How to Build the BRAND Called You Inc

Why YOU as a Brand

Why not? You are YOU. You are unique - there isn't a second person on this planet exactly like YOU. There is nobody quite like YOU.

"We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You." - wrote Tom Peters, the management guru and author in his magazine "The Fast Company" in August 1997. And personal branding was born officially. Personal branding is all about taking your unique strengths, skill sets, and personality traits and packaging them into a solid brand.

This is a time when "individualism" is being celebrated. Cars, jeans, colas, newspapers, finances, and a host of products and services target "You", being fully aware that you are keener on dodging them. In fact, car companies are running open design contests. You are invited to post opinions in news blogs now. Earlier news was fed to you. Now you can be a news reporter yourself by recording incidents or events on a video camera and posting it on YouTube. Your tastes matter, so do your opinions. Even your ramblings about your current state of mind, or your political rants, or how your pet cat drinks milk is of interest to people. You have attained such prominence that the famous TIME magazine named "You" as the person of the year for 2006. Time Inc. printed 6,965,000 copies of TIME magazine covers with reflective Mylar on them in January 2007. The idea was: when people looked at the cover to see who the "person of the year" was, they saw their own reflections. So, it makes sense to have a brand built around you when the emphasis is so much on you. And good branding starts with "You".

The creator gifts everybody with some unique personality traits. A brand built around your personal traits is known as a personal brand and is perhaps the safest bet in marketing. You are not standing and vouchsafing for anyone else but yourself. When you back others' brands you do not have much control over the consequences. In contrast if you back yourself you know exactly what's going to happen as you have more control over your business and personal affairs. Who else can market yourself better than YOU?

Are you an entrepreneur, an aspiring actor, a motivational speaker, a writer, a stand up comedian, a model, an artist, a singer, a designer, a decorator, a politician, a minister, or a writer? Then you need to have a brand. Dentists, athletes, accountants, attorneys, computer professionals, photographers, fitness trainers, manicurists, architects, gym owners, chefs, waiters, magicians, musicians, engineers, and business consultants etc. - all have brands. Well, even if you are none of these and you are not on your own but work in an organization - still you need a brand.