Last time, I talked about why you should care about your personal brand, this time, I am going to teach you how to define your personal brand.
Remember these two questions?
- When people think about you, what are the three things that come to mind? For example, dancer, singer, loves Christmas.
- Are those the first three things you want them to think? If no, what 3 things would you prefer?
Do you have the answer to them yet?
If you don’t, that’s okay, we can figure it out together.
Learning how to define your personal brand is really learning how to listen to yourself and identify the parts of yourself that you have to amplify to attract the right people and get you where you want to go.
1. The first step on the journey to figuring out how to define your personal brand is to identify the things that make you truly happy — truly because this is really for you. It can be anything from plants and the outdoors to puzzles and haircare.
For me, the answer to this question is eating out, travelling, helping people figure their shit out, reading, minimalist luxury and money, lots of it.
Be very honest here. Don’t feel obligated to say children because you’re a mother or books because you’re a writer.
Just write down the biggest things that make you truly happy.
2. Write down the things that you are passionate about. Those things that you can spend hours reading or talking about.
I am passionate about strategy — brand, business, marketing, communications and personal strategy. If it is a plan for growth or improvement, it has my name on it.
I love to plan and I love to make things better.
I spend a lot of my time reading about lifestyle and the many elements that can positively impact or improve a person’s quality of life and then I spend time making lists.
Gender equality is another thing I strongly believe in, you do not want to get into an argument with me about feminism.
Your turn.
3. What are you good at? What are your biggest strengths? What do you actually know?
This is where impostor syndrome tries to beat you down and make you feel like you really don’t know anything, you’re not good enough, you’re a scam, you don’t know all you think you do, one day you will be found out, yadi yah.
First thing I need you to remember is, everybody has strengths.
Good gardening is a strength, being able to spot errors quickly in a body of text is a strength, being efficient at what you do is a strength.
Marie Kondo makes a living from teaching people how to tidy up, she has published books, released a TV show and she is famous around the world.
For. Knowing. How. To. Tidy. Up. 👏
There are certain things that you’re sure you know. These are those things that trigger you when you see somebody else doing them wrong but getting heaps of praise.
So, write them down.
4. What do you do?
If you’re a student, or still on your way to “doing” it, write down what it is you’re trying to do.
If it was a job position or a career, what would it be called? Be specific.
5. Where are you trying to go? What do you want to be known for and what do you want to be great at? When people hear your name, what are those things that you want them to associate with you?
What is the image and what are the words?
Write them down too.
How’s your list looking? 😉
6. Are there any people that you look up to or want to be like? What is it about them that you like? Are there things about them that you would like to emulate?
If there are, add them to the list.
Now look at the answers to all of these and try to narrow it down.
For example, things like feminism are things I don’t really need to say because it’s a part of who I am, so it is something that will come through anyway, in my arguments, discussions and point of view.
I don’t need to tell you that I like money or lazy living because that’s the goal in the end.
Some things can be layered to form one big thing and some things are just repetitions (P.S. If you are repeating it, it’s probably important to you).
Try to narrow it down as best as you can.
Look at it again and tell me this:
Based on all you have written down plus what you know of yourself and where you want to go, describe yourself as you would want to be described. In 140 characters 🌚.
Then make sure that the last thing you have written down is the description of the person that will get where you want to go.
That there, that’s who you are, that is the person you have to show the world.
If you would like to share your answers with me so we can take a look together and see if you are on the right path, send me a message here:
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