BY : PRASANNA PERERA, MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, CORPORATE TRAINER AND SENIOR LECTURER

Every single individual in this world is an unique brand and can therefore be differentiated.  Marketing yourself as a personality brand is no different to a commercial brand.  The starting point is to realise the immense potential of branding and apply the principles to yourself.

UNDERSTANDING BRAND “ME”

A self evaluation needs to be carried out, to truly understand yourself.

What do I want to achieve in life?  Fame, fortune or both?  Who am I?  What is my personality? What are my strengths and weaknesses as a person?  How am I known in the society I live in?  What are my personal values?  This list is by no means exhaustive.  Without answers to these questions it is impossible to formulate an individual brand strategy for 3 – 5 years.  You must be truthful in answering these questions since the objective is to discover how much you know yourself.

SETTING BRAND “ME” OBJECTIVES/GOALS

Having assessed the present position of Brand ME, the next step is to set objectives/goals for accomplishment.  Setting targets or goals is important for career development and progression.  Goals also generate excitement and energy and help focus effort.

In goal setting, you receive the greatest satisfaction from using your untapped potential to achieve goals set by you, rather than goals that are set for you by others.  This is a great motivator towards personal goal accomplishment.

It is important to set goals in three specific areas namely, work, education and personal.  At work, what career progression are you looking at over the next few years?  On the education front what qualifications are you targeting to achieve over the next 3 – 5 years.  When your personal life is considered, what do you want to accomplish i.e. family, children, and relationships.

POSITIONING BRAND “ME”

Brand positioning is all about obtaining a distinct place in the mind of your target customer.  As a person, there are several individuals that can be considered as the target market.  i.e. your family, friends, professional associates, employers and colleagues.  How do you want to be placed in their mind?  As a friendly and helpful person, an intellect, a dynamic and aggressive person etc., Take for example Nelson Mandela, who is positioned as the saviour of South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi as a great human being of compassion, Jack Welsh as an outstanding CEO, Tiger Woods as a legendary sportsman and Steve Waugh as a tenacious team leader.

Whatever way you decide to position yourself, it must be seen as meaningful in the eyes of your target group.  Once you have positioned yourself, do not change it too frequently, since it could cause confusion.

DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE “BRAND ME” OBJECTIVES

Your personal brand strategies should be aligned to the objectives developed.  Ideally a five year plan should be formulated, broken down into short term (1 – 2 years) and long term (3 – 5 years) strategies.  Strategies should be related to each of the objectives namely educational, work and personal.

Once you have formulated your strategies, an action plan should be developed for all strategies.  This action plan should contain clear actions, dates for completion and resources allocated.  For example, if you want to complete a MBA degree, your action plan should identify the MBA programme, the duration, the financial commitment and targeted date of completion.

QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL BRAND “ME”  (PERSONAL BRANDS)

1.  Empathy -  The ability to always look at the world from another’s point of view.  (Specially in the case of your target market)

2.  Self Confidence – You should always demonstrate self confidence, in everything you do.  Therefore, you must know yourself and your customers.

3.  Patience -  Is a great virtue, since you will have to face difficulties when implementing your personal plans. By being patient, you will not lose sight of your goals.

4.  Excellent Communication Skills -   This includes listening skills, and ability to read body language.

5.  Time Management – Successful individuals are able to manage their time effectively. They also respect the time of others. By managing time effectively, you can enhance your personal productivity.

6.  Self-Discipline – This is achieved automatically by developing your Brand ME plan.

7.  Willingness to Learn and Grow – Successful persons are willing learners and keep their eyes open for opportunities to learn and grow.

8.  Positive Thinking – Words such as “cannot”, “will try” are not in the vocabulary of successful persons.
By thinking positively they give themselves the best change for success.

9.  Perseverance – They never give up against challenges or odds. Successful persons simply keep going even if they were to fail.

10. Loyalty – This is sadly a virtue that is fast disappearing.  Loyalty to your family, employer etc. is important.

DEVELOPING PERSONAL VALUES  -  TO ENHANCE BRAND “ME”

Personal values are guiding principles of successful persons.  These values augment your personal brand and gives you guiding principles to live by.  Examples of personal values would be honesty, integrity, respect for others, loyalty etc.,

“Winners don’t do different things,

they do things differently”

(Shiv Khera)

“Success is 99 percent failure”

(Soichiro Honda, founder Honda Motor Co)

“Obstacles are those frightful things you

see when you take your eyes off your goal”

(Henry Ford)