfront rather than just waiting for success to happen. I want you to succeed, so I want you to set specific goals for yourself — now!

When it comes to moving your personal brand into the public eye, map out the initial steps on your calendar. Pick a date for completing each step and stick to it. Then, as you get close to completing that list, add more deadlines to your calendar to keep you moving toward the goals that I outline in Parts III and IV. Don’t let your brand stagnate! Set firm deadlines for yourself and make every effort to stick to them.

Spending focused time on this activity helps it go more quickly. I suggest devoting at least an hour a week to work on furthering your brand. Here are suggestions for beginning steps you may want to mark on your calendar:

1. Make a list of what you want to achieve and what you’re willing to commit to make it happen.
2. Review your goals (see Chapter 4) and determine your personal objectives for taking your personal brand to market.

Your objectives can include becoming a more visible leader, strengthening the relationships with your customers, or being known as a thought leader in your industry.

3. Write your elevator pitch (see Chapter 8).
4. Implement your personal brand in some small, initial way.

See the earlier section “Test-driving your personal brand” for ideas.

Where you go from this chapter is largely determined by what you’re trying to accomplish. Part III helps you get a handle on the next steps that make the most sense for you.

Personal Branding and Networking

In today’s market characterized by stiff competition, building and maintaining a distinct personal brand can be the determining factor between success and stagnation in a person’s career. As markets become increasingly saturated, the ability of an individual to distinguish themselves from the crowd becomes more vital.  A personal brand is fundamentally is pone’s professional identity, a unique b blend of personality traits, s experiences, and skills that define an individual. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

My personal branding statement and how you will use it to leverage my career success

For a person who wants to enhance their career prospects, personal branding plays a fundamental role in their reputation, image, and overall success.  According to Townsend (2012), a personal brand comprises your personal purpose and vision, values, knowledge, skills, natural talents, attitudes, and beliefs. The marketability and strength of one’s personal brand determine whether one will be the individual that others recommend.  My personal branding statement is: As an experienced professional soldier, I have the ability to teach others what I know. A am a natural leader and a problem-solver.  I am loyal and I go beyond and above to assist others.

I will use my personal branding statement to leverage my career success by using it as a valuable tool to network with potential employers or clients.  I will place the statement on my social medial profiles, and resume.  I will be able to reach a broader audience and communicate my individuality to people who need to know about me. My personal brand statement is my reputation and will enable me to navigate the direction of my career path so that I can succeed in my career.

The ongoing networking I will need to do to continue to develop

My branding

Building a strong professional network is fundamental to building my brand. The ongoing networking, I will need to do to continue developing my brand include joining professional organizations, attending industry events, and connecting with other people in my field through social media, notably LinkedIn. As indicated by Shukla (2023) attending industry conferences and events is among the best ways of networking. These events will offer men an opportunity to meet individuals in my field and learn about the latest developments and trends.  Also, the events will offer an opportunity to build relationships and connect with individuals who can assist advance my career. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

A potential mentor who might be able to help me achieve my career goals

A mentor can play an influential role in helping me achieve my career goals. According to. Hettrich et al. (2023), mentors guide mentees in handling their present roles as well as preparing for future roles. Mentors help mentees to outline their career paths and recognize key experiences and positions essential to reach their career goals. Also, mentors act as advocates to assist mentees in securing major roles or developmental experiences to promote career growth and also connect mentees with their networks.

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SFC Smith is a potential mentor who might be able to assist me achieve my career goals. This mentor will assist me in creating short-term goals and long-term objectives to assist me realize my career goals. With the help of this mentor, I will be able to get out of my comfort zone so that I can learn, attain new experiences, and grow. SFC Smith would be an effective mentor because he is intelligent and a caring leader. Also, is well-known known in the military field and respected by peers.

Conclusion

A personal branding statement plays a fundamental role in shaping an individual’s reputation, image, and overall success. Networking and mentoring are essential aspects of establishing and maintaining a personal brand and advancing one’s career. Networking can assist one build relationships with individuals who can assist in career advancement and stay current with industry development and trends, and build your brand. A mentor assists the mentee to outline their career paths and recognize key experiences and positions essential to reach their career goals. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion

References

Hettrich, C. M., Taylor, D. C., Doty, J., & Dickens, J. F. (2023).  Coaching, Mentorship and Leadership in Medicine: Empowering the Development of Patient-Centered Care, An Issue of Clinics in Sports Medicine, E-Book. Elsevier.

Shukla, S. (2023). Career Mastery: Proven Strategies for Achieving Success in Your Profession: Networking and Building Professional Relationships. Blue Rose Publishers.

Townsend, H. (2012). FT Guide to Business Networking: How to Use the Power of Online and Offline Networking for Business Success. Pearson Education Limited. Crafting Your Personal Brand Profile Essay Discussion