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Developing Your Personal Brand 

“Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark.” Jay Danzie

 Why is this topic so important now?

Let’s look back before Covid (BC).  How did we market ourselves? Most of us were making calls, setting up appointments, attending networking events and charity functions. We also invested in marketing through our websites, ads, sponsorships, and a little social media.

Everything changed drastically in 2020. Suddenly, sales professionals and others could not reach people on their office phones. No one was in! Some people were checking their emails and you were lucky if you had a cell number.

That was the beginning of the explosion of LinkedIn messenger. More people were checking their LinkedIn and trying different ways to connect with potential prospects. Many found success in connecting with strangers. In addition to LinkedIn, people found that they needed to get on the social media platforms for visibility. This became one of the major ways for people to build their personal brand.

What else changed? Obviously, our communication changed. Technology changed and became more important. Not many people used Zoom or TEAMS on a regular basis before 2020 and now it’s a regular tool.

The other major addition has been virtual networking. With the use of Zoom, people realized they could gather with many people “on the screen”.  It is a productive use of time. All squares are equal, so it really doesn’t matter who you are or what you do.  You can’t hide and everyone has a chance to talk.   

That brings us too today. We now have a hybrid of in-person and remote workers and events. Many are embracing a little of everything – the old and the new.

I am often asked, “What works? How do I effectively market myself?”  The answer is not black and white. It’s a combination of traditional and new marketing.

I love coaching professionals on the topic of “Developing Your Personal Brand”.  Here are questions that need to be addressed while planning your personal marketing strategy:

1. What do you do best? Assess yourself. Are you a connector, problem solver, educator, or a consultant?
2. Who is your target market and where will they “see” you?
3. How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
4. How should you promote yourself?

In addition to your style, target market and budget you need to address your comfort zone with respect to networking, technology, and social media. Sometimes a coach can help you develop the right plan tailored to you and your business.

So, what works? It often depends on your business and target market. Here are some hot personal marketing strategies:

1. Website updates with added communication tools – videos, blogs, chat
2. Virtual networking events
3. Community events
4. Social media especially LinkedIn
5. Public speaking or videos
6. Podcasts

The key to success is to design the plan that fits you. We are all unique! For a look at great sales success stories, consider reading Stories From The Sales Field – Navigating a Sales Career in a Post Pandemic World now available on Amazon.

Denise Horan of Integrated Management & Sales Consulting helps professionals grow revenues, acquire new clients and develop their personal marketing strategies.  Denise spends her time coaching and training sales and business development skills to entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and non-selling professionals such as lawyers and architects. Denise can be reached at denise@imsconsulting.net or at www.denisehoran.com.