A Personal Approach to Branding

Personal Branding. The term has been around since 1997 and first appeared in an article by management guru and author Tom Peters, who wrote, "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."

Personal branding is the process through which individuals differentiate themselves by marketing themselves and their careers as brands. People need to learn how to package themselves. They have to make themselves stand out and be noticed by identifying their unique attributes and learn how to position themselves in order to leverage those attributes in a consistent way across different platforms.

Personal branding is all about you and your attributes and skills. However for others to know about it you need a good Curriculum Vitae. The clearer your message is the easier it will be to communicate to others why they should pay attention. Your CV should not only showcase your unique blend of expertise and experience and communicate the qualities and values you want to be known for, but also how a company can benefit from them. (To read more about how a CV should look and to view wonderful examples click here).

Social media is a great tool to use for personal branding. It is a cheap, easy way to get exposure. However people need to be careful of what they put online. If your employer googled you, what would they find? Social media can either help your personal brand or break it down. Therefore it is important to manage your online presence. For helpful tips on how to manage your online presence read this article by Sam Richter, an internationally recognized expert on sales, marketing, and leadership.

Personal branding is becoming more and more important and if used correctly be a powerful tool to achieve your goals. Read more about Personal branding by following this link to an interview done by the leading personal branding expert for the Gen Y, Dan Schawbel. He is also the author of "Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success".