Yes Indeed, You Do Have A (Personal) Brand

Yes Indeed, You Do Have A (Personal) Brand Every once in a while I hear the negative about personal branding. Ive seen blog posts from really big/influential (in their space) bloggers who say that personal branding is a crock. Heres a thoughtful piece called Personal Branding RIP by Mitch Joel, something of a god in the digital marketing space.  Make sure to read the comments, which are very good. Yesterday I got a note on Facebook, in response to my blog post about Donald McMichaels website here is some of the dialog: I know some people think that the term branding or personal branding is not the best term for what were talking about. I dont really care what you call it, though, you have a personal brand. I use that term because its the most acceptable term, and I think its here to stick. I dont care as much about the term, though, as the concept behind it. You are known for something.  Some people have a personal brand that is on purpose.  That is, they strategically work on it and know how to define it, and help others understand what it is based on what theyve thought about. Others (many of us) have a personal brand that just kind of happened. Like that guy at work who always gets out of work. Like that lady who talks way too much. Like that guy who doesnt say much but is 1,000% dependable. Like the lady who makes THE BEST powerpoint presentations. Like the guy in school who always got an A, and who you wanted on your team project. Like the antagonist, or the peace maker, or the bully These are examples of unintentional personal brands.  They just kind of happen you do your thing and people know you for it. Yesterdays post was an example of a guy who has done an awesome job of defining, intentionally, his personal brand. Perhaps personal branding doesnt matter to you right now.  When I was the general manager of a software company it didnt matter to me because my assumed brand was very strong. But when I became Jason the unemployed guy, and the assumed brand of general manager went away, I found myself in a bad place.  It was time to create my own personal brand (even though I hadnt heard that term at the time). What about you?  Is your brand intentional or unintentional right now? More posts that go into the semantics of personal branding: Personal Branding Real or Fake? Why I Hate the Term Personal Branding (read the comments!) Yes Indeed, You Do Have A (Personal) Brand Every once in a while I hear the negative about personal branding. Ive seen blog posts from really big/influential (in their space) bloggers who say that personal branding is a crock. Heres a thoughtful piece called Personal Branding RIP by Mitch Joel, something of a god in the digital marketing space.  Make sure to read the comments, which are very good. Yesterday I got a note on Facebook, in response to my blog post about Donald McMichaels website here is some of the dialog: I know some people think that the term branding or personal branding is not the best term for what were talking about. I dont really care what you call it, though, you have a personal brand. I use that term because its the most acceptable term, and I think its here to stick. I dont care as much about the term, though, as the concept behind it. You are known for something.  Some people have a personal brand that is on purpose.  That is, they strategically work on it and know how to define it, and help others understand what it is based on what theyve thought about. Others (many of us) have a personal brand that just kind of happened. Like that guy at work who always gets out of work. Like that lady who talks way too much. Like that guy who doesnt say much but is 1,000% dependable. Like the lady who makes THE BEST powerpoint presentations. Like the guy in school who always got an A, and who you wanted on your team project. Like the antagonist, or the peace maker, or the bully These are examples of unintentional personal brands.  They just kind of happen you do your thing and people know you for it. Yesterdays post was an example of a guy who has done an awesome job of defining, intentionally, his personal brand. Perhaps personal branding doesnt matter to you right now.  When I was the general manager of a software company it didnt matter to me because my assumed brand was very strong. But when I became Jason the unemployed guy, and the assumed brand of general manager went away, I found myself in a bad place.  It was time to create my own personal brand (even though I hadnt heard that term at the time). What about you?  Is your brand intentional or unintentional right now? More posts that go into the semantics of personal branding: Personal Branding Real or Fake? Why I Hate the Term Personal Branding (read the comments!)