Think you don’t have a personal brand? Think again. This week, Shama discusses three key steps to taking charge of your personal brand. Scroll down for a transcript!
Hey Zen Nation, Shama here. In this episode we talk about branding.
Do you ever think about yourself as a brand? Well news flash, whether you think of yourself as a brand or not, you are one. We all have a brand, whether you like it or not. In fact, AVG did a study a few years ago and found that 92% of kids under the age of two have some sort of digital footprint already. What does that mean?
A digital footprint simply means I can find information about you – a “footprint” – and here’s the kicker. You don’t have to actually have contributed to having a footprint. It might be friends who put up pictures, or family members. Now there’s a whole trend of parents putting up sonogram pictures, so a child has a footprint even before they are born. Interesting times we’re living in!
Now that we all have a brand by default, the only question that we get to answer is: do we want to cultivate that brand, do we want to help curate it? Or do we want it curated for us? Why does it matter? Because perception matters. Because employers are looking at it, because potential graduate advisors are looking at it, because your potential dates are looking at it. Let’s face it: what we see online makes a big difference, so why not put your best foot forward?
What does it take to have a good personal brand? What does that mean? Well there are three factors to having a great personal brand. One: It has to be authentic! What does that mean? It has to be real! It has to be you! If you enjoy certain things, if you are a tattoo artist who really loves creativity and even enjoys a little profanity now and then, it has to be authentic to you. Your personal brand has to be reflective of you. Don’t try to be like someone else. You are not trying to take away all the color and be a black-and-white version of a human being without any personality. It is just about putting your personal best foot forward.
The second is a good personal brand has to convey value. It isn’t just about what you want people to see, it is what you bringing to the table. Every Tweet and every Facebook status, how does it make the world a better place? How are you adding value through what you will do, what you want your brand to be perceived as?
Number three: your brand should tell a story, the story of you. A good brand is very narrative. Where did you come from? What are your passions? Where do you wish to go? Sharing this narrative online help you get closer to your goals. For more specific ways check out our video on “Seven Ways to Build an Awesome Brand.” Be sure to subscribe so you can keep in touch with all our awesome content. Until then, market like a Zen Master.
