“You too are a brand. Whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not.” —Marc Eck¯ o, Founder and CEO, Marc Eck¯ o Enterprises Self-branding—also known as personal branding—has been around for almost two decades. It was first mentioned in a Fast Company article in the late 1990s. At the time, most people did not engage in creating their own personal brands. The ones who did were primarily in the high-tech world. Bill Gates is intrinsically linked with Microsoft, and Steve Jobs will always be associated with Apple. Today, more executives have embraced self-branding, from Sir Richard Branson and Virgin to Jessica Alba and the Honest Company.
• You need to define your objective: What do you want your brand to accomplish? Start the process once you answer that. • If you’re the chief executive and/or founder, you must create a self-brand that complements your company’s brand. Developing a self-brand that conflicts with that of your organization’s own positioning can lead to confusion and mixed messaging. That can cause more harm than good.
But not all of us are billionaire entrepreneurs. So what can self-branding do for those executives—whether they’re the head of a startup or a veteran business owner—who aren’t? In two words: a lot. Self-branding offers a multitude of benefits for the savvy user:
STEP 1: CONDUCT AN AUDIT
• It acts as an identifier as you develop or move your business to the next level • It provides you with a distinct advantage over your competition by highlighting your uniqueness • It assists in opening doors and generating revenue • It allows you to communicate who you are in a succinct, thoughtful, and cohesive manner Before we go any further, let’s make sure we are all on the same page as to what exactly self-branding is. At its most basic, it is who you are, what you do, want makes you unique. A self-brand that works is one that is nuanced and encompassing. The Wikipedia definition I have found calls self-branding “the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands…. It also involves creating an asset by defining an individual’s body, clothing, physical appearance and areas of knowledge in a way leading to a uniquely distinguishable, and ideally memorable, impression.” A self-brand is much needed in today’s highly competitive environment. According to a Forbes article in 2013, more than 500,000 small businesses are started—each month. Does this mean that half a million companies are going after your share of the pie? Absolutely not. But what it does mean is that the market is in hyperdrive. You have more competition than ever before going after your client base. Pre-2008, for many of us, business fell from the sky. After the Great Recession, the new normal is working harder to keep and get business and to protect and grow the bottom line. Hence, you need every tool to achieve that, and self-branding is the tool that can help you to get what I call your “unfair share” of business-building attention. Creating a self-brand isn’t hard, but it is time-consuming. The outcome will be worth the energy invested. Before you start to create your self-brand, there are a couple of items to note.
There are five steps in creating a brand:
An audit is a survey of your professional peers. You may be surprised by the difference between how you view yourself and how others see you. An audit will bring that difference to the forefront. This information is needed so that you can eliminate the gap between perception and reality. These are the questions traditionally asked about the audit process: What does an audit include? An audit is generally composed of seven to 10 questions. Any longer and people will hesitate to reply because it might take up more of their already tight time. What should I ask? The first question—“What do I do?”—is very basic, but you may be taken aback by the answers. This question will demonstrate how clearly you have been defining yourself—or not. Other questions to ask are: “What adjectives would you use to describe me?” “What value do I bring to the process?” and “What are my strengths?” The question that strikes the most fear in most executives’ hearts is this one: “What can I do better?” No one wants to hear what they are doing wrong. Regardless, you need to ask it. This is an exercise in constructive criticism, and the responses you receive will create a stronger self-brand. Who should I audit? Reach out to your professional network: business associates, industry colleagues, networking contacts, clients, and industry influencers whom you know and trust. Should I conduct the audit myself? No. It can be awkward. Respondents may hesitate to give their honest feedback and may be less than honest, though more flattering, in their answers. You may wish to outsource the audit or ask a colleague to conduct it on your behalf. Give respondents the option of doing the audit by phone or by email. This will encourage a greater rate of response. I prefer doing audits by phone because you get deeper answers through the conversation.
STEP 2: RESEARCH YOURSELF LinkedIn is a great analytical tool, especially in seeing how AMA QUARTERLY I WINTER 2015-16 I 27