Personal brand – is it an outdated idea?

The term personal brand has been around for several decades. I have to admit it’s not personally one I like but the idea behind it is still extremely important and frequently individuals don’t make enough time to consider theirs. This is particularly the case in the financial and professional services industries where knowledge and technical expertise are frequently the sole focus. However, clients, introducers and colleagues deal with people so it’s important to consider what you are known for. How do you stand out versus others?  

It’s about what you are known for and making sure that you are positively memorable. Staying top of mind is also important which will involve a contact strategy,

So what is a personal brand?

Essentially, a it is all about what people remember about you and what they associate with you, both when they meet you for the first time and on-going.

Why does it matter?

We all meet so many people, differentiation and being remembered is increasingly difficult in professional life.

If you work for a large firm for example, there will be people you work with every day and they can’t help but remember you. However, what about those  colleagues who you encounter less frequently but who are in fact important to know and be known by? Perhaps as you have similar clients and there are cross-selling opportunities. It is the combination of a strong personal brand and people experiencing that brand on a regular basis that will facilitate both business development and career opportunities.

Think about goods and services that you see adverts for, you are more likely to purchase a product that has had a positive impact on you from what you have seen or experienced and that you are reminded about at a time when you need it. Likewise people are more likely to think of you at a relevant moment e.g. when a prospective client needs support with a dispute or inherits some money and needs advice, if you are positively memorable.

You may have read my previous blog about PIE theory. In brief, this theory says that to maximise career success, performance counts for 10%, image 30% and exposure 60%. This theory is mainly used to think about your relationships internally for career progression. However, I believe this can be extrapolated, if prospective clients and introducers don’t know you and don’t remember you, this won’t lead to more business development opportunities.

Personal brand of course fits within the image element primarily – when people think of you what do they think about you? Therefore you need to have a strong and clear personal brand and then make sure you get yourself known in a work context (exposure).

Top 5 things to remember about a personal brand

1. It needs to be consistent – people need to know what to expect of you when they encounter you each time. There are two time elements to consider – the first time they meet you and ongoing. Read more about this.

2. It needs to be authentic to who you are. If you are trying to be someone you are not this is going to come across oddly and will drain your energy. Think about your personal brand as being the best version of you that you can be.

3. You need to think about where people will encounter you and your personal brand at those ‘touchpoints’. Face-to-face in meetings is obvious, but what about when communicating virtually, on your LinkedIn profile or at external networking events? What else is on the internet about you that could affect your personal brand?

4. Small moments matter too. People often only think about how they really come across in the big presentation or the important meeting. However, everyday meetings and emails, both internally and externally, have an enormous impact.

5. Your personal brand will be demonstrated through your behaviours and actions, utilising the core ‘tools’ of your appearance, body language and voice. Thinking about how you use these ‘tools’ to communicate and reinforce your personal brand is essential.

Read more about getting started on defining your personal brand.

“I immensely enjoyed the sessions, and would thoroughly recommend Joanna if anyone would like to develop or improve on building key relationships or on personal brand and impact.”

If you would like to work on your personal brand to build a better market profile and communicate yourself more strongly and consistently to gain the clients you want and the results you need, then contact me for a discovery call.