You have a brand.
I was told this in a very matter of fact manner, in my most recent communications class. Whether or not said “branding” is good, is a different case. It must first be realized as sorely as you exist, so does your brand. This is because a brand is essentially the sum of all the perceptions and emotions about a product or service that lives in the mind of a customer.
Now, when it comes to building your brand, the product mentioned in the paragraph above, is you. And your brand is made up of the perceptions of the people who have had cause to experience you in any capacity. And your job is to ensure that their perceptions of you are favorable to the brand image you are trying to build. The first and essential step is to build trust. People are most times only willing buy from brands they trust. Some essentials features of a trustworthy brand are: Integrity, character, intent and capabilities. You must show yourself to be a person of integrity, one who is morally upright and principled. One’s personality is also distinctive and tells customers and potential customers if you are trustworthy. Your intent must also be clear; can people believe in the agenda you have stated for why you do what you claim to? Finally, customers and hopefuls must be confident in your capabilities. Can they rely on you? Can you be banked on? If an individual/brand ticks al these boxes, customers would have no cause to doubt them.
The reason for having and cultivating a personal brand includes these:
It can increase your visibility; particularly when you’re in a heavily saturated field and must find a way to be noticed. Having worked well on your brand should significantly improve your visibility in a sea of many talents.
It also improves confidence. The knowledge that you’ve put in the work nurturing your personal brand gives you a boost of confidence when you’re in rooms where you have to put yourself in the spotlight or when attention is brought to you.
We were also taught finally, about the three elements of personal branding, they are: Value Identification, Value Delivery and Value Communication. The ultimate goal is to show that you are valuable.
The title of this class was Getting Hired: Enhancing Your Personal branding and I firmly believe the goal was achieved. As has become the usual case during this MBA programme, I had to reflect on the fact that I wasn’t putting as much effort into cultivating my personal brand as I should’ve. When it comes to these things, I cannot afford to just wing it, especially with something as vital to my existence in business as my personal brand. To stay in business for the right reasons and customers, I must strive to be seen as and to actually be trustworthy.To offer services and have my customers be sure that they won’t be left disappointed. On one side, I have a lot of improvement to get to, but on the bright side I know what needs improving and how to improve.
Till my next entry, adios.
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