By Dr Hamed Taherdoost, Professor at University Canada West
A personal brand and its development plan might be regarded as a contemporary marketing idea. Due to multidisciplinary overlaps, it is impossible to date the notion precisely. The difficulty lies in incomplete conceptions about the comprehension of current marketing trends, job psychology, and self-presentation. Initially, the personal brand was connected largely with the celebrity image and executive leadership. Given the increasing level of competition, the value of a personal brand has started to be applied to lower job positions, and it has also grown increasingly important for those just starting their jobs, university graduates, and students. There are a variety of approaches to establishing one’s own brand accessible today, all of which vary in some way. Target groups and total market size have a major role in determining differences.
Approaches for building a personal brand
Building a personal brand is broken down into five phases in the following:
- Vision, goal, and values generation
- Target audience analysis and selection
- Offline and online actions for personal branding
- Attendance at media channels and content marketing
- Relationship-building, mentorship, and control
The development of a personal brand’s vision, goal, and values
Prior to articulating one’s vision, one is required to first identify the essential values that determine one’s character and position in the job market. Personal preferences dictate which of these characteristics are most important to each individual. Begin with a personal connection and even passion for the sector you wish to explore, says SJ Gratton. A person’s professional and personal preferences may be separated here. If you are looking for a job, you need to know what motivates you both professionally and personally, so that you can show this in your resume. A personality test like the Big Five Personality Traits Test or the MBTI is advised in this setting. The vision serves as a framework for determining one’s professional path and the driving force behind achieving one’s objectives and the vision itself. No matter how the environment changes, the foundational ideas established by vision remain constant. When it comes to the fundamentals, it is a blend of long-term concepts adapted to the changing reality. Vision should be grounded on the individual’s current circumstances and the objective appraisal of his or her employment alternatives.
Developing a mission statement is an essential step after determining the vision for the organization. The mission substantiates the significance of our endeavors and provides compelling arguments in support of our decision to participate in the job hunt and the process of professional advancement. It is a unique purpose, a source of inspiration, and sometimes even a description of how the applicant in his or her career will make meaning of their life to ensure that his or her mission is distinctive while yet being in line with that of other candidates. Vision and goal are inseparable components that cannot be understood in isolation; they are often presented together due to their interdependence. Together, they provide the foundation and the launch point for the strategic management of personal brands.
Target group selection
In business, it is critical to identify a target audience and define its features. When establishing a personal brand, it is critical to segment the market based on certain characteristics. We use psychographic criteria and socio-democracy, as well as in-depth examination in the context of information processes, decision-making, and their motivational structures, as the foundation of our marketing strategy. The requirements and answers to our offer distinguish the many target groups that make up the various sectors of our market, as are the features of an individual’s work activity in the labor market. Internal homogenous segments are made while choosing criteria for the designated segments. Each of these segments is diverse in comparison to other segments at the same time. Market segmentation into target groups is a tool for a successful marketing strategy because it enables the creation and development of a personal brand as well as planning and controlling tools by understanding the needs of target groups and their motivations for decision-making and information processes. In the case of developing a personal brand to succeed in the job market in certain professions, target groups must first be defined, and then their analysis must be carried out following the demands of different markets.
Online actions for personal branding
We may use social media to spread the word about our personal brands online. LSB (Local Based Services), multimedia sharing, social networks, microblogs, blogs, discussions, and other social media may all be classified as fundamental types of social media. The phrase “personal brand assets” is used by writers N. Patel and A. Agius in the context of social media typology. A mix of these brand traits creates a distinct brand identity both online and some of the time offline, according to this viewpoint.
The issue of content marketing
“Content marketing is the marketing and commercial way of forming and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a well-defined and well-understood target audience to drive lucrative consumer action”. Although content marketing is often discussed in the context of networks, its use is not limited to the digital realm. In the context of a personal brand, both online and offline methods use this style of marketing.
Relationship marketing
Relationship marketing may be described as “a marketing connection where the main purpose is to create strong and deep relationships with all persons and organizations that can directly or indirectly impact the effectiveness of corporate marketing activities” [8]. When it comes to managing relationships, PRM (Partnership Relationship Management) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) come to mind. Both online and physical venues may be used to establish connections with customers and partners. Fast and professional communication is the foundation of our organization. According to A. Hurajová, a key to increasing possibilities in the labor market as well as making a workforce more mobile is to create strong personal and professional connections.
Based on the preceding material, it is possible to infer that developing a personal brand is a difficult and time-consuming process. The entire plan should take into consideration each person’s distinct qualities and potential, guaranteeing a unique and individual approach to each branding endeavor. It should be highlighted, however, that it is critical to begin developing one’s personal brand before beginning a job hunt. The social network environment leaves a trace that has long-term consequences for a person’s brand.
