What is your Personal Brand at Work?

We all have a brand image. What does yours say about you? Put simply, a brand is more than just a name, it is what people associate with a company, organisation, product or person. A personal brand is no different, it is about what others would say if they had to describe you.

Think of a brand. Any brand. Now think of a few more. What did you come up with? Was it Nike and the little tick? Or maybe it was Google? These are examples of well known and recognisable brands. There is now a new top brand in town, you! Regardless of what your job is, you can create an individual brand for yourself.

If you take your job seriously and want to excel, it is time to stop and think about the brand you are creating for yourself on a more conscious level. Your personal brand at work is about your qualities, skills, vision and personality. You need to promote and market that brand if you want to get noticed. It is your reputation taken one step further. It is about identifying what differentiates you and makes you stand out from your colleagues. It can establish you as an expert in your field, increase confidence and exposure which will all help you advance in your career.

5 Ways to build your brand at work

1. Values
Your personal brand is a collection of everything you value. For example, if it is knowledge, it is about how you acquire and share it. Think about what you really value in the work place. Make a list. Break it down to your 3 top values. Make sure they really do mean something to you as they will be what you stand for.

2. Uniqueness
Ask yourself, what makes you stand out? How are you different as an individual? What makes you unique? Just like a product has a Unique Selling Point you do too. Incorporate your own USP into your brand.

3. Pitch
Develop and perfect your elevator pitch. This will be a short and succinct description of who you are, what you do and how you’re different. Keep practicing it until it no longer sounds rehearsed when you say it.

4. Perception
Your brand is about how you are perceived. You may already have been branded as the loud mouth or the quiet one. Regardless, you can determine your own brand. Decide what you want to be known for and take action to achieve it. Say you want to be known as the best public speaker, make sure you create and take on every opportunity to address an audience.

5. Marketing
Every business and product needs to have a marketing plan and you are no exception. Bring together all the elements from the previous points and write it down in one sentence that grabs your emotions (your mission statement). It needs to be unique and memorable. It also needs to get your clients to focus on you. For example, John Smith closes deals. Set yourself targets and goals and go advertise your brand.

Some brand names such as Sellotape, Hoover and Tipp-Ex become known as products. When someone says your name, what unique brand do you want to create for yourself? What do you want to be known for at work?

I am no marketing expert, so if you are, I would very much like to hear your thoughts and comments on what constitutes a brand.

Next time, read about defining your personal brand outside of work.

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Written by Ana Antunes da Silva.

Resources:

Brands that became Products.

Top 100 Global Brands in 2010.

Image by Flickr user Roo Reynolds.