Think of your favorite brands. What makes them memorable? What value do they provide, and how do they communicate it?
Just as products and services must be branded to communicate their differentiators and attract customers, you can craft your brand through a practice called personal branding.
“How do we apply everything we know about branding products and services to branding our most important product, which is ourselves?” says Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Jill Avery, who teaches the online course Personal Branding—part of the Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)—on an episode of The Parlor Room podcast. “Every time we apply for a job or vie for a promotion or try to land a new client or try to land a new date, we have to market ourselves. How do we apply the theories of branding to understand how to best express and communicate our own personal value proposition about the difference that we'd like to make in the world?”
Listen to the full podcast episode below or watch it on YouTube:
Before diving into how to create your personal brand, here’s a primer on what personal branding is and why it’s important.
What Is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is the intentional, strategic practice of defining and expressing your value.
“It’s the amalgamation of the associations, beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and expectations that people collectively hold about you,” Avery and her co-author, HBS Executive Fellow Rachel Greenwald, write in the Harvard Business Review.
They explain that personal branding’s goal is to ensure the narrative about you is:
- Accurate: Is it true?
- Coherent: Does it make sense?
- Compelling: Does it draw people in?
- Differentiated: Does it demonstrate what makes you unique?
If you don’t intentionally craft your personal brand, other people’s assumptions and perceptions of you may not align with those four attributes. By engaging in personal branding, you can define what you’d like to communicate and do so effectively.
Why Is Personal Branding Important?
By determining your unique value and living in a way that promotes it, you can become known for your defining attributes. That reputation can help attract opportunities in your career and life that align with your authentic self.
For instance, imagine you position yourself as a financial analyst with high emotional intelligence who loves to ski.
That can:
- Attract projects, promotions, and job opportunities that correspond to your skills
- Spread knowledge of your unique differentiators so you’re sought out for them
- Connect you to people with common personal and professional interests
It can also have internal benefits, including:
- Increased confidence in your financial and leadership abilities
- Clarified goals and values
- Decreased imposter syndrome and a better sense of your authentic self
Drawing from Avery and Greenwald’s research, here’s how you can build your personal brand to increase visibility and own your unique value proposition.
How to Build Your Personal Brand
1. Define Your Purpose
The first step to creating your personal brand is identifying your values, goals, and purpose.
Start by asking yourself:
- What do I care about?
- What are my values?
- What do I want people to know about me?
- How do I want to define myself?
- What makes me special?
- How do I provide value to others?
Consider either your professional or personal life while brainstorming, and ensure you think about your audience.
Afterward, come up with a sentence that clearly states who you are and what value you provide—that’s your value proposition. For example: “I’m an experienced social media manager in the athletic wear industry who’s passionate about empowering my team.”
Try several variations to find what feels authentic and impactful.
2. Audit Your Personal Brand Equity
Next, take stock of your current personal brand. Even before consciously deciding to craft one, others carry perceptions and knowledge about you.
In the Harvard Business Review, Avery and Greenwald outline several factors to consider during this phase:
- Credentials: Your education, awards, and achievements
- Social capital: Personal and professional connections’ quantity and quality
- Cultural capital: Emotional intelligence and expertise you’ve garnered through life experiences
What gap exists between your current personal brand and the one you want to implement? How can you use your credentials and social and cultural capital to bring the new version to light?
3. Construct a Narrative
Once you understand your purpose and current personal brand, compile stories that illustrate your value proposition. While a one-line statement can be effective, you must oftentimes prove your value in conversational settings.
For instance, if one of your differentiators is that you take bold yet calculated risks, you may tell a story about when you went skydiving. During an interview, you may call, instead, upon a time when you took a chance on a new product innovation without knowing how it would perform—and it paid off.
What experiences convey your best qualities? Brainstorm a list to keep in your back pocket.
4. Communicate and Embody Your Brand
After planning your personal brand, communicate it by identifying outlets through which you can promote your value. Just like marketing products and services, you can use a mix of paid, owned, and earned media to make your value proposition and stories accessible and visible to a wider network.
While it may feel unnatural to market yourself as you would a product, keep in mind that it will attract opportunities that align with your unique value. By increasing your visibility, you can provide value to more people.
You can also communicate your personal brand by embodying it in face-to-face interactions. Think of them as chances to show who you are. For instance, if you want to convey your passion for volunteerism, enthusiastically share your involvement at a local charity event if a co-worker asks about your weekend plans.
Embodying your brand also means taking steps to bolster your unique value. If, for example, you’re a skilled engineer who wants to improve your leadership skills, taking a leadership program not only can help you build those skills and gain expertise but signal that you’re serious about doing so.
Related: Leadership in Engineering: What It Is & Why It’s Important
5. Socialize Your Brand
While you are your best advocate, the next step of personal branding is making sure others share your value. In the Harvard Business Review, Avery and Greenwald outline four groups that can be instrumental in socializing your brand:
- Gatekeepers: Those whose buy-in is critical to reaching your goals
- Influencers: People with authority who can source additional platforms for sharing your brand
- Promoters: Those who actively support pursuing your goals
- Communities: Groups who share your mission or interests or seek the value you provide
One example is the HBS Online Community, where you can connect with other business professionals before, during, or after taking an HBS Online course. Beyond a global network of supporters, joining an online learning community can provide new perspectives and opportunities to make positive change.
Related: 9 Benefits of the HBS Online Community
6. Reevaluate and Adjust
Personal branding isn’t a one-time project—it requires continually reassessing and adjusting to ensure you live and project your intended brand.
Enlist people you trust to help you reevaluate and describe your brand and value, such as co-workers, friends, and industry connections.
“For example, if you’re being considered for a managerial position but learn that not everyone perceives you to be a strong leader, you might take a leadership training course, volunteer to head up a new project or task force, or take on relevant roles in your personal life, such as joining a nonprofit board,” Avery and Greenwald write in the Harvard Business Review.
Define Your Value and Make an Impact
A strong personal brand can help you attract the right people, land a job or promotion, and make connections that lead to new opportunities.
With reflection and intentional actions, you can gain confidence in your personal value and project it in your life and career.
Do you want to develop your personal brand? Explore our yearlong Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) program, which comprises seven courses for leading in the modern business world. Download the CLIMB brochure to learn about its curriculum, admissions requirements, and benefits.
