In today’s business landscape where CEOs and other top-level executives are constantly fighting for the spotlight, it’s not hard to see that personal branding is important to them. But it’s important to us, too.
Whether you’re trying to recover from mistakes in your past or separate yourself from the rest of the pack, your ability to brand yourself can pay huge dividends in the future. Thankfully, the high-tech environment we inhabit today is well prepared to help us achieve quick, effective branding.
The value of personal branding
Your career pursuits and success depend on your personal brand. Unfortunately, most people seriously misunderstand this and choose to ignore the value in it.
Glenn Llopis, contributor to Forbes.com, puts it best when he says, “View your personal brand as a trademark; an asset that you must protect while continuously molding and shaping it.”
Llopis goes on: “Your personal brand is an asset that must be managed with the intention of helping others benefit from having a relationship with you and / or by being associated with your work and the industry you serve.”
If you believe in the power of personal branding and the need for “continuously molding and shaping it,” there are ways to grow and enhance your name with the assistance of technology.
Three valuable branding technologies and services
Here are a few of the most valuable personal branding technologies and services on the Internet:
Social media. There’s no faster or more effective way to start your personal brand from scratch than on social media. These technologies enable you to reach massive numbers of people without having to expend huge resources. For starters, you should build profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. These three platforms will enable you to target, reach, and engage with people you are interested in connecting with. On your profiles and through your interactions, you can brand yourself in any way you desire.
Business cards. Maybe you’re thinking there’s nothing high-tech about business cards … but you’d be wrong. Business cards have transformed from rudimentary pieces of paper into major statements that direct people to your online brand. You can use any number of online services to design and develop top-of-the-line cards that are sophisticated and stylish. Regardless of which technology you use to produce your cards, make sure you follow all of the dos and don’ts of business-card etiquette.
Tech accessories. A fair portion of your personal brand will depend on how you look and carry yourself in person. Staying up to date and current in your wardrobe and tech accessories is important, and you’ll need some of the latest tools to play your role. Consider investing in a cutting-edge smartphone, tablet, and Bluetooth device.
Your personal brand depends on the tools and technologies you choose to employ. While your ideology and beliefs come from within, your power to make a public statement often comes from external means of communication.
Consider spending time with social media, using an online business card designer to develop high-quality cards, and equipping yourself with the latest tech accessories to make a strong statement.
