11 Oct #FireMeUp11: What Is Personal Brand? 3 Elements to FIRE Yours UP!

The following is the first post in a series focused on “Personal Branding To Build A Life and Business That Fires You Up“ to help you understand, build and leverage an authentic personal brand.

Let’s be real.  For most people, some of the biggest challenges with “personal brand” are simply understanding what it is… why they need it… and how they build one.

According to Wikipedia: Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. Personal branding also involves creating an asset by defining an individual’s body, clothing, physical appearance and areas of knowledge in a way leading to a uniquely distinguishable, and ideally memorable, impression. 

In a nutshell:  “Personal Brand” is everything about YOU.

Personal brand = a specific image or impression in the mind of others about YOU. A combo of self-expression and self-promotion.  In a nutshell, it is what people say about you when you are not in the room.  Those words they use to describe you, the things that remind them of you… topics that trigger YOU in their mind… these are elements of your “personal brand”… elements of YOU.

So, you HAVE one and NEED to nurture it.  Having a strong, recognizable personal brand is certainly a powerful tool for success – in life and business. When you decide to market your professional services or ideas, as an entrepreneur or solopreneur, you are effectively marketing yourself and having people buy into you. A strong personal brand will attract people and opportunities to you like a magnet.

The “defining your personal brand” journey is going to be a process filled with focusing in on what you are passionate about, defining a niche, and consistently adding value to others.  (Just because it is “personal” brand doesn’t mean it is all about you.)  You have heard me say it many times–> It’s not about you fighting the competition; it’s about you being the GO TO resource for your customer’s problems.

What are you doing to inspire others to read and listen to your messages or use your products/services?

How do you convince them that you are right for a project?

Life (and therefore business) is all about building successful relationships with colleagues; past, current, and future clients, and team members… actually, anyone in your sphere of influence.

In this post, I will cover three areas/elements for you start with and focus on to nurture your personal brand and influence:

1) Ignite Your Passion 
Lighting a fire in your soul before sparking one in others is an epic key to success. If you don’t possess and embrace genuine passion for your work or life, you will never fully convince people to partner with you or join your movement.  This is not just a passion for what you do for a living, but defining and infusing what you do for FUN into your life.  If you have forgotten what you like to do for fun, start with writing a list of 5 things you do that you get lost in and make you smile.  Think: baking or cooking, walking your dog, writing, wine tasting, traveling… the sky is the limit here!  Only caveat is that you must actually love to DO these things, not just dream about doing them – that’s your bucket list.

#MoxieMemo:  It is easier to connect with happy, positive, passionate people we share things in common with, so don’t worry about alienating people – focus on connecting with those who matter.

2) Define a Clear Vision and Solid Values 
When you deliver a consistent, specific and memorable vision, as well as live by your defined values, people will be able to see and believe it. Passion and enthusiasm may open the door, however a clear vision and defined values will fascinate your audience and inspire them to build a relationship and partnership with you. Solid values attract clients who share the same mindset as you do… and vision creates clarity.  

When was the last time you went through a core values exercise?  Feel free to sign up for my email list for a free d11 Core Values Exercise that will walk you through the process and get you rolling!

#MoxieMemo:  Effective “visions” should be summarized in a single line, be meaningful, and always memorable.

3) Share Your Story 
A strong personal brand weaves and tells a powerful, memorable, and believable story. Stories inspire. When you are able to INSPIRE your audience you are, in essence, “selling yourself”.  You create a connection to your vision, values, and passion by LIVING your brand “story”.  Remember, when you share the “details and chapters”, make sure they are interesting and/or entertaining.  Consider sharing photos from an exciting community project you managed, NOT about writing the reports or contracts you built to secure the project.  

#MoxieMemo: Keeping it authentic and interesting makes it easier for clients to delight in the experience, remember key points, and spark action – like picking up the phone to hire you!

Have fun starting with these first three elements… and don’t miss the other posts in the #personalbrand series!

Fingerprint Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley – Flickr
Personal Brand Photo Credit: Shutterstock