3 Tips to Have Better Branding than a Knock-off Halloween Costume

Look, you’ve probably heard it all before: ‘Personal branding is so important! Set up your LinkedIn profile! Know your strengths!’, and I get it – it can be a lot. The worst part though? It’s all true.

If you don’t take the time to really sit down and reflect on how you communicate who you are and what you want to people, then your ‘brand’ is going to be vague and unconvincing – much like those awful knock-off costumes you probably saw last week in the lead up to the big ol’ spook day itself.

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So, in remembrance of the ‘Video Game Guy’ who definitely wasn’t Mario, and the ‘Women’s Wonder Lady’ who definitely wasn’t Wonder Woman, here are three quick tips to help get you thinking about your own branding.

1. Know thyself

It’s pretty hard to describe someone if you don’t actually know them. It’s time to get introspective and start thinking about who you are, what you value, and what you can bring to the metaphorical table.

What do you enjoy? What are you good at? What motivates you?

If you can answer these questions, you’re already more than halfway there!

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2. Make your brand your own

Your personal brand should entail you defining what sets you apart from others, not something that makes you sound like someone else. How do you want people to remember you? What sort of work do you want to be doing, and how do you talk about yourself in a way that makes people align that type of work with you?

Start by making a list of things you want to do in your chosen career. Maybe you work in fashion and you’re really passionate about sustainability – when you network and introduce yourself to people, mention that passion and how you want to use it in your career.

When you talk about yourself it doesn’t have to be all about your experience, degree, and work history. Incorporating your passions and ideas into those conversations helps people know who you are as a person and will make you more memorable in the long run.

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3. Start advertising

Your personal brand isn’t just what you tell people in-person, it applies to every platform (IRL or online) were people can meet you.

LinkedIn should be your first point of call for perfecting your personal brand online. If you don’t already have one – make one. If you do have one, make sure you get to superstar status and post as regularly as you can, connecting with groups and communities relevant to your industry.

You should also check your privacy settings on your other social media sites, like Facebook and Instagram. Potential employers or networking connections are all going to check your profiles, regardless of whether you think of them as ‘employer facing’ or not. Make sure whatever is available for public consumption follows the image you’re creating with your personal brand.

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(Want to see more ridiculous unlicensed costumes? Check out this BuzzFeed article).

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash