Blake Woolsey, CMF, director of training and facilitation

The Nike swoosh, the golden arches, FedEx — these icons all have one thing in common: an unforgettable, unmistakable brand.

A brand is not only a name or symbol to identify something or someone, it is also the feelings and perceptions people have for a company, product or service.  A powerful brand can drive success because it can help create strong customer preference or commitment.

Brand goes beyond awareness of the tangible product…it’s also the intangible value-added aspect of a brand that creates desire for more.  With products such as Nike shoes or a McDonald’s hamburger, the brand begins with marketing and develops through consumer application and use. You feel a certain way about products you are loyal to.

But what about people — can we develop our own brand?  And if so, how do we develop a brand that will drive our own success?

Without question each of us has a personal brand that reflects who we are, what we stand for and what we have accomplished.  Just like with a company or product brand, personal brand is an extremely valuable asset that must be marketed and developed in order for it to become clearly defined in others’ minds.

What is your personal brand, and how others see you?  If you’re not sure – or you don’t like the answers — ask yourself three questions to help refine your thinking and clarify what your brand can be.

• What do I feel most passionate about personally and professionally?
• What have others said about me in the past?  Are there any consistent threads – positive or negative — in their remarks, compliments or comments? If there are negative remarks, what do I want to change about them?
• How do I want to be perceived by others?

Once you have begun to define your personal brand, you’ll want to grow and develop it over time.  Regardless of what brand you are striving to create, you can start today to put a few fundamentals into place that will help bring your personal brand to life now and for years to come.

• Dress appropriately and professionally.
• Be truthful and forthcoming – avoid politics and posturing as much as possible.
• Be reliable — follow through on whatever you agree to do.
• Be punctual – don’t keep others waiting unnecessarily.
• Give credit where credit is due – never overlook an opportunity to encourage and support others who deserve it.
• Express gratitude – thank others who have helped you, not only by saying something to them, but by sending a hand-written or emailed thank-you note.

These simple things can help you build a personal brand you can be proud of as well as one that can drive your own success as well.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 7:13 am and is filed under Updates from the agency. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.