In work it’s incumbent on us to be able to promote ourselves in a way that feels authentic. It’s also important to be able to communicate our professional value and uniqueness directly and concisely, this your personal brand. Your personal brand is how you show up every day.
2 ways to effectively articulate your personal brand;
Your Personal Brand Statement
This is a written description of who you are as a professional and the value that you add. It should be no more than 5/6 sentences long; you can use it to build your presence and communicate your expertise. Your personal statement will evolve over time as your skills and experience evolve.
Where to use it: Intro documents and profiles, proposals, Linkedin bio, website.
How to construct it:
Who – Your main audience (client or customer); the people you want to make an impact on / with
What – Your strengths and key attributes, your specialist knowledge and skills
How – Your value add / USP
E.g.
I work with department heads and product leads to help them get their internal and external marketing messages across to their customers and stakeholders. I am great at working with people using my excellent communication skills and marketing skills to help them make an impact. I have 15 years comms experience gained in large multinationals and with time spent launching a start-up tech company, my breadth of experience makes me adaptable and agile in my work. I’m regularly described as a communication ninja, with the ability to cut to the chase finding the messages that hit the target.
Your Elevator Pitch
This is a condensed version of your personal brand statement; this will be something that sounds natural when you say it out loud.
The idea of the elevator pitch is to prepare you for those moments when someone asks ‘What do you do?’ Imagine you found yourself in the elevator on the 20th floor with someone you really want to work with / find truly inspirational. What would you say to showcase your skills and professional value?
So, it’s something that you say, ideally no longer than 60 seconds long (up to 150 words). Think of it as a tool for creating opportunities and building connection.
How to construct it:
How – what’s the impression you want to leave, how do you want them to feel?
What – end with a question as you want the conversation to continue afterwards.
E.g.
People call me the communications ninja because of my unique skill of being able to cut to the chase and get the message across. I’ve worked in comms for 15 years in a range of organisations from start up to multinationals and this experience has made me an efficient, adaptable and agile professional. I love helping business leads get their message across. What messages can I help you with?
Your personal brand statement and elevator pitch are the perfect ways to encapsulate who you are, what’s important to you and the difference you make in the world. Don’t be afraid to make them bold so you can stand out from the crowd.
Crafting ways to articulate your personal brand is a great exercise to help you to gain clarity on how you want to talk about yourself and your achievements in those key career and business conversations. It's a useful tool that all professionals should have at their fingertips and one to keep finessing.
I work with my clients to work on their personal brand; I also give talks and provide workshops on this topic. Get in touch if I can help you or your team discover, and then articulate, what makes you uniquely valuable.
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