Branding Yourself for Success

In today’s competitive digital marketing industry it is important to set yourself apart from others, especially when striving for that promotion you want or seeking your dream job. When résumés become redundant, employers look for something that goes beyond words on a page. This is where creating and maintaining a personal brand becomes crucial for success.

 When seeking a job in the digital marketing industry, your personal brand is very important, as it can show employers that you understand and are active on various social media channels. It is also important to show that you are able to build and maintain your brand before you are hired and assigned to aid companies do the same. Building your personal brand isn’t easy. It is a big time commitment.

The first step in creating your personal brand is by conducting a self-SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. This will help you identify and understand more about your internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. By treating yourself as a competitive business, the SWOT analysis will help you succeed and reach goals and opportunities that you set for yourself.

Similar to product branding, it is key to identify yourself as the brand, in order to be effective. Here are six simple steps to follow when creating or building your own personal brand:

1. Set goals and objectives – When setting goals and objectives, be specific about what you want to achieve. Do you want to strive for that account manager position you’ve had your eye on? Or perhaps become the VP of Digital Marketing?
2. Background – Do some research on what previous people in your position did to be successful. What can you learn from these people? Were they successful or did they encounter issues along the way?
3. Setting the tone – How do you want people to view your brand? What industry would you like them to associate it with? What type of professionals do you want to catch the attention of?
4. Current situation – How do people perceive you now? Why do you think this is? Are there any obstacles you have to overcome? What potential issues could arise? What could you do to improve?
5. Game plan – Set a timeline for yourself. How are you going to implement your ideas? How are you going to maintain the changes you’ve made for yourself? It is important to keep in mind that you’re not only adjusting or changing your online presence – these can be tangible or intangible changes.
6. Maintaining and managing your brand – This is not the final step, because you will be continuously carrying out this stage. Revisit your initial goals. Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve? This can be as simple as making sure how you portray yourself online and on your résumé is accurate to your personality and abilities.

For digital marketing, the crucial platforms to improve your online presence are ones that potential employers can easily find you on, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn is one of the most powerful social media tools when building your personal brand in the digital world. It allows you to network online and build a professional community that may be beneficial to you, as well as allow you to help others. Make sure to constantly reach out to others and connect with them, as well as update your profile frequently and make sure it is 100% completed.

Twitter is also a great tool in building your personal brand because it allows you to follow industries or companies of interest. This social media tool also allows you to engage with other users, which can be instrumental in getting noticed. Tweeting stories or articles in your field of interest also adds to your personal brand, as they show colleagues or potential employers what intrigues you and can also show your level of knowledge on the topic.

Read Mambo’s previous posts about branding in today’s market and Millennial business etiquette.