The new technologies have given a radical change to the forms of communication and even to the way of conceiving the world. The former have changed the course of events in many ways. An activity as common as looking for a job now develops in a totally different way than it did a decade ago. The personal brand can be worked on from anywhere in the world, you only need a computer and internet connection.
At present, the delivery of a curriculum in hand is practically out of date, making the search for job offers and sending resumes through the Internet. Companies looking for candidates have also found the new media a great tool, since through social networks they can have much more information about the candidates than they would gather in a personal interview.
It is clear that the image that is provided on the Internet can be decisive when deciding a professional future.
Marketing and personal branding
Marketing has traditionally been defined as the set of techniques aimed at anticipating market demand, in order to develop different means of promotion to publicize the products or services of a certain company, thereby trying to stimulate sales.
For many decades the concept of marketing has been linked to the business world, but at the end of the ’90s a new concept began to emerge that defended the application of marketing techniques to people. That is when the term personal brand arises.
Personal branding consists of considering the individual as a brand in itself, so he must promote his image in the best way, ensuring that he makes a lasting impression. The main objective is to differentiate yourself from others and ensure that the product being sold, that is, yourself, is the most appreciated by the potential customer.
Origin of the concept of personal brand
The term personal brand or personal branding has been used very frequently in the last five years, but the truth is that it is not really a recent phenomenon.
This concept emerged in the late 20th century in the United States. Tom Peters published in 1997 an article published “The Brand Called You” , in which reference was made for the first time that people should consider themselves as their own brand and work to improve their image in the face of others.
Peters defended the idea that each one should look for what makes him different and that he knows how to do well, in order to empower it. If you act as a free agent in the market and your personal brand is well positioned, you will be able to dedicate yourself to what you really like and for which you have skills.
As it has evolved, personal branding currently has a lot of marketing, but it has also added many interesting concepts from psychology, which has led many experts to affirm that it is actually a multidisciplinary trend that must always be in constant innovation.
What is personal branding for?
In the current economic environment, both locally or at more global levels, when a consumer wants to contract a service, they have a wide variety of options at their disposal. In many cases, you can no longer choose only between companies, but you also find freelance professionals at your disposal who can offer you a good service.
Faced with so much offer, the choice is not always easy and this is precisely when the personal brand comes into play. The main objective of the same is to get those people who can constitute the target audience of the service that is offered as professionals, think about the alternative offered as the first option when hiring said service.
The personal brand serves to sell skills directly in the market , but its function goes further, it is a useful tool to stand out in the work environment and even to make yourself known in companies other than the one in which you work.
Outside of the workplace, a well-developed personal brand that is appreciated by others can contribute in a very positive way to improving self-esteem , since an essential phase for its creation is to know yourself well and know how you can stand out from the rest.
How do you get to have a personal brand?
Once the concept of a personal brand has been exposed and what it can be used for, what steps must be taken to achieve it? Next, it proceeds to analyze different concepts related to it that are often confused. Knowing these concepts well will help you clearly see the steps that must be taken to build a personal brand.
Personal branding
Personal branding is the whole process through which the creation of the personal brand is carried out . In this phase, the individual must analyze themselves well and discover what his abilities are, where he is and where he wants to go.
You have to know yourself well, but also the environment. This will help to detect opportunities and even threats that can get in the way of your desired goal.
Personal marketing
This concept makes special reference to the use of the usual promotional tools to sell, although in this case it is not about selling a product or a service, but about selling yourself.
New technologies are the mechanisms most used today for the development of personal branding. Social networks can be of great help in this matter, but do not forget personal relationships. Meeting face to face (even if it is virtually) with clients and other professionals is a good way to continue making yourself known and even to find new synergies.
Personal brand
Once you have achieved a full knowledge of all your own abilities and also your weaknesses, and having started the phase of making yourself known through various means, it can be said that your own personal brand has already been created.
Getting a certain recognition within the field in which you want to stand out is not enough to relax believing that customers will continue to come without making any effort. The personal brand must be worked on every day, not only at the level of promoting oneself, but also working on oneself, developing or improving skills and offering good service to customers.
Risks when creating a personal brand
Having your own brand or personal branding is something that can produce magnificent vibrations, but keep in mind that it is not a simple process or risk-free.
Type in and not continue to evolve
When creating a personal brand, one of the first steps that must be taken is to define what you want to offer to others and determine the audience for that brand. However, the environment is changing and what is fashionable today or necessary tomorrow may not be.
In the workplace, professionals are increasingly required to be specialized, but at the same time flexible and able to become multidisciplinary. Well, in the case of people who have developed a professional brand, there is also this need.
Whoever sells themselves as a product must always be attentive to what is happening in his environment, in order not to remain stagnant. It is always good to continue training and developing new skills. It is not so much about giving a profound change to what is sold as about looking for tasks that can become complementary to what it excels at. In this way, you have the security of always offering the target audience an extra quality at work and not being left behind.
Not be realistic
There is a large volume of people who lie on their resume. In the vast majority of cases, these lies are not too serious, but in other cases, they can be a real disaster for both the company and the worker if you end up hiring a person who is supposed to have a skill or knowledge that he really lacks.
The same thing happens with personal branding. Everyone would like to have a broad mastery of countless subjects and tasks, but it is not possible. If you want others to appreciate the work done and value your personal brand, it is a priority to practice an honest exercise of sincerity not to sell anything that cannot really be offered. It is one thing to try to be as versatile a professional as possible and quite another to misrepresent reality.
Being unrealistic can have very detrimental effects on the credibility of your personal brand. The moment someone realizes that what someone is selling about oneself is not real, they can make it known and trigger a reputation crisis that leaves that brand very damaged or even ends up with it.
Obsessing over the brand
Developing a personal brand requires constant work. Having a certain image and a certain reputation is not something that is achieved in five minutes. It is true that you have to dedicate a lot of time to it, but you should not exceed certain limits.
Apart from trying to create the best possible brand, we must not forget that above all else the human condition prevails and that as such it is necessary to rest and relax. Sometimes stopping for some fresh air is the best way to get back to work with a clearer mind.