What’s your personal brand?
You have a brand, whether you know it or not! Your personal brand is simply the version of yourself that you show to others. Your work, interests, beliefs, and values–these things, taken together, make up your personal brand.
Your personal brand affects your daily life and relationships; but when you present it, polished and shiny, to the Internet world, you exponentially increase its importance. Your personal brand becomes your Internet persona—your e-brand.
Your e-brand extends to every corner of the Internet, and it lasts forever. So don’t let your brand just ‘happen’. Every comment made about you on the Internet becomes part of your E-brand. Do you want to give other people the power to define who you are?
Define yourself instead. Carefully establish your brand by taking specific actions:
- First, decide who you are. What’s the good news? If you’re in business, you want to make money; beyond that, though, how do you want to change the world?
- Be able to communicate your brand. It doesn’t matter if you have a valuable product or promote a worthwhile cause; if no one ‘gets’ your message, you’re wasting your time. .
- Get a great logo. You want to capture attention and link your name with an image that hooks potential customers.
- Take charge of your Internet presence. You can’t control everything that’s said about you, but your quick and positive responses will help define who you are. Track your brand so you know what people are saying about you; then respond.
- Understand that social media advertising is different from the old model. You can’t buy an ad and then wait for results; you must form relationships. Provide informative and timely content. Promote dialog. Engage people in thought. If you can, offer samples or contests; or provide a forum for people who share a point of view.
- Know—and be able to clearly explain—what you have to offer. What problems does your product solve? Why are your services special?
Remember: if you have an Internet presence, you have an e-brand. These steps will enable you to purposefully construct an e-brand that will attract your target audience.
How do you construct your e-brand to best meet your goals? Help define your brand positively by sharing your best ideas about creating and maintaining a personal brand for the Internet.
