THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE OF YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Entrepreneur and CD Baby founder Derek Sivers once said: \’How you do anything is how you do everything.\’
It\’s perfection in a soundbite, and never more true than when applied to your own personal brand.
Social media today means that that when it comes to the personal and professional you, there is no separation of work and state. It\’s over. Who you are at work now is who you are at home, and vice versa.
But so many people over 40 (those who haven\’t grown up with a selfie stick in their hand), and those who have been at their job for a long time haven\’t yet grasped this premise.
They have ignored this side of things because for many people in that group, their personal life is not their job. But I\’m here to tell you that these days, it most certainly is.
Much like there is a colossal push for transparency in business, the same is true now for your personal brand and the work that you do.
There is no reset button in life and crucially, there is no reset button on the internet.
You really have to understand that when making key decisions in your personal and professional lives, you can\’t take anything back. All actions have consequences and can have a lasting impact on your career.
I still can\’t believe how many people I see not celebrating their work life visually on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. I see so many professionals online showing photos of their breakfast and their cat or dog but nothing about their work life.
You\’ve got to be thinking smarter now and make your actions intentional. Why? Because there isn\’t a relationship in this world now that doesn\’t start online. People are looking at you and they are Googling you. If that doesn\’t fill you with fear then I don\’t know what will.
Think about the relationships that now start online; anything from your kid\’s pre school, to their new headteacher or tennis pro. Half of you reading this are getting your groceries online.
So any business that wants to do well now needs to also be looking at how that reflects in their personal brand.
Any CEO now needs to be living an authentic life both in the office and at home. If the private and professional don\’t marry, the business will struggle.
Your personal brand should address everything that speaks to the professional you, including:
Your core values, your mission statement, your brand statement, a clear vision of the work you do, your strengths, your education and work experience, the value you provide for others, your unique promise and of course, a little razzle dazzle.
And here\’s the kicker, it\’s nobody\’s job but yours to create this brand.
You need to live it, believe it and love it.
At Black Ink PR & Marketing we understand that this merging of the personal and the professional is no small task.
It\’s up to you to get it done but if you need help, give us a call. We\’ll be happy to show you who you are, so that you can communicate to a wider audience and run a more successful business. Personal branding and professional branding are now deeply inter-dependant like peanut butter and jelly. Each okay seperatly, but together bigger and better than ever alone.
Are you an executive that needs help with your personal brand? Please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
We’re Black Ink PR, we help brands succeed and when it comes to business and business leaders– we take it personally.
