Often I talk about public relations as being relationships
with your public. I believe building personal relationships
is critical to business success. Most people want to do
business with people that they like. One way of building
relationships is through your personal branding,
differentiating yourself from your competitors by being
you, and allowing that uniqueness to shine.
You are also the package, just like a product. What does
your package look like? How's the design, colour and look?
What message does your personal image send?
Your image is a bit like the weather. People notice when
it's extremely good or extremely bad. In person how you
shake hands, make eye contact, how you conduct yourself in
social situations and the clothes you choose to wear help
to build your personal brand. You need to take care of the
details.
Your clothes, appearance and grooming really are the
external image of your brand. What image are you projecting?
If we look at famous brands and the "look" they project
through their people, Virgin Blue, in Australia as an
example, has a strong corporate image of being friendly,
fresh and cheeky. Qantas on the other hand has an image
that is far more conservative, more corporate. Both
companies spend millions on getting their look right. Not
just the external branding of logos and signage but the
uniforms and image of the people within the organisations.
Everything is totally co-coordinated from the outfits to
the shoes, hosiery, earrings and luggage - it's a
coordinated professional look as they can't afford to have
anyone in those companies presenting negatively. Jetstar on
the other hand have a completely different image. It looks
more casual and down-market and portrays an image of being
cheap, no frills. So much so that the credibility and trust
of the airline is questioned. Jokes are made about its
inefficiency and safety record - although there is no
negative record to support those rumours.
Not all organisations have a uniform - but there is
definitely an underlying code of dressing particularly in
the corporate environment which is smart, polished and
professional.
Now having said that it doesn't mean we all need to look
and dress the same. By understanding the brand qualities
you want to project with the work you do and the customer
you want to attract you can create a look that is suitable,
creative and stylish to help you stand out.
To begin, write down some adjectives of the type of person
or brand you would like to be or project. Think of yourself
as the product you are designing a package for. Cut out and
collect some words, images and colours from magazines. Cut
out images of clothes and shapes that appeal to you and
reflect the words you have chosen for yourself. Create a
brand portfolio of ideas and visual examples. Establish a
strong visual image that is your blueprint.
As you do this exercise you will begin to discover your
style and what appeals to you. This is your logo - your own
personal brand. It is a very useful exercise as you can now
take your brand portfolio to an image consultant or a
photographer, graphic designer, web designer or any other
consultant who is helping you to build the brand and image
of your business.
Begin to think and feel your new brand image and live your
new image until it becomes part of you.
----------------------------------------------------
Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications
Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your
inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business
educator and speaker on personal branding through image and
media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and
professional PR at
http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm
and learn more about how you can achieve recognition,
enhance your image and shine.
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