Developing YOUR Brand: The FIRST steps

As I wrote in an earlier blog, our "Brand" is the sum of the images and feelings that our Name and Presence evoke in others. Our "Brand" can be an "accidental" brand or a "deliberate" brand.

I suggest we work on the latter. And why not? Why should we leave it to others to define to the world who we are and what we stand for?

Here are the three (3) steps in a Personal/Professional Brand-building process which I developed for myself and for my friends.

Step 1: Decide - what are the three (3) most important characteristics you want the world to ascribe to you? These are called your BRAND ATTRIBUTES.

Step 2: Plan - what tools and activities would you use so the world can experience these ATTRIBUTES and remember and associate them with you? These are the major elements of your BRANDING STRATEGY.

Step 3: Calendar - when do you intend to do use these tools and implement the activities in your Branding strategy? This is your BRANDING PROGRAM.

Let me share first how I did my Step 1.

Discovering our potential BRAND ATTRIBUTES can actually be fun and could lead to making our ties with friends, families and associates even stronger. I began by asking them casually and informally what "VALUE" I add to their lives. "VALUE" represents the positive changes and improvements they experience because of my presence in their lives.

Here were some of the answers (among the many) to the question, what "VALUE" do I add to their lives :

1. They learn new skills, new approaches, new ways of doing things
2. They learn to like themselves, overcome fear and poor self-esteem
3. They experience the loyalty of a friend

After reflecting for some time on the feedback they gave me, I made a decision to focus on three areas that I believe are the strongest positive attributes that the world associate with me:

One, COACH
Two, COUNSELLOR
Three, COMRADE

Those are the three (3) major, primary BRAND ATTRIBUTES which I decided the world should know and remember me by. They represent the three best ways by which I can "add value" to the lives of others and help them in their own journeys.

On Tuesday, July 13, I will share with you the tools and activities I am using so my three BRAND ATTRIBUTES are known, experienced and remembered by the world.