What is the approach to building a personal brand? How can one go about it? What does it take? Look up the 3 C model of Clarity, Commitment and Consistency to create your own mark.
1. Personal Branding
How to carve a niche and be your best
• Aniisu K Verghese
• @aniisu
“Big companies understand the importance of brands.
Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be
your own brand.” (Brand Called You)
2. 1. “Less than 15% of peoplehave truly defined their personalbrand and less than 5%
are living it consistentlyat work – each and every day” – (Glenn Llopis Group, 2013)
2. “33% of companiesuse social networks to researchpotentialjob candidates” (New
CareerBuilder Survey, 2012)
3. A Klout score (an online platform measuring social media influence) of 30 is bad
4. Most people develop a personalbrand on Linkedin profile for careers and job
opportunities (LinkedIn and Personal Branding - Post Road Consulting, 2016)
5. “7% of US under graduates choose a major from among the humanities, choosing
instead for market focused majors such as petroleumengineering and
pharmaceuticalmarketing” (Time, November 7, 2016)
Context
3. - I can easily build a personal
brand online
- A personal brand can be
built overnight
- It just needs you to be
‘visible’
- You can network and build a
brand
Myth
- “Consumers are looking for daily, real-life reminders that they
can count on brands. In defining authenticity, they prioritize
“high quality” (66 percent) and “delivering on promises” (70
percent) - Cohn Wolfe (2016 Authentic Brands Study)1
- “45% people don’t even think about their own personal brand.
You won’t become known and respected in your company if you
don’t know the unique value you provide and how to connect
that value to your company’s overall mission.” – Monster.com 2
- “LinkedIn is for job searches but Facebook defines reputations.
35% of candidates say they use social networks to contact
potential employers” – Adecco Work Trends Study (2015)3
- “78% of recruiters find their best quality candidates through
referrals.” – Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey4
Reality
1. http://www.cohnwolfe.com/en/news/global-study-cohn-wolfe-defines-authenticity-eyes-consumers-and-reveals-100-most-
authentic-bran
2. https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/personal-brand-at-work
3. http://www.adecco.com/industry-insights/work-trends.aspx
4. https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/jobvite_recruiter_nation_2015.pdf
4. Personal branding is about credibility
“Personal Branding: How we market ourselves
to others”
- Dan Schwabel, author of Me 2.0
“Personal branding is becoming increasingly important
because modern audiences tend to trust people more
than corporations. ” – Inc.com (2014)
http://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/5-steps-to-building-a-personal-brand-and-why-you-need-one.html
6. What recruiters look for – tenure, professional
commitment, proof of work, connections
Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey
7. “Specializationlines up with wherethe world is
going. The specialist has a chance to nail down a field
of expertiseas a differentiator. It is better to be
exceptional at one than good at many things”
- Trout on Strategy – Capturing Mindshare, Conquering Markets
(Tata McGraw – Hill, 2004)
Specialization and Positioning
8. • The 10,000 Hour Rule — by writer Malcolm
Gladwell holds that 10,000 hours of
"deliberate practice"are needed to become
world-class in any field.
Build Expertise: being world-class
takes practice
9. • “Success dependsheavily on how we
approachour interactionswith other
people.Every time we interactwith
another personat work, we have a
choice to make: do we try to claim as
much value as we can, or contribute
value without worrying about what
we receive in return?”
Add Value: giving is more important
than taking
11. Strategy/Approach Clarity Commitment Consistency
Build Expertise Internal
communication
(purpose & focus)
Add Value Workshops, blog, teaching,
forums
(credibility & authenticity)
Reinvent Yourself Certifications, speaking,
social media, CSR ( learning
& growing)
Communicate Progress
- website, blog, teaching, industry engagement
3 Step Model – Clarity, Commitment &
Consistency
12. How do you know it is working?
• Feedback
• Listen
• Perceptions
• Do the words people use to describe you
match with your purpose statement?
13. “You are a brand. You are in
charge of your brand. There is no
single path to success. And there is
no one right way to create the
brand called You. Start today. Or
else.”
- Tom Peters (The Brand Called You)
15. Resources
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us –
Daniel Pink
• Brand Called You - Tom Peters
• Trout on Strategy – Jack Trout
• Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future - Dan Schwabel
• Managing Oneself – Peter Drucker
Articles:
• Don’t Ignore Credibility Degraders – You Cannot ‘Not’ Communicate https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dont-ignore-
credibility-degraders-you-cannot-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles
• Six Insights That Can Change How You View Your Career https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-insights-can-change-how-
you-view-your-career-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles
• Your Decisions Decide Your Life and Career https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-decisions-define-career-life-k-
verghese-intraskope-yahoo-com-?trk=pulse_spock-articles
• Add Value To the World. Build Your Personal Brand https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/add-value-world-build-your-personal-
brand-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles
• Create Your Own Path. Leave An Indelible Mark https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chart-your-own-path-leave-indelible-
mark-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles