The Magic of Personal Branding

Fully 87% of the world's population will never taste stardom or top performance in whatever field they are involved. This is a result of many factors including low self-esteem and an increasing need to be like, look like, think and act like other people or institutions they admire. Most people do not want to appear "strange" from the norm. We naturally flow with the status quo by going to school in prestigious/well known institutions, seeking employment in big and well known firms, riding popular cars, wearing popular designers, becoming fan of popular football teams and so forth. Even people in business seek to do it like every other person and still expect to stand out. Self-esteem refers to how much a person likes or values himself. Studies reveal that high self-esteem leads to high performance. The term Personal Branding was first used by the mangement guru and author Tom Peters in a 1997 article. Your uniqueness in appearance, approach, passion and all other interests associated with you can be packeged into a sellable asset or brand. Personal Branding is essential in wealth creation. Most people are ignorant of how much of their personal attributes contributes to building gigantic institutions that may never be theirs. Marketers and salespeople are some of the few that
know this. That is why everytime they move the organisation loses much of it's clients. I have little respect for any institution, no matter the size, compared to the respect I have for the people behind the institution. A star
organisation is made by star managers and star staff. A story in the Bible tells of how Abraham went to war with 318 trained servants in his house. History has it that the world's population at the time was about 3,000. This means that Abraham had over 10% of the world's population in his control. He was more powerful and wealthy than nations. Today, people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefellar, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, etc., some of whom are long gone, have branded themselves to become powerful institutions their names imprinted in world's history. Their names open doors even without their presence. This is not necessarily because these people were more talented or privileged as we know, but because they believed and dared to explore their unique capability and identity for the the good of humanity. The question here is: are you building your own brand or hiding behind another's? Having attending the best schools, working in the biggest companies and trying to be like everyone else is not guaranteed to attain for you stardom and wealth at age 65. Personal Branding, visionary pursuit and integrity will build an asset into your name and help you leave a legacy. A wise man said that a good name is rather to be chosen than riches. That is because a good name is wealth, which is higher in value than riches. Presently, I have access to business facilities in some places that only multinational companies are allowed such opportunities. I work hard to sustain my integrity as it can close the door for others coming behind if I mess up and can also keep the door open to the next generation if I keep it. One way of testing how strong is your personal brand
is to Google your name. If you fail to see good stuff about you in the first page then you have much to do. Many business people, in MLM companies for instance, promote duplicated websites and wonder why it does not come up in the search engines. The truth is that search engines do not like websites that look the same. You must have some uniqueness about your web page. You must have something to offer and showcase it to the world in order to be seen. Use the following ideas to boost your brand online:
1. Use your First Name and Last Name as much as possible- especially in email accounts, websites, blogs. I discovered that a person's first name is his best word which catches 100% of his attention when called.
2. Publish articles, subscribe and feature in other websites and blogs
3. Get to do jobs for others that allow your link to be displayed in their websites/blogs.
4. Use and maintain a classic photo displaying the unique way you appear most of the time - clothing style, hair and general make up. Having clear and similar images of you, especially on your website/blog and social networks portray you as real and can be trusted.
5. Be a learner: Read; study; improve/increase your capacity to learn; get more knowledge of the internet and other subjects and practice on a daily basis
6. Sell an idea or product online. You can earn money online if you are exposed to where your product can be seen and bought. If you do not have what to sell, have what to give away free.
7. Be consistent. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. Hook up to mentors that can guide and/or even promote you online in their blogs, email, etc. This helps you get there faster than you would have done alone. (Our e-commerce training will be available soon. Visit this site regularly to be updated. Shortly you will have the opportunity to subscribe to all our updates)