What the heck is a personal brand and why in the world should I care?

[lluckmankelber]

There are many great brands, but one thing that’s common to them all is that you understand exactly what to expect from them. You know you can reliably order the same skinny latte from any Starbucks in the world, that Patagonia’s products will help you conquer the outdoors, and Apple provides reliable, easy-to-use technology.

What’s your brand?

What does everyone know about you? When they hear your name, do they think, “She’s insightful—I need her opinion on this project,” or “Hmm—I’m not sure what she does”?

Cultivating a consistent personal brand will help ensure the former reflection from your colleagues and professional acquaintances.

Standing out in a daily storm of messages

Each day, the average adult makes 35,000 decisions and is hit with 4,000 to 10,000 ads. These are in addition to the barrage of emails, text messages, IMs and hallway conversations we each have in a typical day.

Creating a compelling personal brand with consistent reinforcement from your behaviors and communication can help you stand out and offer your business colleagues and professional acquaintances an easy way to remember you the next time that cool project, new position or promotion are top of mind.

The right brand opens career doors

This is critical when you realize that networking and advocating for yourself are important components to garnering that next promotion or opportunity in your organization. And that’s important when you recognize most people will have 12 to 15 jobs in their lifetimes.

So how do I get one of these personal brands, you ask.

Creating a personal brand takes a bit of soul searching to determine who you are, what makes you different and what you want to accomplish. You need to define your unique attributes and resolve to live by them.

Build your brand via the Flexera Community

One of the ways you can reinforce your personal brand is by becoming a regular contributor to the Flexera Community. Your colleagues and professional peers will start to recognize and count on your guidance. Regular contributions offer a concrete way of showing your unique perspective. They can also help you network with like-minded individuals.

In addition to contributing to the Flexera Community, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and highlights the unique attributes you offer. Develop a three-second introductory statement and have it ready for when you go to professional events or trade shows. Think critically about the words you choose and make sure you don’t rely on over-used buzzwords. Make sure your introductory statement uniquely defines you. When engaging new people or existing connections, be consistent with your behavior and language in order to create the expectation you want to illustrate who you are.

Get started today

Now that you understand how becoming a contributor to the Flexera Community can help you share your expertise and unique perspective, I urge you to take full advantage of the opportunity to build your brand and advance personally and professionally.