Brands and Minds

What’s Next?

After striking out again, you’ve decided to stop interviewing for positions and create your opportunity yourself. By attending networking events around the city and interacting with industry professionals, you’ve learned that although networking was intimidating, it was an essential experience. It challenged you to speak up, meet new people, and engage them in spirited conversation about your marketing journey, professional and personal goals. Your confidence received a much-needed boost which helped you look past your doubts and insecurities to consider new paths and possibilities that await you in the years ahead. As the semester winds down, you realize your professional image still needs work. If you’re wondering what to do next, maybe it’s time to start working on your brand.

What’s a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is cultivated in the minds of the people you are trying to reach according to personalbrand.com. In other words, it’s what other people think of you. It could be communicated on social media platforms like LinkedIn through endorsements from colleagues who appreciate your work ethic, dedication, and willingness to learn. These endorsements recognizing your knowledge, experience, ingenuity, or leadership help perpetuate and validate the qualifications and skills that make up your personal brand. If you’re wondering what the difference between a personal brand and personal branding is, we’ll cover that next.

Personal Branding

Reputation X defines personal branding as a method to establish yourself as a leader and authority in your space. In other words, it’s everything you do to communicate your value and talents to the world. Since you’re just starting, one approach to start developing your personal branding could be a professional stationary package. You could include a business card, letterhead, and mailing labels all adorned with your logo and contact information.

Personal Branding Statement

According to stevenjwilson.com, a personal branding statement states what you do, who your work targets and how you do it. The article goes on to say that a personal branding statement is a slogan or tagline that describes who you are and what you do. Carol Tice’s personal branding statement is “Practical help for freelance writers.” Her website makealivingwriting.com mentions that her target audience is freelance writers. Carol Tice’s objective is not only to help freelance writers earn money but to make a living doing what they love.

A Word to the Wise

Since your personal brand is what other people think of you, it’s essential to consider how you portray yourself personally, professionally, and on social media. According to the Harvard Business Review, your personal brand is about visibility and the values you represent. Personal branding is everything you do to communicate your talents to the world. If you’re pursuing copywriting, try combining your creativity with typography and creating something that visually expresses what you do to your audience. The personal branding statement is like a tagline that communicates what you do and what makes you unique. Whether you’re thinking about your personal brand, branding or statement, here’s a word to the wise from Leo Burnett, “Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.”