Wikipedia explains: Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. While previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal-branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging.
And, this is how we understood the concept.
The old rule is out, the new rule is in. From what used to be just for products, branding is now being associated with people. However, as much as you shift the meaning from a product to a human being; people tend to forget that products and human beings aren’t the same.
Personal branding isn’t about the height or raising of engagement, metrics of your reach and just about sharing whatever it is that is about your occupation. Your personal brand is about making a difference in helping and serving others, sharing your true self on what your principles, values and morals are.
It’s not about selling but rather how you bind your personal story to resonate closer to others. The true power of personal branding is for you to let others in to your thoughts yet thinking of them. You build that center of influence.
You are an influencer. Regardless.
You might not have realized it consciously but you’re an influencer, regardless. You have your own digital footprint carved in the sands of time and the people you engage with.
There is no doubt that each of us are driven to achieve greater things but the internet has been exposing us to compare ourselves with someone else’s achievements. We’ve been judging ourselves over theirs which results to affecting our self-esteem and our nature to look for leaders, mentors and strong influencers who can guide, lead, and direct us what to do.
Influence: aim to establish yourself as a human being, not a robot who just follows without thinking nor believing.
No matter who you are or where you are in your career, understanding how you’re perceived and how you stand out from the crowd of other professional is absolutely essential to your success and on being of influence to others.
Who are you? Reinvent.
The personal branding process starts with being aware of who you are and what you have to offer. To be self-aware is also by listening to what and how others foresee you. What do people say about you when you’re not in the room? What impressions do you give your peers? What’s the reputation you’ve built?
Not that I’m here to make you feel anxious but having to seek for feedback and know how others also foresee you makes you realize and aware of your weaknesses and strengths. It makes you also improve into a much better person, a better understanding if you’ve been communicating what you believe in and who you are according to what your actions say and what you share.
Power of Influence
Believe it or not but you do have the power to initiate change, build interest, navigate an emotion, and have the right tools to persevere to open, close and negotiate opportunities to possibilities. You have the ability to build trust and cultivate relationships to anyone – the winning skill every human being has that needs to be taken cared of.
Let’s take it from the Zuck.
Being and influencer and influencing comes in with big responsibility. It’s is not usually all about the positive and optimistic. There are those who goes through the binary choice on either being on the negative. This is where morals and values align and what you stand for.
As much as we’ve seen people who drive positive vibes each day in their respective communities, the are also groups who spend time spreading negativity, start rumors and opt to be detractors or disruptors rather than peacemakers.
The choice is yours.
Be known for a reason, for a much greater purpose.
And, don’t take this lightly.
I have been blogging since 6th grade. Unfortunately, the web archives wasn’t able to keep the old domains on track but blogging together with the rise of social media has changed my life. I’ve met different people from across the globe, made friends and have been able to start my career in what seemed to be an accidental career – Events, Marketing and PR.
When the entire ‘influencer’ and ‘ambassadors’ were still new to the media relations department, I had the chance to become the face of few brands. I wasn’t the kind who hits the podium nor have ever been the norms but I stayed true and authentic, honest and kind. My intent was to share my story rather than hard-selling the brand.
Being an influencer means you personally believe in the product, and that you’re a living testimony of whatever it is that you endorse. No, actually, you will need not to endorse – it will come in naturally, regardless if the brand has tapped you or not.
When I started contributing for the dailies, acknowledged and featured on some prints; I realized the importance of emotions and your authenticity. It is truly how you relate which makes you an influencer and with that, you’re slowly building a community and meet like-minded individuals without even trying.
If your name must be known, be known for something good.
With the power of the internet, you have the control to share your life and what you believe in. The rest will follow. You have the control on what you want to be written about you.
Share your experiences, what have you done. Share what you want people to understand about you, your vision, and what future you’d want to be encapsulated in.
You see, no one can tell more of the truth about you, than you alone. In building your successful brand – you’d have to be out there and tell them as much as you show them on what ventures you’ve been at, progress you’ve encountered, achievements and lessons.
The reach, engagement and being found will follow.
READ: 5 Steps for Successful Brand Building
How do you become authentic and build a brand?
Being known, or famous is a great position to contribute to change. People’s actions are dictated by their minds to make decisions, and if you manage to influence that decision so they become better, wiser and smarter – is a great gift to have.
Share your voice. Start to write. It doesn’t need to be grammatically correct. What matters is you get to speak your voice, share in your intent, inspire and keep writing for as long as you can. Slowly, you’ll be able to build your network and would like to meet more about you.
Create the environment you’d want to belong in and the opportunity will come in. We are in the people business despite the rapid growth of technology taking over.
You are responsible of your voice.
Keep in mind that as much as you want to be as authentic and real, you should always be responsible of the voice you share. Be careful and wary with the content you put out. Always think if it’s something that you’d want to look back.
Say what you want to say but always remember that everything may back fire to you if you decide to write about others by condemning someone’s else business, or to the extent it’s valid for defamation.
As much as it’s your space, be accountable of and for the perceptions people now have of you. As the bible say, do unto others what you want them to do unto you.
By connecting, you get to build a community. And, these communities and relationships always want what is valuable for them – knowledge, insights and service.
After all, success is not about you; its about lifting others with you.