Going along with that means that your product(s) must fall in line with your brand and live up to that promise.
What is your brand? What does it say about you? I get a lot of emails from all kinds of places and one that I got a while ago (forgive me that I can't remember who it is from!) asked the question "What is your brand?".
Being from a communications background, it doesn't seem the least bit odd to remember that image is everything, and, no, I am not just referring to looks. It's part of the whole package. What you look like, how you dress, how you speak and more.
As the companies mentioned above know, a successful brand is one that is not all over the map. Rather, you always know what you are getting with a product from said brand. Often and unfortunately, our own personal brand is all over the place.
Take for instance your Linkedin profile. Linkedin is a professional networking site where you would want to put your best foot forward in hopes of maintaining your credibility as well as developing relationships with other folks - one of whom may be your next boss (no joke, I really got my last job in part through Linkedin) or another customer.
Using my field of communications as an example, I cannot explain why many accomplished communications folks have the most questionable profiles and profile photos. Do they not realize the brand that they are projecting?
For instance, I've seen a lot of communications individuals that maintain photos that are undeniably 15 years old or even have no photo at all. When I think of a professional communications person, an up-to-date photo comes to mind.
There has been numerous scientific studies done that prove that people, rightly or not, judge you in less than 5 seconds. With such a small amount of time to make a first impression, wouldn't you want to put your best foot forward?
Along the same line, if you have a super-professional Linkedin page, but have an accessible Facebook page featuring photos of you drunk and on the floor what does that say about your judgement to others and the strength of your brand?
I've never really run the gamut of brands, but in the last year or so, I've really tried to consistently portray my brand day in and out.
There are many ways that you can refresh your brand, but let's just look at one way: Your physical appearance. Does your style match up to the image you want to project? Mine was matching up, but lacking.
In my ideal professional brand, I would have a conservative, professional look that displayed my funkiness in an appropriate way. My real brand was conservative and professional, but BORING! Lots of trouser pants, suit jackets and cardigans, which is fine, but I always felt so boring just being appropriate.
Once I decided that my brand would be to dress in a more feminine, professional fashion utilizing shift dresses and pencil skirts and minimizing my use of jackets, I really felt like there was success with my brand.
One thing that I am always aware of with my brand is that it should be carried through daily. Yes, there are always going to be days when you are not looking your best, whether you have a cold or a bad hair day. But I never have an excuse to abandon my brand.
No matter where you work, you can almost always count on someone that comes in with wet hair, rumpled clothes and no makeup. Many of times those folks have an excuse that they didn't have enough time. To me, their brand says sloppy and a that they are a person that I can't even count on to come in looking professional, so what will their performance be like at work? Sloppy with errors throughout? Fair or not, that's the way my mind (an other minds) work.
Take for instance this photo below. We had work headshots done a couple of weeks ago, we use these photos for when professional organizations and others need a pic. I didn't have any control over the background, which is pretty standard. But, I did have control over what I was wearing in the pic.
To project a more mature appearance, I decided to go with a pinstriped jacked, but mix things up with a shiny taupe top and my favorite Stella & Dot necklace. I almost hate to say it, but I like bling, and big chunky bling is part of my brand. But, I was able to rock the bling in a professional way without looking unprofessional.
I am still working on refining my brand, but the more I go with what I like rather than what I think I should like, the more authentic and happy I feel. And, I think, it shines from within.
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| Sure, I work in a more conservative environment, but I still try to show my authentic style through accessories. |
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