Marketing Yourself from the Inside Out

What do Oprah, Martha Stewart, and Dr. Phil McGraw have in common? They're all Brands. You, too, can develop Your Personal and Professional Brand Reflecting Your Purpose, Talents, Passions and Natural Abilities.

Have you ever thought that YOU had a unique gift to offer the world? I encourage you to spend some time looking inside yourself, examine the fibers that make up who you are. In your search through all the inner fibers, identify and write down all of your unique talents, natural abilities, passions and purpose in life. The goal of this inner self-discovery is for you to discover what makes you unique so you can create your Brand.

To help you along on your road to self-discovery, I want you to think about the following questions:

Think about how you are showing up in the world.

Are you consistent with who you say you are?

If you asked 5 people to describe you, what do you think they would say?

Would the adjectives they used to describe you, be the same adjectives you would like them to use?

Are the adjectives, the same as those you would use to describe yourself?

Do you think the adjectives would be very different in any of the scenarios?

Before you continue in the world of self-discovery, I want you to ponder this concept for a moment. The adjective used by you and anyone else should be consistent, authentic and clearly define who you are.

Ask yourself a few more questions to help further stimulate your thought process. Let's talk about YOU. What gets you up in the morning? What is the driving force in your life? What is your uniqueness?

List 3 things you love to do

List 3 things you are good at

List 3 thing you would do if you only had 5 years left to live

List 3 things you would do if time and money was no object

What is the common thread on your list? Are you honoring YOU, your values and your core beliefs?

Define your Goals. Keep the end results in mind. Through the use of a Mission Statement, highlight the purpose of your life. What is the end result you have in mind for your life? If I were to write your obituary today, what would you want said about you (your Unique Brand), your life and what you accomplished. A mission statement is defined in seven words or less, highlights what matters to you most, what inspires you, should capture your core values and beliefs. Creating a purposeful mission statement can take some time to really hone in on why you are here on earth. You can use a good mission statement to help you with your day to day decision making process. Making the right decisions will bring you closer to your goals and the purpose for your life. Being crystal clear about where you are, where you are going and designing a roadmap for getting there, is time well spent.

A great question to ask yourself, to help you with your process:

Who do I need to become in order to...? (you fill in the blank)

You can fill in the blank with whatever you would like, just make sure it is congruent with your mission statement.

Keep in mind you want to define your Brand yourself, instead of someone else defining it for you. Your Brand is built on your core values and beliefs. How are you going to Build your Brand, so you can show up consistent, authentic and on purpose? Remember your Brand will have to influence your general audience and your target audience. Your General Audience is defined, as those who can connect you with your Target Audience. Your Target Audience is defined, as those who want what you have and are willing to pay for it. Keeping in mind, you must add value to everyone you meet. Everyone you meet is either categorized as a General Audience member or your Target Audience member. How are you going to add value to everyone you meet, so that they can ultimately help you connect your Brand with your Target Audience? Answer: Let your Brand Stand out with Consistency, Authenticity and Clarity over Time. Ask yourself everyday - How can my Brand add value to someone's life today?

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