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Contrary to popular belief, personal branding is not about chest pounding and screaming from the rooftops “look at me, look at me.” The most powerful way to build your brand is by letting others speak for you and by harnessing credibility rather than building a reputation of being a flagrant self-promoter. Often, it’s the actions you take and the value bestowed upon you by others that drives your brand prowess. Here are seven ways to amp up your brand value without having to tell people how great you are.
1. Brand Association
Companies have used brand association to help reinforce their brand attributes for decades. The chic W Hotels brand features the trendy spa toiletries brand Bliss Spa, for example, to reinforce their hipness. This same technique can be used by you. The communities you connect with can say a lot about your brand without your ever having to open your mouth. When you hang in the same circles as those who are revered in your area of expertise, some of their brand value rubs off on you.
2. Expert Quotes
One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate that you’re a thought leader is by being quoted in national publications, popular online forums and trade journals related to your area of expertise. Now, I know what you might be thinking: “Why would someone quote me?” Or “How do I get a journalist to recognize me?” To that I say: Every career-minded professional has something valuable to say. And it’s actually easier than you think to get featured in publications. Here’s what you need to do:
- Choose the publications where you’d like to be featured (they’re the ones whose readers are the people you’d like to influence).
- Identify contributors who write about your topic. Follow them and their content. Make sincere, thoughtful comments on their work. Reach out to them to build a relationship.
- Offer to be a source—providing samples of the expert contributions you could make.
In addition to this, get on Twitter. Journalists often use it to find sources because they want to know who is talking about a specific subject right now.
You can also sign up to be a source on PR matchmaking sites. Qwoted.com, for example, helps connect journalists with experts. You can register to be an expert resource at no cost.
Of course, remember to check with your boss before you say anything that’s related to your work. You don’t want the positive external publicity to weaken your brand internally.
3. Skills
Diplomas, certifications and degrees are great ways for learning institutions to bestow brand value upon you. And with the need to learn every day—I call it treadmill learning—you have to demonstrate that upskilling is your mantra. Prove that you’re not one to rest on your laurels (even your laurels were bestowed by an Ivy League school). If you’d like to move into management, consider Essential Skills for Managers and Leaders from the Ken Blanchard company. If you want to showcase your digital dexterity, consider these courses assembled by Nancy Van Brunt. Then, remember to highlight these newly obtained skills in your LinkedIn profile and on your company intranet (both in your boilerplate bio and on your profile).
4. Testimonials
When other people tout your brilliance, it has more power and authority than anything you could say about yourself, especially if those people are recognized leaders in your industry or area of thought leadership. This includes things like LinkedIn endorsements and recommendations, client testimonials and quotes about you. They’re especially valuable when they go beyond just being glowing. They’re the most powerful brand builders when what’s said helps you reinforce exactly how you want to be known. Here’s how to get the most valuable LinkedIn recommendation.
5. Awards
When awards are bestowed upon you by the media, relevant professional associations, not-for-profit institutions and other organizations, they’re promoting you as a leader to others in your community. There are literally thousands of awards handed out each year. The AVA Awards acknowledge excellence in digital marketing. The BIG Innovation Awards recognize those people who bring new ideas to life. And Forbes awards your leaders with the Top 30 Under 30. If you do a little research, you’ll find an award that you can qualify for or aspire to. Just make sure to pick ones that will help you bolster your brand.
6. Social Proof
When you commit to regularly publishing valuable content that showcases your expertise (YouTube videos, LinkedIn articles, SlideShare presentations, etc.), you’ll start to build readerships as well as a fan base. When people like, comment on and share what you have to say, they’re endorsing it, and by association, you. The more popular your content becomes, the more others will take notice.
7. Volunteering
If your aspiration is to be the best leader in your organization, but your role is more of individual contributor, taking on a leadership role in a professional organization or a not-for-profit that moves you is a great way to showcase a passion and skill for which you have less opportunity at the workplace. Just remember to let people—those who matter in your quest for success—know what you’re doing in your volunteer work and highlight it in your bios, online profiles, etc.
Personal branding requires a combination of show and tell. And the “tell” part is way more powerful when you let other people and organizations tell your story for you.
William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and author of Digital YOU: Real Personal Branding in the Virtual Age.
