What is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the strategic marketing of oneself to their target audience in terms of what makes them different and ultimately more desirable than their competition.

 What is Brandspiration?

BrandspirationTM is the “a-ha” moments my clients experience from my personal branding and creative marketing advice that I deliver in relatable concepts from music and all things pop culture.

 What are the benefits of personal branding?

A successful personal brand will bring you a number of benefits, including:

  •  Clarity – You will gain a clear understanding of who you are and what you stand for by developing your vision, purpose, values, passions, brand attributes, and strengths.
  • Confidence – Personal branding is about being authentically you – and being proud of it! For young achievers, this also means successfully getting around the question “how old are you?” in a self-assured manner, and often times not even being asked that at all.
  • Visibility & Marketplace Presence – By consistently promoting your brand, you will become known as an expert and/or thought leader in your industry.
  • Premium Compensation – Clients pay top dollar for a branded professional.
  • Ideal Clients – Personal branding focuses on promoting your specialization and unique promise of value to your target audience, this means ideal clients will be seeking you out.
  • Achievement of Goals – Personal branding creates a clear focus for achieving your objectives and a compass for determining which additional opportunities you wish to pursue in order to achieve your ultimate goals.

 Who needs personal branding?

Personal Branding is for anyone that is looking to achieve business and/or career success. It has been effectively used by professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and job seekers alike. A few well-known personal brands include Oprah Winfrey (The “Live Your Best Life” Brand), Richard Branson (The “Rebel CEO” Brand), and Gwen Stefani (The “Fashionable Pop-Star” Brand).

 Why does Generation-X need personal branding?

I specialize in working with Gen-X  creative entrepreneurs and professionals because I understand their unique situation as a member of generation-x myself. Babyboomers are retiring at a later age, leaving fewer upper management and executive positions available. Millennials have a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit with seemingly less risk and a keen understanding of using social media and the internet to fuel their businesses. If Generation-X wants to play in the new Web 2.0 business climate while still maintaining stability through a consistent flow of clientele or climbing the corporate ladder, they must learn to define and position their personal brand.

 What is the personal branding process?

As a Reach Certified Brand Strategist, I use the 1-2-3 Success! methodology developed by William Arruda, a pioneer in the personal branding movement. It is a comprehensive, three-step process focusing on discovering, communicating, and nurturing your personal brand. I also mix in my own philosophies, personal stories, and other concepts that I’ve come across from my love of music and pop culture.

Isn’t personal branding just a fad?

Not at all! The term personal branding was coined in the 1997 Fast Company article “The Brand Called You” by Tom Peters. He explained a revolutionary new way to manage our careers by first managing and marketing ourselves as if we were companies such as Nike or Coke, in turn, becoming “Me, Inc.”. However, personal branding has always been since the first product or service has ever been sold. That is because when all is said and done, we buy from people – and we prefer to buy from people we know and trust. In fact, we all have personal brands whether we are being deliberate about promoting it or not – it is the way that you are perceived in the minds of those around you.

 I’m on a budget, can you still help me?

Absolutely. Check out the my new educational website ClubBrandspiration.com for a cost-effective way to develop your personal brand through monthly e-seminars provided by top industry experts in public relations, marketing, social media, content creation, image consulting, sales, and more. It is available for only $27 a month and each audio lesson comes with a BrandspirationTM worksheet so you can immediately start applying what you learn to yourself.