What Is Your Personal Brand?

A Great Personal Brand is Vital to Your Career Success! 

A strong personal brand will bring you new opportunities.   What is a personal brand?  A personal brand is a strong image of what you stand for and what you communicate to the outside world.   A great personal brand increases your ability to make things happen for yourself and your business.

For your personal brand there are 5 Important Things You Need:

1.  Social Media:  Make sure you have a Linkedin.com profile.  After that make sure you are on social media that is important to your type of business.   Facebook and Twitter are super for entrepreneurs in specific categories.  For creative types like Fashion, Pinterest and Instagram are vital.   You don't need to be on every type of social media.  Research what social media outlets are the most important for your field and then be active on those sites.  Choose a professional photo, not an avatar and use the same photo across all your social media sites.

2.  Fashionable Modern Wardrobe:   You are not going to stand out if you are still wearing the same suit since 2005.   First impressions are formed in seconds.   If you lack personal style and hate shopping seek outside help.   Major department stores like Nordstrom provide personal shoppers at no additional cost.   A personal shopper can help you evaluate your career and lifestyle to choose the right wardrobe updates.   Your clothing should reflect where you are going and who you want to be. Look at it as an investment in your brand, YOU.  Take time to get your hair done professionally.  A greasy bun is not exactly professional.  On a budget?  Check your local mall. You can also find cute updated pieces at The Limited or other mall shops.  You don't have to spend a fortune to look like you are working in 2015.

3.  Mission Statement:  Create a personal mission statement.  Who you are and what you have to offer to your target audience.  For example:  "I am an experienced fashion accessories designer and business consultant who helps new fashion companies launch their brands.   You can use this mission statement on your LinkedIn profile and on your social media bio page.    It may take a few tries to get it right. Show it to a mentor to get feedback before you post it online.

4.  Cool Office:  Keep your office professional and include your professional awards and certificates. Avoid too many cute photos of your children or dog.  First impressions count and that extends to your professional space as well.  People visiting your office or cubicle should feel comfortable but not like they are stepping into your living room.  Tip:  Leave the drunk bikini photos from your trip to Cabo on your fridge at home.

Leave the drunk vacay photos on the fridge! 

5.   Be Professional.   Have you heard of the 80/20 rule?  Use this at work as well.  Be 80% professional and 20% personal.  Co-workers and clients want to get to know the real you, but they don't need a play by play of your stomach flu over the weekend.  A quick recap of the awesome Thai restaurant you went to for dinner last night is great.  Keep in professional and your clients and co-workers will respect and relate to you at the same time.  The time to tell about your bad date with the guy from match.com is with your BFF at happy hour, not at the office.  Trust me.

80/20 Rule:  Do talk about the great Sushi place you found over the weekend. (Not your blind date from hell!)

P.S. I follow most of these tips, but sometimes I get bored with using the same headshot for all my social media pages so once in a while you might see a pug for my avatar.  (Hey, I named my fashion brand after my pug, so I can get away with it.)   Hope you enjoyed reading! Come back for more soon.

Cheers,

Tara 

Design & Consulting

Sauvage Private Label LLC

www.tarasauvage.com