“Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with you.º ± TOM PETERS, AUTHOR AND CONSULTANT
Take a moment to look around you. What do you see? Whether you are in your office, a department store or sporting event, there are hundreds of “products” around you. Now ask yourself, what is the opinion or image you have of these products? Some you may see as positive and useful, while others come across as negative and potentially a waste of your time. Your personal observations of these products are the perceptions or emotions you have in your mind that set the tone for how you feel about certain things. Well…the same impressions and observations you have of these products can be correlated to the opinions and images that you have of others and others have of you. Whether we like it or not, each one of us has established a “brand” for ourselves that could be good, bad, or indifferent in the eyes of those around us — and sometimes out of our control. Many Fortune 500 companies go to great lengths to protect their brand images. As business professionals, we should want to do the same for ourselves.
COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPING A PROFESSIONAL BRAND
A professional brand can be broken down into five key components. They are:
1) Perception How do you perceive yourself? How do others perceive you? Are these perceptions of you equal to one another, or are they far apart? How are you perceived at work or within your industry? Perception is a representation of your internal value and can include elements such as your work ethic, skills, personal preferences and style, core values, talents and personal goals. To be successful in uncovering the perceptions people have of you, you must be selfaware, possess humility, and be open to how people perceive you, even if it may initially be negative and painful to hear. Don’t worry though! If you are truly committed to your brand, through a little hard work, you have a great opportunity to change those negative perceptions that people may have of you.
2) Image Similar to the concept of perception, image at times can be defined as that “first impression.” While perception can be internal, your image is visual and very much external. Typically, it is an external representation of your internal value. Image is your billboard for all to see and experience. Do you like what you see? Do others like what they see? Are you portraying a positive image for yourself in public and on social media? Does your image appear as someone who is intelligent and professional, who shows expertise in your field, comes across as caring and has a willingness to assist others, etc.? In business, image does account for a lot and must be managed appropriately, both at work and outside of work. As we have seen of many celebrities in the past, one negative incident can completely change the impression people have of you.
3) Distinction How are you different? Is there something unique about you that separates you from the rest of your peers? What is the distinct value that you provide your current or future employer? In order to create a brand for yourself, you need to think about what makes you different. There are many different types of automobiles on the market today, but they all have their own unique styles and qualities about them. Why do some people choose to buy one car over the other? It has everything to do with the unique “product offering” and “brand perception” that an individual has for one car over the other. With this in mind, what do you offer that differentiates you from those around you? It is important that you uncover, define and market what makes you different.
4) Value In short, what value do you provide to those around you? Whether that be to your personal or professional network, or the company (or future company) you work for, what value can you equate that defines your overall brand? Do you have a subject matter expertise in a specific function or industry sector? Do you possess a certain technical skill that is highly sought-after or hard to find? In true definition, value is defined as the importance, worth or usefulness of something. It is important that your overall professional brand is able to define your own usefulness and worth that can be beneficial to others.
5) Success from Self-Packaging In an effort to bring your professional brand full circle, you must possess the ability to package perception, image, distinction and value into one cohesive unit. All of these components must work in tandem with each other in order for your professional brand to be successful. Products and people are judged each day on their value, what makes them different and how they are perceived, all in a moment’s notice. That is why each of the components must be clearly defined and rolled out at the same time in order for your brand to be successful. While some components may be easier to define or create than others, it is important that you yourself know where your brand is lacking so that it can be improved upon.
One important thing to keep in mind as you start to develop your professional brand image is that it is far-reaching. Your brand reaches beyond what those friends and colleagues around you may see on the surface. It is important to think about how social media impacts your professional brand. What you communicate on the internet is just as important as what you communicate in person. Is your professional brand image consistent with what appears on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts and what people see at your office? Social media can be extremely impactful to one’s career, so it must be treated with respect and be consistent with the image you are trying to portray for yourself. Why? Because recruiters and career coaches like myself want to make sure you are who you say you are and not something different from what we may see on paper (your resume) or who we interact with at work.
In Part 2 of “Developing Your Professional Brand,” I will provide specific steps you can take to develop and roll out your brand. CRAIG W. PETRUS joined the Hough Graduate School of Business in June of 2009. As Director, Craig is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Graduate Business Career Services a ing and services to students within the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida.