FC Experts Blogs
October 25, 2007
Careers: Personal Branding Times Two
How do you instantly double the power of personal branding?
This isn’t a trick question, just a way to try to start thinking unconventionally. All of which got me reflecting on marriage -- not the romantic concept but a synergy of two souls that packs twice the wallop. Applied to personal branding, it means strategic alliances, partnerships and associations.
At the most basic level, it comes down to the company you keep. Think about it for a second. Your personal brand can move up a notch in respect, stature and credibility if you ally yourself with the right people. It’s, if you pardon the expression, sort of the idea of marrying up -- akin to nobodies marrying somebodies and becoming better known in the process. Even if you don’t marry up to continue the analogy, you can combine forces with someone of equal stature, if you’re running a business, and suddenly you have twice the firing power. If you’re working for a company, not to worry; you can chose your mentors and associates wisely so that you are viewed as part of the “A” team, not the Schlump team. If you own your own business, you also might think about formalizing relationships. That means developing strategic alliances and partnerships with other companies that will enhance your brand, along with helping you grow your business.
The best way to determine whom to ally with is to start with a self-and goals-assessment. Here’s a brief framework to get you started:
• One: What are you doing well? What are you known for? And on the other side of the ledger, what are you lacking? What’s holding you back?
• Two: Where do you want to go? What are your objectives?
• Three: What do you need to do to reach your goals and objectives?
• Four: Who can help you reach your desired end point faster? Which of these people/companies can be the most helpful?
Once you’ve done that, you’re headed in the right direction and the rest is tactical – figuring out how to connect with the people or companies you’ve identified.
How are you doubling the power of your personal brand? What connections are you forging? I’d love to hear your story.
Wendy Marx, Personal and Corporate Public Relations, Marx Communications
Posted by Wendy Marx at October 25, 2007 9:14 AM | Topic: careers |
1 Comment
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Excellent post! Its interesting to me how many articles, blogs, and books there are about networking but how few of them comment on networking with the "right" people. Just like you said in your post, aligning yourself with organizations and people who can add value to your brand (and vice versa) is smart networking. Working hard vs. working smart.
Liz Handlin