Many of the topics I write about come from the requests of my readers and followers, and such is the case with this week’s blog on personal branding. This suggestion came from the wonderful staff at Harry’s, Inc. in NYC (Hi guys!), and I’m absolutely delighted to oblige. And wow! Once I started working on this article, I realized that this topic is so important (and so big) that I’ve decided to create a two-part series in order to give proper attention to the subject matter.

Whenever I approach a topic, I start by doing all the research I can on what’s already out there. After all, why reinvent the wheel, or in this case, the personal branding article? Well, as I perused about a zillion articles on the net (just Google “personal branding” and you’ll see what I mean), I was struck, big-time, by one thing: everyone talks about personal branding as it relates to your internet presence (which is super important, as we all know by now), but I could find literally no articles—not even parts of articles—on personal branding as it relates to your non-virtual, real, in-the-flesh, physical presence! What the…? It’s like we’re all going crazy trying to create a knock ‘em dead virtual presence and paying little or no attention to our actual human being-ness! But let’s face it: sooner or later, we’re all going to have to come out from under our Facebook personae and show the world our genuine selves. And if your in-person presence lacks professionalism, believability, and a healthy dose of pizzazz, you’ve ultimately lost the game.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m going to spend the first half of this article talking about your net presence, but I would be doing everyone a disservice if I didn’t mention the importance of your in-person appearance.

So, let’s take a good look at the business of selling your brand. But first, a little history lesson—and don’t worry; this’ll be fun.

Do you know where the concept of personal branding came from? Way back in history, personal branding was first talked about in an excellent article by Tom Peters, which was published in Fast Company Magazine (“A Brand Called You”) over 10 years ago. Here’s a quote: “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

I like that quote: “Regardless of age…position…the business we happen to be in…” I think it’s important to remember that we don’t have to be Miley Cyrus, Barack Obama, or Mark Zuckerberg to have (or need) a personal brand—and guess what? You already have one, whether you like it or not! (If you don’t believe me, just Google yourself. Most likely, several things will pop up, and hopefully, you won’t cringe at what you see.) People already think one thing or another about you, regardless of whether you’ve been working on your personal brand with a vengeance or ignoring the entire movement while living under a rock.

So, knowing that “the horse is already out of the barn” (sorry, but I’m writing this while I’m staying on a farm in Kentucky), the goal is to guide and steer your already-existing personal brand in the direction you want it to go. And you begin by thinking of your “you-ness” as a product that you’re solely in charge of marketing.

How would you market Lay’s potato chips? Well, I’d probably say they’re delightfully crunchy, deliciously salty, beautifully golden, and alluringly curvy—and I always need to wipe my hands on a paper towel after I’ve eaten them. Whoops! That last part wouldn’t sell a lot of potato chips, would it—even if it’s true. Instead, I might add that they’re “satisfying,” a word that implies all sorts of things, including our universal craving for—again, I would never use this word in a potato chip ad—fats. I’m going to promote the features and downplay the liabilities, without ever misleading consumers into believing that Lay’s potato chips will raise your IQ or make you a better tennis player.

The same is true for you as you create your personal brand. Your goal is to accentuate your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses—but here’s the really important, huge caveat: without ever lying (or even fibbing just a tiny bit), and without creating a person who doesn’t exist in real life. (Believe me, it’ll bite you later on—I’ve seen it happen.)

The way to craft your personal brand is based on a mix of factors that include your experience, leadership, and passion. Although this might be easier for people who’ve been around the block a few times, even a high school student can create a positive, interesting personal brand. Let’s look at each of the factors individually:

Experience

This is not the classic resume definition, which usually entails a breakdown of your years on the job and an overview of the work you’ve completed. Rather, it’s an approach that positions how you evolved and grew as a person—professionally and personally—during that time frame. It’s not a bulleted list, but rather a curriculum vitae summary of your contributions.

Again, even if you’re still in your teens, you can look back at your school years for examples. Did you win a state championship as part of a team? Place first in a district debate tournament? Play first chair flute in the orchestra? It all goes into your brand.

Leadership

We’re not talking about another fill-in-the-blank timeline. When leadership is introduced into the personal branding position, it’s all about your personal accomplishments. During your tenure, what thoughts, ideas, changes, and innovations did you bring to your team, department, company, professional field, or your customers?

For young people: Did you hold any leadership positions at school? Organize a March for Life walkout? Suggest a change in school policy that was implemented by the administration?

Passion

No great personal branding position is complete without this all-important component. Why you do what you do matters. Your personal branding position should include the vital reasons you love what you do, and the ways in which you strive to accomplish whatever brings you joy and fulfillment. This is all about what drives you, and it should be expressed in the most honest and authentic (and passionate) way possible. Here is where your humanness can be found in your personal brand.

So now that you have an idea of how you want to present yourself to the world, let’s start with your all-important image on the net.

Your Online Presence

There’s no doubt about it: your personal brand hinges on having a first-rate online presence. Nowadays, you need to be findable on the net, and furthermore, what people find about you needs to be thoughtfully crafted and carefully managed—by you.

Why? Well, employers are now using social media apps to locate and vet job applicants, often before they even bother to set up an interview. Companies commonly check internship applicants’ Facebook posts and Twitter feeds before considering them for placement. (And if you’re single, don’t lie: there’s not doubt you’re keeping close tabs on your Tinder profile!) It’s time we all started treating our social media tools like the valuable personal branding assets they are.

You can find almost countless articles by other authors on your online personal branding, but here are some quick tips from my perspective:

1. No matter what, make sure you’re along for the wild and wonderful social media ride. Trust me, it’s here to stay, and despite the negative press we read about Facebook ruining our lives or Twitter annihilating our self-esteem, our social media sites can be used for the good, as well. Minimally, LinkedIn (I believe this one’s essential to your professional image), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great places to start if you’re not already there. And remember, all of these sites can be used responsibly and professionally—no one’s asking you to dis your landlord or snap a pic of your cheeseburger.
2. Keep a Google alert on yourself. Monitor what comes up. Whether it’s positive or negative, you should be the first to know what’s being said about you. That way, you’re in a better position to do “damage control,” if necessary, and conversely, you can publicly thank those who mention you favorably in their social media feeds. (Plus, the more active you are on the net, the more findable you are.)
3. Create a personal website. At first blush, this may seem like an excessively elaborate suggestion, but at least think about it before you completely dismiss the idea! It doesn’t have to be fancy—a simple site that includes your name, links to your social media platforms, a brief bio, links to some of your favorite media sites (ones that align with your personal brand), a blog or two that you’ve written (but only if you’re a decent writer!), and a great photo of yourself are about all you need. That way, people can find you fairly easily, and you can completely control the content of what they see and read.
4. Spring for a professional headshot to use on your social media sites. Yes, it might cost you a few bucks, but research shows that humans make some pretty interesting (and admittedly, hypercritical) judgments about each other, based upon mere photos. And recent internet research also shows that when you’re being vetted on the net by a prospective employer (or a prospective date!), your photo is the first thing they look at, and if they don’t like what they see, they don’t even bother to read your profile. Safer to create a great first impression with a polished photo.
5. Make sure you’re consistent across all platforms. What you say about yourself on LinkedIn must match what you say on your resume, or on Facebook or Twitter. Furthermore, many personal branding experts suggest that you use the same headshot across all platforms, so that your own unique image becomes immediately recognizable to those who search for you—and hopefully follow you.
6. Keep it real. A real smile in your headshot, truthful information about your background and accomplishments, genuine stories about your interests and pursuits, likes and links to media sites that truly fuel your passion and enthusiasm for life. And, take a tip from the experts at LinkedIn: rather than telling your story in third person (LaFonda is a contract negotiator at Apple who loves puppies…), speak in the first person (I work in customer research at Google and I love backpacking…). You’ll sound much friendlier, more approachable, and like an actual person if you’re talking directly to your audience, rather than sounding like you’re being interviewed by a newspaper.

So, there you have Part I of this two-part series. In the next installment, I’m going to examine how we can up our game when it comes to our real live, in-person, personal branding. I’ll cover some tips for looking and sounding professional, polished, and in control. And we’ll talk about the importance of ensuring that our online personal brand matches up with our face-to-face presentation of ourselves. See you in two weeks! (Watch for Part II on May 30th.)