Blog Post: What Exactly Is Personal Branding?

A personal brand is an individual's equity stake in how one is perceived by a specific target audience. In simple terms, it is how you are perceived by those that you seek to influence. A personal brand embodies the notion of the "it" factor and can position individuals and entrepreneurs as well rounded experts in a respective industry or field. In fact, a strong personal brand speaks to the value you deliver by way of your experience, background, impact, education, industry affiliations, polish and presence, just to name a few. Contrary to popular belief, personal brands can be executed and leveraged successfully across ANY profession, business or entrepreneurial venture.

The development of a personal brand enables one to identify, authenticate, consistently articulate and build brand equity across professional, personal and social platforms. The power of your personal brand will differentiate you from your competition, clearly link and connect you with your target audience and deliver multi-dimensional appeal. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What does my personal brand say about me?
• Is the lack of a personal brand hindering my job search?
• Am I maximizing my personal brand in interviews?
• Do I have a professional bio that touts my professional brand?
• Do I have an online profile on social media sites that reflects my professional brand?
• How does my personal brand impact my business?
• Do my clients connect my personal brand with my product or service?
• Do my business networking partners perceive me as a industry expert?
• Does my personal brand impede my career advancement opportunities?
• Has my personal brand inhibited me from transitioning from one career to the next?
• Was I downsized as a result of my personal brand?
• How can I reinvent my brand and transition into a new industry?
• Is there a disconnect between my perceived value as a result of my poorly executed polished personal brand?...Am I rough around the edges?
• Is my professional social networking suffering as a result of my personal brand image?

The job market is tight and competition is fierce. A professional personal brand positions job seekers for the best positions and highest salaries. Moreover, maintaining brand equity with employers can make the difference between sustaining one's position and being downsized. Finally, job seekers are challenged to survive the process of candidate pool selection amid thousands of competitors. Do you have a marketable professional personal brand? Let TLT Consulting Services show you the power of your personal brand!

Until next week.....

Terri L. Horton, MBA, MA

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www.tltconsultingservices.com