I’ve been reading a lot lately about branding. What I’ve learned is branding is really about creating an identity. It’s about creating an image. A brand sets a corporation apart and let’s others know what it’s known for or what it has to offer.
Most folks buy their clothes or their coffee based on a brand. They buy them because they believe in their quality; buy them because they’ve tried their products and value the experience of dealing with them.
What about you? Do you have a brand? Are you known for something of value? If so, what would it be? Do people buy you, or not buy you, because of who you are and because of what value you offer? The fact is, you are a brand, whether you like it or not. When people see you coming, they see a brand. Branding for You Inc. is just as important as it is for Nike or Starbucks or Nordstrom.
The good news is: everyone has a chance to stand out. We do have the ability to control our brand in the marketplace. It doesn’t matter what our title is or what position we hold in a company; what really matters is what value we bring to the organization. Our brand is much more important than the box we fill on an org chart.
So, what makes you different? What makes you stand out? Start thinking of yourself differently. Don’t think of yourself as an employee of XYZ Corporation; think of yourself as CEO of You, Inc. Start thinking of you as a business.
What is it you do that makes you stand out? What would your colleagues or coworkers say make you different from others they work with? Why do people want to work with you? Why would someone want to hire you? Here you go, what do you want to be famous for? What do you want to be remembered for?
Take some time right now to answer the questions I just posed. Then take a little more time to write out – in fifteen words or less – a brand statement of who you are and what value you provide to the marketplace or the organization you work for.
After branding comes marketing. Once you’ve identified your brand, you’ll need to start marketing yourself to those you want to do business with. Here’s the reality, though. Because you are your brand – you’re always marketing. Everything you do, or don’t do, validates your brand – and I do mean everything. The way you interact with people, the way you answer the phone, the emails you send, every post you make on Facebook, communicates your brand and markets You, Inc.
For all organizations, including yours, branding is about influence. Your brand is about the influence you’re having on those you’re living or working with. Your brand is about the contributions you’re making in the workplace, and the value you bring to relationships.
The fact is, like it or not, you are your own corporation, and you are your brand. You’re both the CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of You, Inc. How you’re positioned in the marketplace, and how often your product or services are “bought,” will be directly related to the perceived value you bring to that marketplace.
You have complete control. How your brand is perceived will largely be based on the type of influence you have on people. A positive influence produces raving fans, a negative influence, well, not so much.
Start today to make sure You, Inc. has both the influence and the value in the marketplace that makes you a “top of mind” when people are looking for someone they can’t wait to work with.
