A foundation of our personal brand is our unique difference.
We spend years working on our strengths, professional history, and goals.
The more we work the clearer our unique difference becomes.
Yet, we need to ensure others see that difference.
Understand why they should hire us, promote us, and put us on a project.
We need to make a shift to highlight our strengths.
I see three legs to our personal marketing stool.
Content, Connection, and Community.
Below is an overview to get you started in each area.
Content
Content is the information you share. This can be formal in the form of an industry paper, blog post, or social media post. However, the content can be informal through introductions and conversations. The key is consistency. Understanding the messages and ensuring they come through in our approach.
This is where we shift from watching and sitting on the sidelines to participating. A way to ease ourselves into sharing content is by liking, sharing, and commenting on the posts of others. These could be co-workers, industry leaders, or others that we follow online.
Slowly, we can move from other people’s content to a focus on our own. We can start to share news and trends we see in our industry. Tidbits about our company and products. Linking to industry papers. Writing short posts about things we are thinking about. The opportunities are endless. Just pick an area of interest and dive in.
Connections
Connections are the relationships you develop throughout your career. Once you understand your strengths, personal goals, and career vision, you can start to intentionally connect with individuals inside your company and in your industry to build a strong network. This network can support you through the ups and downs of your career. However, once you make a connection, you need to nurture it and not let it just be a number on LinkedIn.
Seek out people who are interested in the topics you are following. Find connections who work for companies you find interesting. Reach out to thought leaders in your industry. Connections can be found everywhere, just keep your eyes open.
Consider how you can add value for these connections. Many times, people are focused on what they want or need from a connection. Push against that. Start with giving. Once you are following or connected, stay in touch to build the relationship.
Community
The final element is community. These are the groups you join and events you attend. Community is important as they feed our content and connections. We meet people who become new connections. We hear about a project or finding in our industry that inspires some content of its own. Our communities can be found online and off. Like minded individuals or others that push our thinking in new directions.
There a so many professional groups out there. Online, in our local community, and within LinkedIn and other social platforms. Some communities are free to join, while others have a membership fee. Join the groups and register for the events that resonate with you.
Then, participate. Joining and registering isn’t enough. We need to engage to get the benefits. Others won’t get to know us and what we have to offer if we just lurk on the sidelines.
Your Turn
How are you using content, community, and connections to build your brand?
What one step will you take today to advance this work?
Where, outside of your company, do your professional connections come from?