7 Reasons You Need a Personal Brand – Now!

In our current economy, a powerful personal brand is more important than ever. A brand that communicates your unique skills, assets, and abilities in your voice can help you “market” yourself with confidence – even if selling is not your strong suit. If you are in the job market or your company is restructuring, a personal brand can create a point of unique differentiation. If you’re not currently seeking a career change, but anticipate a future transition – this time is ideal to develop your unique brand in words, online, and in print. With your personal brand and talking point scripts, you will be positioned to capture new opportunities and take great leaps forward when the economy becomes vital and healthy again!

Here are seven reasons why you need a personal brand – now:

1. Job hunting. If you’re in the market for a job, you need a “wow” factor to stand out from the crowd. With more people competing for fewer positions, you need to be able to express your unique skills, abilities, talents and passions in a way that head hunters and HR managers will remember. This cannot be achieved with simply a resume.
2. Networking. When you attend networking events, business conferences or even social gatherings, you need to be able to answer the question “what do you do” with a well-defined brand statement and impactful talking points that communicate your unique value proposition. If the person you meet at a networking event doesn’t have an immediate need for your “brand offering” – a memorable brand will ensure that they remember you when a need arises six months down the road.
3. Partnerships. Business patterns are shifting. More people are moving into entrepreneurialism – some by choice and some by default. A more collaborative approach to business is emerging. You can use your personal brand to help you form unique, beneficial partnerships while still maintaining a strong brand identity of your own.
4. The Google age. A personal brand is a necessity in the digital age. What will potential employers, clients and partners find when they research you online? Once you have a personal brand, you can build a strong online presence so that your brand is consistent online and offline.
5. Get referrals. A clearly-defined personal brand will enable your friends, clients, colleagues and other contacts to refer business to you. If they are not sure what you do, or why you do it better than anyone else – it will be difficult for them to effectively communicate your unique value when referring you to potential customers, employers, and colleagues.
6. Communicate your worth. Your personal brand can help you keep your job or advance within your company by enabling you to communicate the unique value you bring to your current employer. It can help reframe the way your employer thinks about you.
7. Prepare for the future. The recession provides an incredible chance to lay the groundwork for growth when the economy picks up in the future. By building a powerful personal brand now, you will be ready to maximize all of the opportunities that arise in the new economy!

Email Deborah at dmadary@youruniquebrand.com to find out more!