First Steps to Building your Personal Brand

The first step to building your personal brand is finding what you want your brand to be about. We're all different, so there's no one way of finding it out. But here are a few things for you think about, to get you started:

• Craft your personal mission statement


• Write out your life story. Your story, not just your biography. Include all the emotions and drama that is part of your story


• Consider what your passions are


• Plan out your elevator pitch

There are many more other self-discovery exercises that you can do. But the main point is to look inside yourself to find what you believe in, what you stand for and what you makes you unique.

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With the power of the Internet today, this has become a lot easier.

The first thing I'd recommend is to create a blog. You can use any blogging platform - Wordpress (my personal recommendation), Blogger, MovableType, TypePad, or any of the other services out there. This blog will be your personal space on the web. It's where you share your thoughts, and establish what you stand for. It should be the default go-to place when people are looking for you. Post regularly, and post about what you are passionate about, and what you believe in. Use different mediums if you can - try using video and audio as well as text. If possible, try to get a unique design, or at least a unique header image - something that reflects you. Also, try to register your real name as a domain (eg http://derrickkwa.com or http://chrisbrogan.com).

Secondly, get on social networks. Social networks are a great way to connect with like-minded people. Register on a few generic ones - Linkedin, Facebook, Myspace - and the focused ones that suit your individual brand (eg. if you're a creative person, register on Behance). It's better to be on more networks than less. Try to use the same user name across networks if possible, and have recognizable photos. Your profiles don't have to be identical (different social networks require different information), but try to ensure that the brand message of what you stand for is consistent throughout.

Here are some suggestions on how to best make use of social networks:

• Make Your LinkedIn Profile Work for You


• Fix Your Facebook Profile Now


• Improve Your Social Network


• LinkedIn Branding Tips

Thirdly, I would also recommend getting on Twitter. Twitter is great for building more personal relationships. It provides a platform for more personal, informal discussions that might not suit your blog. It might be time consuming, but it's worth the effort.

Finally, don't forget that the offline world still exists. Go to events, network with people, get to know people in real life.

Get business cards that stand out. Moo cards are great for personal, varied cards, and allows different designs. Make it creative, but professionally-done. Don't make these business card mistakes. If nothing else, though, ensure that your card is memorable and remarkable. Make it into something that sparks a conversation, and that people won't just throw aside when they get back. And make sure it fits your brand. For creative ideas for business cards, check out this list of cool business card designs.

Your appearance matters as well. I'm a fan of having a signature look/item, like Mitch Joel being known for dressing in all black or Seth Godin's mismatched socks. But that's a personal preference. At the very least, make sure you look your best at all times. Heather Johnson provides good tips on how to improve your personal brand with a makeover

For more, check out Mitch Joel's post on 10 Laws of Real World Social Networking Success.

Photo by dennis

Keep track of what's going on in your field. The worst thing that could happen to you is for you to become irrelevant.

Engage in conversations with thought leaders. Seek out people who are more intelligent than you, and listen to what they have to say. Talk to them, get their advice - both offline and online. Read their blogs. Attend conferences and talks. Listen and learn from what others have to say.

Read and learn from books in your field. But don't just read. Let the book change your mindset, and go out and do something. Be inspired by the books you read. Seth Godin has great advice on how to read a business book.

Especially with today's online tools, it's very easy to monitor what others are saying about you. Just like companies are being encouraged to respond to what their customers say, so should you.

Create Google Alerts for your name and blog. Use the Twitter comments pipe. Track your username on Twitter. As much as possible, respond when people talk about you. If it's positive, thank them. If it's negative, take into consideration what they say, and respond accordingly - don't just go on the defensive. If it's false, notify the webmaster about the mistake.

Create alerts for topics that you are interested about, and topics that match your personal brand too. If you want to brand yourself as an expert in soccer training for youths, for example, create alerts for that (maybe "soccer training youths" or any combination of that). And take part in the conversations as much as possible. Add value to whatever discussions are going on.

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