Building Your Brand
What would happen if you consciously chose the impression you leave on the world?
After 15 years in business, I’m going through my first branding process. A dear friend, and marketing guru, is talking me through the steps.
“You have to understand what you stand for”, she’ll say. “And make sure that all your messaging links back to who you are.”
The overarching principle, I’m learning, is that you want your brand to become synonymous with … well … whatever you deem to be most important. Your values. Your capabilities. Your vision for yourself and others.
Your legacy.
And it has got me wondering how our daily lives would look if we were all a little more conscious about our personal ‘brand’. What would our online interactions look like, if we were mindful of the message we were sending to the world-at-large? How would we choose to interact with others, if we were careful to always portray our highest values? What changes would we make to our image, communication style, relationships and daily habits if we realised how effectively … and how completely … these things engrave the world with an imprint of who we are?
Of course, the concept of personal branding (for me, at least) can bring up uncomfortable visions of ruthless people hiding behind carefully-crafted PR campaigns and ghostwritten op-eds. But, that is not the kind of brand I’m building … and it’s not the kind of personal brand I’m referring to here, now.
I am learning that the best business brand is one that effectively and authentically conveys your core ethos. So I’m saying, what if we could all be a little more careful to display outwardly that, and only that, which is most inwardly important to us?
Of course, humanness is bound to get in the way of a perfect individual marketing campaign — we all wander from our own designated moral path at times. But, it could be possible for us to at least establish what our most meaningful brand would be and try, in every moment, to honor that vision.
It all starts, I’ve learned, with a few simple questions, such as:
What are my most valuable talents? What are the skills you possess that are a contribution to others? These are the aspects of yourself that you most want to develop and share with the world.
What do I stand for? This, for me, is the ultimate question. What are your highest values? What do you care about most? Where do you want to influence the world, and in what direction?
What qualities do I admire/encourage in others? What qualities do you hold most dear in your friends, associates and wider community? How well and how often do you express those same qualities?
How do I want people to feel about/around me? What do you want to inspire others to be? How do you want people to feel when they are with you; talking about you; remembering you?
What do I want my legacy to be? Here it is. What will this world miss out on if you don’t shine in your own unqiue, inspired and authentic way? What is your most perfect purpose? Who would you be if you realised that you are the only person in history capable of fulfilling your specific role?
In my business, my marketing-guru friend is adamant. “Know your brand identity. Bring it back to that. Bring everything back to that.”
I invite you, too, to come to know your brand. And live it.
Kim Forrester is a mother, nature lover, global traveller, holistic wellbeing advocate and kindness enthusiast. As an award-winning author, educator and consultant, she combines cutting edge science with spiritual philosophy to inspire holistic wellbeing and fullness of living. Check out Kim’s podcast,Eudaemonia, to learn more about how to flourish in life.
