accelerate your career: creating & communicating your unique personal brand

Creating & Communicating Your Unique Personal Brand

Pipa Unsworth @peepa @verveiq

PERSONAL BRANDING | DMA | 19-02-2015

QUICK EXERCISE:#1 Introduce yourself...

PERSONAL BRANDING | DMA | 19-02-2015

QUICK EXERCISE:#2 Try again. Imagine you have no job – how do you introduce yourself?

You are more than your job! What do you bring to the table?

PERSONAL BRANDING | DMA | 19-02-2015

QUICK EXERCISE:#3 This time describe yourself in three words.

Was that harder or easier? Most people find it harder – saying less means thinking more.

AGENDA

§Why invest in your personal brand?

§Creating your personal brand?

§Communicating your personal brand

PERSONAL BRANDING | DMA | 19-02-2015

SOME SAY…“Doing good work matters more than your personal brand.”

I say…doing good work is a ‘given’. What else can help you stand out?

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2015/01/11/doing-good-work-matters-more-than-your-personal-brand/

Why invest in your personal brand?

THE BENEFITS OF PERSONAL BRANDING

Find clarity – know who you are and what you bring to the table

Manage your career – make good choices

Enjoy your working life more

Communicate more clearly with others

Stand out from your peers

Go from communicating with the C-suite to being the C-suite

Source: http://www.womenonbusiness.com/build-a-brand-not-just-a-career/

“THE WOMAN WHO MADE GOOGLE SUCCESSFUL.”How did Marissa Mayer score the position of CEO at Yahoo? She has what most people don’t – she has a brand. As Google’s 20th employee and first woman engineer, she is a ‘brand’.

Know your worth. Find your niche.

CREATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

#1 Where are you now? Where do you want to be?

#2 Assess your skills and strengths.

#3 Build your brand.

#4 Position yourself.

#5 Create your brand plan.

#1 WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

§ Time to ponder some deep and meaningful questions. Grab a pen and paper and put your thinking cap on!

§ Where are you now? § How did you get there? § Where do you want to go next? § What are your values? § Are you happy in your chosen field or do you want to shift? § How high do you want to fly? § What energises you?

#2 ASSESS YOUR SKILLS

§ More thinking (and writing)…

§ What are your core skills / hard skills / soft skills? § Do you have a superpower? § Which skills match the things you most enjoy doing? § What skills do you want to learn? § How have you demonstrated these skills? § What are you recognised for? § How do people describe you?

§ Stuck? Try using some tools: “What Colour Is Your Parachute?” (buy the book or iPad app), “Your Best Year Yet” (great little book) and “Ditch Dare Do” (which has some good, free online resources).

#3 BUILD YOUR BRAND

§ Switch from thinking mode into doing mode now.

§ Prototype quickly and get feedback from trusted friends and colleagues.

§ Then iterate – it may take a few goes to get something that feels authentically you.

§ Decide what brand assets and content you need to help you tell your story.

§ Be laser-focused on content that will expand your visibility, network and influence.

§ If you are committed to accelerating your career, then consider finding a coach or mentor. They will not only guide you through this process more quickly – they will truly help you up your game.

#4 POSITION YOURSELF

§ What’s your value proposition?

§ It’s time to define your positioning statement. It’s the same principle as the “three word exercise” but with (a few) more words.

§ This will form the basis of your ‘elevator pitch’ which, in turn, can be used across your brand assets (Twitter, LinkedIn and other social profiles, your resume, blog etc.).

#5 CREATE YOUR BRAND PLAN

Summarise your thinking into a succinct plan:

Vision: Where do you want to be in 5-10 years?

Goals: What would you like to accomplish?

Purpose: Why do you do what you do?

Values: What do you believe in?

Issues: What’s standing in your way?

Strategy: How will you get there?

Tactics: List of what you need to execute the plan, for example:

§ Update your CV

§ Spend more time networking and tweeting each day

§ Make sure your social profiles are consistent

§ Get a better professional photo

§ Go on that training course

§ Put your hand up for more project work.

§ And many, many more…

Be proactive. Be ready. Be real.

COMMUNICATING YOUR BRAND

§ Creating your brand assets puts your brand out there proactively.

§ It will also help you to respond well (and on brand) spontaneously.

§ Your confidence will soar because you know you are representing yourself authentically.

COMMUNICATING WITH THE C-SUITEMEANS THINKING LIKE THE C-SUITE

”Show commitment. Be enthusiastic. Show initiative. Speak up. Be adaptable.”

James Caan

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130808142917-32175171-five-steps-to-get-your-ceo-to-notice-you

“Embrace tough assignments. Nobody notices when you do an easy job well.”

Indra Nooyi

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/pepsi-ceo-indra-nooyi-career-advice-2014-10

"The truth is, so few people really jump on their jobs, you really will stand out more than you think. You will get noticed if you really go for it.”

Warren Buffett

Source: http://uk.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-career-advice-2014-10

RESOURCES

The Brand Called You by Tom Peters

http://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you

Personal Branding 101

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/personal-branding-101-sallie-krawcheck

The Career Playbook: Essential Advice for Today's Aspiring Young Professional

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Career-Playbook-Essential-Aspiring-Professional/dp/0553446967

Become So Good They Can’t Ignore You

http://www.businessinsider.com/become-so-good-they-cant-ignore-you-2014-7

Top 10 Tips on how to get ahead in marketing by Next Generation winners

http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/910029/top-10-tips-ahead-marketing-next-generation-winners

Define Your Personal Brand, Or Your Market Will

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130724130301-130311-if-you-don-t-define-your-personal-brand-the-market-will

@peepa @verveiq

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/pipaunsworth

pipa@verveiq.com