5 meanings of Personal Branding that you need to know, if you want to do it right

The meaning of Personal Branding, like many other marketing terms, can have different declinations, above all because it brings together two words, "personal" and "branding", which many perceive as distant . Perhaps you too have wondered: what does the "brand", the brand, which is something of companies, have to do with what is "personal", therefore of single people?

This multiplicity of meanings is also well represented by the quantity of definitions, in which many experts have tried to enclose this concept, each of which highlights a different aspect .

To tidy up, I have identified 5 meanings that in my opinion are the most important when we talk about Personal Branding; I explained them and then enriched them with a series of quotations, more or less famous, but all useful for clarifying the different concepts.

If you too have asked yourself: “What is Personal Branding?” here are some helpful answers.

1) Personal Branding is awareness of oneself and one's identity

When I think about the meaning of Personal Branding, I first think of this: if you don't know yourself well, you can't expect others to know you (or RE-know you) .
Furthermore, if you don't know yourself well, you will find it difficult to choose which strengths to leverage on to promote and distinguish yourself, risking incoherent communication.

The quotes that I propose to you in this first section highlight just this: before starting any Personal Branding activity, reflect on your personal identity (what is your character?) and professional (what are your skills?).

In my experience I have also found another important fact: people often believe that in order to stand out it is necessary to build "a character" to present online to others, a kind of mask of oneself, often far from reality. No, Personal Branding doesn't work like that. In every communication we must be ourselves as much as possible, sincere and authentic.

Don't be fooled by GB Shaw's quote about "creating yourself", because it is not an invitation to build a facade of comfort, but it is a deeper invitation: do not let events shape you, but work on yourself to become what you want .

Quotes on the meaning of Personal Branding as self-awareness

“Personal Branding begins the moment you discover yourself”
“Personal Branding begins the moment you discover yourself”
—Bernard Kelvin Clive

“You too are a brand. Whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not.”
“You too are a brand. Whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not."
– Marc Ecko

“The keys to brand success are self-definition, transparency, authenticity and accountability.”
“The keys to brand success are: self-definition, transparency, authenticity and accountability”
–Simon Mainwaring

“Your personal brand is what differentiates you from others.”
“Your Personal brand is what differentiates you from others”
– unknown

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself”
– George Bernhard Shaw

“If you're your authentic self, you have no competition.”
“If you are authentically yourself, you have no competition”
– Scott Strat

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”
– attributed to both Oscar Wilde and Will Rogers, but there is no proof

2) Personal Branding is knowledge of others (especially customers)

Our identity is made up of many ingredients and each of our communications leaves traces of our character and our professionalism. Think: Which of these tracks are your customers really interested in? If you don't know your customers, you don't know. To understand this second meaning of Personal Branding, ask yourself these questions: who can I be useful to? Who are my services or products for? Why do they need them? What do they want to achieve? What problems do they have to solve? What are they to do?

Also try to know what others think and say about you, to see if this fits with who you are. Based on this information, you then decide which communication strategy to adopt.

I usually ask my clients two simple questions:
1) What do you want others to know or think about you?
2) what do you post on social channels or on your website, so that they know or think about you what you want?

Quotes about the meaning of Personal Branding as knowledge of others

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.”
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, guide a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.”
– Seth Godin

“Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.”
“Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room”
– J. Bezos

“The most important thing to remember is you must know your audience.”
“The most important thing to remember is that you need to know your audience”
– Lewis Howes

3) Personal Branding is a relationship with others (especially with customers)

If we lived alone on a desert island, Personal Branding would not be necessary. Personal Branding has its raison d'etre in our relationship with others .
We apply it above all to work relationships, when we want to make ourselves known so that others buy us, our services or our products, but, if we want to broaden our gaze, we can apply the same concepts to all interpersonal relationships.

The quotes I have chosen to clarify this meaning of Personal Branding all speak of "promises", of "trust", of "connection". Pay attention: they are all terms that allude to relationships between people.

Quotes on the meaning of Personal Branding as a relationship with others

“Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.“
“Your Personal Brand is a promise to your customers… a promise of quality, consistency, expertise and reliability.”
– Jason Hartman

“A great brand is a story that's never completely told. A brand is a metaphorical story that connects with something very deep – a fundamental appreciation of mythology. Stories create the emotional context people need to locate themselves in a larger experience.”
“A great brand is a story that is never fully told. A brand is a metaphor that connects to something very deep: a fundamental appreciation of mythology. Stories create the emotional context people need to place themselves in the larger experience.”
- Scott Bedbury - Nike, Starbucks

“Personal Branding is about building authority that gets people to pay attention to your message and want to share it and recommend it to others.”
“Personal branding is about building an authority that gets people to pay attention to your message and want to share it and recommend it to others”
– Mark Traphagen

“Great Personal Branding will differentiate you from competitors and allow you to build trust with prospective clients”
“Great Personal Branding will set you apart from the competition and allow you to build trust with potential customers”
Caroline Castrillon

“If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you.”
"If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they will do business with you"
– Zig Ziglar

4) Personal Branding is the promotion and sale of oneself

The term Personal Branding was born in the field of marketing and its development is closely linked to promotion and sales. In this case it is easy for Personal Branding to be confused with the concept of "online reputation" , which instead represents only a part of it.
For freelancers it is perhaps easier to think of themselves in terms of "product" and therefore understand that their ability to sell themselves is also linked to the reputation they manage to build both online and offline.

Currently, however, the diffusion of social media and the ease with which we can find information about anyone are increasing awareness that reputation (and the ability to "sell yourself") affects anyone's professional life: in work relationships, career, in relationships with colleagues, etc.

It is what has always happened, only now it is more evident and easier to manage, if we are aware of it.

Quotes on the meaning of Personal Branding as promotion and sale of oneself

“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.”
“We all need to understand the importance of branding. We are managing directors of our company: Me Srl To be in business today, our most important job is to be the marketing manager for the brand called TU”
– Tom Peters

“A brand's strength is built upon its determination to promote its own distinctive values and mission.”
“The strength of a brand is based on its determination to promote its distinctive values and its mission”.
– Jean-Noel Kapferer

5) Personal Branding is a communication strategy (online)

It is usually this meaning that we refer to when we say: "You have to do Personal Branding" or "How do you do Personal Branding?".
Yes, because Personal Branding is something you do, it's not just something that exists in itself.

If you want others to understand that you are the right person for them, that you are competent and professional, that you have the tools to solve their problems and challenges, well, if you want all of this, then you have to "do" something. What? Simple: you have to set up and implement a good communication strategy.

Here I limit myself to telling you that, as with any communication strategy, even when you want to strengthen your Personal Brand you must define clear and measurable objectives , you must choose the most suitable communication channels for you and create an editorial calendar of contents to be published, revolving everything around your identity and the needs of your customers.

Quotes on the meaning of Personal Branding as a communication strategy (online)

“Focus on identifying your target audience, communicating an authentic message that they want and need and project yourself as an “expert” within your niche.”
“Focus on identifying your target audience, communicating an authentic message that they want and need, and present yourself as an “expert” in your niche.”
—Kim Garst

“You need to start building your digital presence, because that digital presence is a direct reflection of you and who you are in person.”
“You have to start building your digital presence, because that digital presence is a direct reflection of you and who you are in person.”
—Leonard Kim

“Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves …. Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field.”
“Even people need to develop a brand for themselves…. Whatever your area of expertise, you can make people think of YOU when they think of your field. “
– Accelepoint Webzine

“Social media is changing the way we communicate and the way we are perceived, both positively and negatively. Every time you post a photo, or update your status, you are contributing to your own digital footprint and personal brand.”
“Social media is changing the way we communicate and how we are perceived, both positively and negatively. Every time you post a photo or update your status, you are contributing to your digital footprint and personal brand. “
– Amy Jo Martin

Extra: Personal Branding is a stimulus to think

I close this article with a final consideration, born from this last quote that I read recently:

“It is much easier to be a hero than a gentleman. Heroes one can be for once; gentlemen, it must always be.”
Luigi Pirandello

Here, I believe that our identity, the one we manifest by doing Personal Branding, is revealed in what we choose to do day by day . And what we choose to do should be the result of continuous self-research and personal improvement. It is a lifelong work of discovery and reflection.
If we do it right, this activity will constantly bring us new surprises.