kauhi road map to personal branding
TRANSCRIPT
Mapping Your Unique
Value: A Roadmap to
Personal Branding
Tonya Kauhi
September 25, 2014 | GeCo in the
Rockies 2014
Presentation Overview• Introduction
• Personal Branding 101
• Components of a Personal Brand
• How to Start Creating Your Brand Story
• Next Steps
Meet GeoEngineers
Earth Science and Technology Experts
Trusted advisors to clients who manage natural resources
and the built environment.
We find a better way to apply earth science and technology to improve the
world we live in.
Personal Branding 101• What is a Personal Brand?
• Why is a Personal Brand Important?
• How can a Personal Brand work for you?
What is a Personal Brand?A personal brand is similar to a company brand, and the two
can be connected.
Like a company brand, a personal brand is a combination of
your image and your reputation.
"A brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room”–Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon
Why is a Personal Brand Important?
You have a brand, whether you know it or not.
Your personal brand influences:
• How you are perceived
• Opportunities
• Prospects
How can a Personal Brand work for you?• Through personal branding, you can control your
brand!
• Focus connections and opportunities to your
strengths and interests
• Weed out dead-end prospects and distractions
Personal Brand Considerations• What are the key attributes that describe you?
• What distinguishes you from your colleagues?
• How can you develop brand advocates, and where
do you tell your brand story?
Elements of a Personal BrandThree major components:
• Who you are or Persona
• What you bring to the table or Promise
• Communication of your value or Promotion
Persona• A persona describes who you are and the
qualities that make you, you. • A persona includes your:
─Attributes,─Characteristics, ─Vision and ─Values.
"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.“ - Benjamin Franklin
Persona – What Are Some Key Attributes?
Persona – Where to Start?• What are your strongest attributes?
• What am I passionate about?
• What motivates me?
PromiseIt is your unique value. It is what sets you apart.
PromiseHow does someone benefit from working with you?
• Do you offer unparalleled quality?
• Do you provide quick turnarounds?
• Do you enjoy solving complex problems?
Promise – Where to Start?• What makes me unique?
• What results do people experience when working
with me? What can I help others to achieve?
• What personality characteristics make people
interested in me?
What is a Brand Story?A personal brand story is a short pitch (1-3
sentences) that communicates your value (what you
are the best at), your audience (who you serve), and
your promise (how you perform your value uniquely).
A brand story can help create memorable
interactions
How to Create Your Brand Story?• Define your target audience or ideal client base
• Define a value statement by focusing your key
attributes and persona
• Define a promise that you can achieve by applying
your unique value
• Combine these elements to create a narrative that
tells others about you!
What Makes a Great Brand Story?• Memorable
• Authentic
• Gives specific examples
• Combines logic and emotion
• Provides attributes that make you unique and
valuable
My Brand Story Example• Audience
─Potential clients with data quality and access issues.
• Persona
─Attributes: Dedicated, innovative, organized, reliable
• Promise
─Unlike other GIS Architects, I put business needs first
and technology second. I am motivated by finding
better ways and improve business workflows.
My Brand Story Example"I love helping my clients improve their business processes and
do their job more efficiently. (Persona)
I provide value by truly understanding their business needs and
implementing the best solution for those needs. (Promise)
I recently helped an international mining company standardize
data management workflows and centralized water quality
data. This project improved the client’s data access time from 2
months to minutes.“ (Example)
Promotion – Tell Your Brand StoryCommon Misconceptions about self promotion:
• You should only self-promote during
performance reviews
• My boss will promote me and my
work
• Talking about myself makes me
feel uncomfortable
• More is better
Promotion – Tell Your Brand Story• Online
• Conferences
• Present and Attend
• Blog
• Articles
• Volunteer
• One on one conversation
• Interest Groups
• Live It!
Next StepsThree Things you can do today!
1. Create, update or complete
your LinkedIn Profile
2. Share your brand story with someone you just
met.
3. Send the Survey (Personal Branding Assessment
Questionnaire) to 3 coworkers or colleagues.
References and Resources
• Tom Peters! http://tompeters.com/
• “The Brand Called You”, Tom Peters, http://www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you
• Branding Pays http://brandingpays.com/
• Smarter Networking http://www.smarter-networking.com/main/index.php
• Reach Personal Branding http://www.reachpersonalbranding.com/
• Training, Coaching and Speaking Services, Pat O’Malley http://arrowleaf.net