Research shows that first impressions are made within three to seven seconds of meeting someone (Todorov, 2011). You are judged first and foremost on the way you look. How you communicate vocally comes in a close second and according to Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (1952) over 65% of our communication is non-verbal including body language.
When it comes to your personal brand, what matters is how others perceive you. If others perceive you as different from who you believe you are, you are probably not communicating the personal brand you want. There may be a large gap between your current personal brand and your desired personal brand.
Brands of influence are known to us and a part of our everyday lives due to a carefully planned strategy to develop their brand and increase profile. Just as corporate brands exist, your personal brand exists in the minds of others in the way they perceive, think, and feel about you. What do others think about you?
Branding is an emotional process. Think of a brand you are intensely loyal to. What is the feeling you have about that brand? Trust? Reliability? We establish connections with corporate brands, and these connections go far beyond what the products do for us. We maintain loyalties to these brands based on emotional connections. Likewise, in personal branding, the way people feel about you has a profound influence on your success. The stronger the connections you create with others, the more powerful your personal brand will be.
In personal branding you are creating your value proposition. Branding for success means building value for the quality of your work and differentiating yourself and standing out from your peers or competitors.
When I speak to individuals or corporate groups about personal branding, occasionally someone will say, I’m not into self-promotion or I want to remain authentic. My response is “everyone has a personal brand so do you have the personal brand you want?”
If you need help developing your personal brand please contact me for information on coaching and our course RU branded™, a training program developed by Regeneration Media, my communicaitons agency. Visit our website for further information.
Many busy executives, politicians and television presenters choose one on one coaching and complete the course in two parts due to their own time constraints. We can visit your office if preferred. We are based in Melbourne and frequently travel to our clients across Australia. We also offer Skype and phone coaching. Contact me for further information.
