Creating Your Personal Professional Brand

al brand is more than posting flashy photos, using feel good fonts and displaying captivating colors on your Instagram account. It’s knowing who you are, what you offer and then deciding how you will promote your unique professional identity in the workplace...or wherever you are.

In a Smart Business article, Jenna Drenten, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, Department of Management, Marketing and Logistics, Boler School of Business, John Carroll University, said this:

“We choose one product over another because it offers something special. The same is true for today’s professionals. In today’s competitive marketplace, business professionals must perfect the art of what I call personal branding — developing a unique personal brand and actively promoting that brand to others. Personal branding is not only beneficial for your own career, it also benefits your company’s brand image.”

Think about the last time you walked down the cereal aisle in your favorite grocery store. There may have been more than 50 brands from which to choose, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, Lucky Charms, there are the “healthier” options such as One Degree Sprouted Brown Rice Cacao Crisps, Nature’s Path Smart Bran and their Flax Plus Raisin Bran, Kashi Go Rise, Alpen Muesli, and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Muesli. The options seem endless and almost impossible to decide!

You were looking for a certain cereal for a reason. Is it because of its taste, sugar content (or lack thereof), enticing commercials, price, or the fact that it’s been your favorite since you were a child?

Regardless of why you chose it, cereal manufacturers know that they have a lot of competition, and they have to convince cereal lovers to pick theirs over the others.

It’s the same with you. How are you distinguishing yourself from other professionals in your company or field…other barbers, accountants, website designers, chefs, or photographers?

Do you have a personal brand statement? If you’re not sure what that is, it’s a statement that tells people who you are. Better yet, it’s how you move in the professional world without having to say a word.

Your statement should be one sentence, easy for a child to understand, and easy for you to memorize. Make sure that it includes a problem you can solve for your employer or potential client.

When creating your statement, think about your brand attributes. For example, my brand attributes are: Entrepreneurial, visionary, self-assured, likeable, health-focused, trustworthy, leader, self-motivated, supportive, ambitious.

From these attributes, I created the following statement:

“I creatively use my passion for writing and inspiring to speak directly to my client’s audiences, helping to make them more visible.”

Note that there can be more than one statement generated out of those 10 words. These words can change as you grow, develop, and continue to be your best self.

If you’re working in an organization, think of how you can craft your statement to speak to the goals and objectives you are responsible to deliver for your company.

The objective is to position yourself as unique in the market. Whether that marketplace is a company for which you work, or your own business, you must distinguish yourself from other professionals in your field.

If you were a box of cereal, how would you stand out from the rest?

That’s your unique, personal, professional brand.