Your Writing Skill and Personal Branding
As Francis Bacon once said, "Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man." A reasonable paraphrase of Bacon is that one's knowledge can be more precisely and effectively developed through writing than through either reading or discussion alone.
What is Personal Branding?
"Mercedes, McDonalds, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Rupert Murdoch. Like them or not, You probably have an idea of what these companies stand for and what You will get from them. This is their brand impression, the overall impression that a person has of the traits and proficiencies of a company or individual. Corporate brand impression is generally created through advertising, marketing and customer/ user/ personal experience.
Just like corporations hope to attract the appropriate customers through brand strategy and marketing, individuals hope to attract the appropriate personal and professional relationships and opportunities through their own style, knowledge, talents, and general impression on others. This is Your Personal Brand. And whether You realize it or not, You have one. The question is, 'Is it working for You?'
To build a successful Personal Brand we must start with ourselves and look deep into what we do best and our core descriptive traits. Owning our individuality and uniqueness is vital to this process. As we embrace the parts of ourselves that differentiate us from the norm, we will naturally attract opportunities that desire this uniqueness. Conformity is the root of mediocrity in a brand.
It takes a brave spirit to dare to be different. You must be willing to stand out. In doing so, however, You can be found. In today's world of global communication, the barriers of location have evaporated and we must find ways to be heard above the vast sea of voices speaking at the same time. We need to find our own ways to stand out and be recognized for the gifts we have to offer. Standing out does not imply that we should all be loud and over bearing, but simply bravely authentic.
This is Personal Branding."
- Andrea O'Neill and William Arruda -
(Andrea O'Neill and William Arruda are brand strategists and two of the world's leading Personal Branding Consultants, each with their own successful consulting practices. As a team, they bring their combined 35 years branding experience to assist executives, professionals and entrepreneurs to discover, build and communicate their own brands for personal and professional success.)
"Think Oprah, think Michael Jordan, think Madonna. These famous-and clearly branding business-savvy-individuals had the foresight to realize pure talent alone is not enough to reach the pinnacle of success in their respective fields. They did what it took to make sure they topped the lists: each one made a commitment to create and present a unique Personal Brand. By doing so, they reached the elite club of individuals recognizable simply by their first names...quite an accomplishment!
The Key to Personal Branding Success: Define Yourself Instead of Letting Others Define You
You have the power to influence people to see You exactly the way You wish to be perceived simply by defining who You are - Your strengths, values, goals and personality - and presenting these points in a compelling, persuasive manner.
Express Yourself and what You stand for to everyone You come into contact with - Your professional target audience, Your neighbors, Your family, Your colleagues, even the man on the street. Do this constantly and consistently, and You are well on Your way to an effective - and lucrative - Personal Brand."
- Peter Montoya -
(After graduating from the University of California-Irvine with a Political Science degree, Peter worked for a nationally recognized sales trainer. During the next five years, Peter lived in 25 major cities; he performed over 2,000 training sessions for many industries, discovering a love of public speaking in addition to his desire to understand branding inside and out.)
And Now, Your Critical Problem
You've done it every day. Delivering the hands-out, presentation materials, papers, working papers, thesis, articles, reports, essays, news, books or even fictional stories.
You might be good in talking, orating, discussing, negotiating, selling or presenting something. But, could You convince Yourself that Your written materials had supported those strengths? Remember this: Authentic Does Not Mean Brings in The Mistakes and Weaknesses!
If the power of Your written language has level to that of Your speaking, discussing, negotiating, selling or presenting, the success awaits You and the Personal Branding can achieve Your targets. If it's not, You'll have to equalize it; with our helps.
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