I’ve previously talked about the importance of developing a strong personal brand. The natural next question is ‘how to develop a strong personal brand’?
Let’s quickly recap, your personal brand is basically your reputation and what people say about you. Before you can strengthen your personal brand you need to have an awareness of what your personal brand actually stands for. As a small business owner, it is relatively easy to identify your personal brand – i.e. your personal brand is your business’s brand. For example my business brand is all about helping individuals and organisations become more efficient – but I am strengthening my expert status in how to network more efficiently.
But, what happens if you are ‘employed’ within a corporate business or private practice? How do you develop your own personal brand? I think if you work in practice you can easily develop a brand for a particularly specialism and type of client you work with. In the same way, when you work in a corporate environment, you need to work out what you want to be known for. It may not surprise you that when I worked for my previous employers I was known for my extensive network around the firm…
Here are some thoughts on how to strengthen your personal brand:
1.) Start a blog based around your personal brand
2.) Comment on blogs which are focused on your personal brand
3.) Set up a google alert for keywords of interest to you, so you can read & comment on subjects of interest to you
4.) Volunteer to deliver presentations both in-house and externally
5.) Volunteer to be a guest speaker at networking groups and conferences
6.) Participate in on-line forums and answer questions based around your specialism
7.) Ask people how they view you & what they think you are good (or bad at)
8.) Write articles for in-house publications, external magazines (print and on-line), newsletters, guest blogs
9.) Tweet about your area of specialism
10.) Circulate articles (linked to your personal brand) to your network
11.) Start a linked in group which enables you to showcase your expertise
12.) Answer linked in questions which showcase your subject of interest
13.) Record youtube videos on subjects based around your personal brand
14.) Start a special interest group within your professional association
15.) Do what you say you are going to do
16.) Submit articles to ezines.com and other on-line article sites
17.) Write an e-book or book
18.) Include links on your e-mail and forum signatures to your on-line articles and blogs
19.) Have business cards or mini moo cards printed up with links to your on-line presence
20.) Includes presentations, videos, pdfs on your LinkedIn profile
21.) Start writing a column for an internal or external print or an on-line magazine
22.) Run training sessions and workshops on topics connected to your personal brand
23.) Be authentic and true to your values and passions
24.) Opt for assignments and work which will showcase your strengths
25.) Volunteer for high profile assignments
26.) Find a mentor who is seen to be strong in the area which you want to become famous for
27.) Interview well known experts in your field for your blog
28.) Register the domain name for your personal name, and use it as your on-line CV
29.) Get on an assignment which is being lead by a known expert within your firm
30.) Ask for testimonials and endorsements from experts within your field
31.) Ask for 360 feedback from influential partners within your firm
32.) Spend time helping more junior members in the firm build their career
33.) Offer to become a mentor
34.) Look the part
35.) Be confident in what you can offer others
Heather Townsend is the driving force behind The Efficiency Coach and a co-founder of 'the executive village'
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