To stand out from the crowd you need to create our own brand. If you don't, certainly others will do it for you which is risky. Here are some tips for developing, packaging and communicating your unique brand 'you'.

Branding is big business for companies and organisations, and we all understand the importance of brands. Today, in the age of the individual, we need to create our own brand.  We need to learn, improve, and build our skills so that we have the chance to stand out. The good news is we all have the opportunity to be a brand worthy of remark.

And if we don't brand ourselves, we can rest assured that others will brand us which can be risky. If we don’t make our intentions clear, others may interpret us incorrectly and this could have a detrimental effect on our reputation, our image and the ideas that other people have about us.

Taking control of our own personal branding enables us to:

• Differentiate ourselves from others in similar fields
• Position ourselves clearly in the minds of others
• Focus our message and our mission in this world
• Project credibility
• Inspire confidence
• Develop loyalty
• Make positive connections
• Build meaningful relationships

What makes ‘you’ special?

The main outcome of personal branding should be a clear understanding of who we are and what we want to be known for.  It is not enough to be known for what we do in this highly competitive world - we must be known for what we do differently.  We need people to believe that we are the best solution to their problem.  To do this we need to think of new ways to describe ourselves and what we do.

Forget job titles and ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value?

Forget job descriptions and ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of?

Forget about the standard rungs of progression and ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about?

What do ‘you’ want to be famous for?

If you're going to be a brand, you've got to be relentlessly focused and ask yourself:

• How can I add value?
• What am I really good at?
• What special knowledge and skills do I have?
• What am I passionate about?
• What have I experienced?
• What makes me proud?
• What can I take full credit for?

There are many ways we can stand out from the crowd including:

• Always being dependable, supportive and reliable
• Always looking smart, clean and well presented
• Always turning up on time and being the last to leave
• Offering to help out and make a contribution
• Being well prepared and making things look easy through practice
• Anticipating and solving problems before they become a crisis
• Finding creative ways to save money or reduce waste
• Coming up with innovative ideas and making them work in practice
• Completing projects on time and within budget
• Making contact with people and keeping in touch
• Promoting others and referring people to each other

Essential elements of creating a powerful and attractive brand include:

• Working well with other people and being a great team player
• Being an exceptional expert with passion for what we do
• Having a vision and mission that will inspire others
• Being a business person focused on achieving desired outcomes

Brand ‘you’ strategy

Developing brand ‘you’

The three pillars of a good brand are authenticity, consistency and clarity. Formulating brand ‘you’ is very important as it will serve as the basis for everything that connects people to ‘you’ both logically and emotionally. Image is important and should reflect your core values.

Packaging brand ‘you’

Companies spend enormous amounts of money on the packaging of their goods and services. Like it or not, people judge products [and people] based in part on appearances. First impressions are vitally important. Things to consider when packaging brand ‘you’ include:

• Personal Name / Business Name
• Portrait Photograph / Business Logo
• Personal Bio / Business Profile
• Vision / Mission / Values
• Personal Style / Professional Image
• Pitch / Positioning / Presentation
• Business Card / Literature / Flyers
• Social Media Sites / Blog / Website

Communicating brand ‘you’

People have got to know about you and your great work. They have got to meet you and see you. If you want people to talk about the wonderful things you do, then you must give them the opportunity to experience you. To achieve this you need to:

• Develop a high profile presence on-line
• Attend networking meetings and seminars
• Connect with people and keep in touch
• Get involved with organisations and groups in your field
• Deliver talks and presentations
• Volunteer to be a guest speaker
• Write articles and case studies of your work
• Design a blog, write blog posts and comment on other blogs
• Post useful links and signpost people to information of interest
• Write reviews on books, products and services
• Promote local events and activities of interest
• Tell your unique story
• Make sure everything you do reflects brand ‘you’ favourably

Above all remember your number one aim is to make your mark and be remarkable!

Best of Walsall, 12 July 2010

To find out more about Sue Cartwright at Unisey Ltd, click here