Part 1: Round House Kick Your Personal Brand into Action!

face it…You’re not going to land your dream job or fall into a successful career by chance. Now is the time to start thinking of yourself as a business and approaching career in that aspect. All businesses require a plan of action to succeed and your personal brand is no different. Our celebrities like Denzel Washington, Lady Gaga, and even global bands like U2 have established personal marketing plans to hit brand growth targets. Most of us aren’t born celebrities but a strategized personal marketing plan can essentially turn us into one in our career fields.

So STEP#1  in bringing your personal brand into action is completing a situational analysis.

The slogan from the horrible boost mobile campaign describes it best. It’s simply,  “Where you ats?”

Situational Analysis is one of those terms that really defines itself. Keeping it simple, it’s identifying where you currently are in your career or life. If you’re living at your moms house and a full time student, or if you’ve just started an internship at a new company, it’s important you document where you are in life so you can analyze any progress. And don’t worry this a personal assessment, no one gets to see it unless you share. A situational analysis also includes your networks of friends and business professional, personal finances, and any other resources you can use to enhance your career including your brand influence. Without a plan you’re sitting in a boat without a paddle…… unless it’s a motor boat, but you get the point.

DO THESE! Write it Down and Stop Procrastinating!….It’s the situational analysis break down

mission statement – What is driving you to want to succeed in your career/life? Do you want to be well known expert in your field, get a promotion to a management position, or start your own business? And how do those dreams fit into your long-term goals? Our mission statement is important because, it reminds us why we’re on our chosen path.

Vision Statement- Where are you aiming to be in the next 10 years? Do you want to attain celebrity status in your field and/or be financially independent?

Projected Annual Compensation- How much money are you making in your field now? What benefits are included like healthcare, stock options, or paid vacations? Think about how much money you’d like to get paid in the next 2-3 years, but keep it realistic.

Personal Brand Cycle- How will your brand grow as you grow in life? It’s important to understand your brand has a life of its own, just like you, your brand has it’s own life cycle.

Childhood/Introduction: You first introduce your brand as an infant in your field. It is something that is looking forward to growth and needs more resources at this point then at any other point in the growth process. Typically, people won’t immediately understand who you are, or what your purpose is or if they can even trust your brand for credible information.

Puberty/Growth: Your brand gains momentum as you begin to receive recognition for your work in your field. As your commitment to your passion grows so does your knowledge and skills in your niche. You are becoming a person who can provide great value in your niche area, and people are beginning to refer their friends and colleagues to you as a credible source of information and/or services. This is the point where you will begin to face your first real competition.

Adulthood/Maturity: You are the man or woman. You are clearly recognized by the leaders in your career field as an equal. You can spend most of your time working with clients, doing public speeches or simply maintaining your current status by continuing the actions that brought you to success. Not everyone is going to become a public speaker or host seminars. At the maturity level if you’re a musician this can mean opening acts, and if you’re an artist this can mean an expose. At any degree, at this point you should be known as a person who is able to deliver quality goods/services.

Senior/Decline: You’re ready to pass the torch. You’ve set goals in life and reached them, you now have new goals. These new goals can humanitarian efforts, spending more time with your family, or starting a new conquest in an entirely new field. At this point you feel you have nothing left to prove in your niche and possibly settle into a mentoring position.

This is PART 1 of my 5 PART series on Personal Marketing. It’s all about getting your life where you want it to be. Drop by next week for PART 2!