Kraft, Apple, IBM and Nike are all name brands that bring a cerebral and emotional reactions recalling upon your experiences with these products. Each spends millions of dollars in advertising annually to promote their brands as they want you to perceive them. Their aim is that when you go to make a purchase, you recognize them and buy their products instead of the competition. They are easily recognizable, and you can likely describe these brands.
Branding 101
Write down 5-10 words to describe the brands of these companies. Then, write down 5-10 words to describe your own brand. Put them aside for now – we’ll return later.
Our personal brand is how we and others perceive us, which is critical as perception is reality. What words would they use to describe you? Would they hesitate and struggle to find the words or would they easily and freely talk about you? Whether we like it or not, our personal brand affects our relationships, job opportunities, promotions, seating at a restaurant, and much more. There are some parts of our brand with which we have little control over, like our family, where we grew up, our height, and our “natural” gifts. How others perceive this part of our brand is often dictated by how we perceive ourselves, value who we are, and present that security or insecurity to the public.
Yet, there is a great deal of our brand that we can control and can change it. When I was in high school, I failed tenth grade because – well, let’s just say that my friends and I had a great deal of “fun” that year. When I told my mother I was going to fail, she said plainly, “I hope you will do better next year.” In other words, she put the responsibility on me to change. I needed to change my brand and wanted to take the steps necessary to accomplish it. I followed through with making changes to my peer group, where I hung out, my basic values and principles, my short and long term goals, and how I was going to make a difference in this world. For guidance, I looked for key mentors and positive influences. Wherever we are in our journey, we can wake up one morning and say, “Today I am going to develop a new and better brand.”
The first step is to discover where you want to be in a year or two and why. Look honestly at your strengths, uniqueness, and weaknesses. Will they help you achieve your goals? How can you build a strategy around your brand to make a difference? How can you use this “focused energy” to influence and help others? What weaknesses can you change now and which can you change in the near future to get to your goal? Focus on your work ethic, attitude, and punctuality. Make an effort towards being the solution instead of the barrier. Accept challenges and take calculated risks. Think first about how can you help others rather than how can others help you. Once you decide to make this change, stick to it and become a hero to yourself by not letting “you” down. There will be little need to scream to the world that you are changing or improving your brand because, if successful, others will see it as your change has a positive effect on them!
The second step is to evaluate the first impression you are projecting. When someone meets you for the first time, what does your appearance communicate about you? Think about the perception you want to project and ask yourself if there is room for changes in how you dress, look or communicate. It is a fact that first impressions matter, so take control of what you are projecting. Think about your goal for where you want to be in a year or two and start dressing and acting like that today. Take this opportunity to stand out in a positive way. There is a good article in the August 5, 2012, New York
Times Style section titled “Techies Break a Fashion Taboo” about successful women unafraid to dress well. When you walk into a room others should notice the change, and that is a good thing.
Now look back at the words you used to describe yourself and the companies listed and evaluate. Notice how they have successfully branded themselves. That is your goal, too. Look at your list and see where you intersect. What traits do you like? Which characteristics would you change? Which skills would you improve upon? Are you better than your competition and do you stand out from them? Is your personal brand good enough to get you to where you want to go? Our brand should be constantly evolving depending on feedback as we mature through our journeys. To make a positive difference in this world, we often need to be different in a positive way. Can you honestly say you are?
Arnie Thomas is President & CEO of A Thomas Group LLC. He mentors, consults on client services, relationship management, leadership development, strategic consulting, and professional speaking. For more information or to set up a consultation, please email him at athomasgroup@gmail.com .
Enjoy Arnie’s Branding 101, check out other great articles!
The post Branding 101 appeared first on Cloture Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment