Personal branding is the hot topic of the moment, like it or not. Having your own clear brand is crucial if you are to succeed in a senior marketing role, as it demonstrates your ability to create and sustain an effective brand.

But how do you brand yourself?

Understanding the concept

Before you start, you need to have a clear understanding of the concept of successful branding. Think about some major success stories – take Virgin, Apple, and Nike for example. Each has a relatively small selection of concepts and meanings that their target fanbase buys into. For instance, Apple “says” easy on the eye, cutting-edge consumer technology, accompanied by its immediately recognisable Apple logo.

Approach your own personal brand in the same way; create a set of personal concepts that are strong, positive, and consistent.

Have a sense of purpose

You need a clear, personal vision. What do you hope to achieve and why is it of such importance to you? Don’t allow this personal vision to restrict your long-term goals; it should instead help to give you a clear focus on the shorter term achievements you want to make.

Look at your history and your future aspirations

Most people have conflicting and often varied career and business histories. This need not be a problem, as long as you can combine all this experience into a coherent story. Consider all those experiences and ask yourself how they helped you to mature in business, how you’ve changed and grown, and how your vision is now much clearer. Great personal branding is all about the story of your life and how you tell it. 

Be clear about your ‘brand positioning’

Brand positioning simply refers to what you mean to your audience relative to other brands. Where would you like to be? Your brand must be unique and distinguishing. It should be something to set you apart from all the rest.

Tell a great story

To make your brand truly memorable you really need to capture the attention of your audience; excite them, inspire them, and build confidence and trust in you and your own brand.

For more information on how to create a brand to land that next marketing job, contact the Creative Mettle team today.