Personal Branding Defined

Allison Tibbs, an eXaminer.com contributor, has created her own definition of Personal Branding and broken it down into its component parts to give a better understanding of the term.

Personal Branding – Achieving personal and professional goals by differentiating yourself by articulating your unique value through a consistent message.

• Achieving personal and professional goals - Everyone has or should have goals that they set, whether they are personal or professional. There is no benefit to setting goals if you do not reach them. It is important that your Personal Brand gives you the extra step needed to reach those goals.

• Differentiating yourself by articulating your unique value – Your Personal Brand can be the deciding factor on whether you are chosen, promoted, hired, or believed. If your Personal Brand is not viewed as valuable and unique, there is no real reason for you to be the chosen one. Therefore, it is important to create a brand that stands out and proves to be valuable and successful.

• Through a consistent message – A successful brand is one that is consistent, because if it is not, you will begin to confuse your target audience. Once confusion sets in your credibility falters and you will not be taken seriously. If you confuse your audience, you lose your audience.