Each of the things you do in your day to day is an opportunity to leave an imprint on your personal brand. Do not waste them because every action you take can be an investment in your brand

When you answer a call, introduce yourself to someone, intervene in a conversation, make a gift, a comment on social networks, an email you send, your mere presence, your absence, your silence, when you arrive, when you leave, they are all occasions to work on your personal brand.

With all this, you build your image and reputation, which will be your best cover letter and endorsement.

It is indifferent that you work for a company and want to continue in it for many years, that you want to change jobs, that you are an entrepreneur, freelancer, partner, owner of a company, liberal professional, that you want to turn your career or trajectory upside down In any of these cases and consistently. You are a brand, and you must work for it.

Yes, we are all a brand because we reflect what we do, which leaves a mark in our wake. If the footprint is diffuse, no one will follow you and look for you, and the chances of achieving what you want will decrease. When I talk about a brand, I am talking about creating our own and differentiating stamp, an image that reflects our most important qualities and characteristics.

Whatever you do always work for your brand because you will be working for yourself and constantly investing in your career and your future. Working for your brand will give you relevance in your company, in your sector of activity. It will help you promote yourself, improve your working conditions, find work, sell more, get more clients, and more contracts. How you do things and what you contribute to others differentiates you from the rest.

And when I say that we are a personal brand, we are 24 hours a day and 365 days a year because our brand, if it is authentic and consistent with who we really are and how we are, will be present in everything we do both at the professional as well as personal. You must print your stamp not only in your work, but in your hobbies, in your professional or volunteer collaborations, and your social activities.

If you ever attend any neuro-linguistic programming course, the most common aspect you’ll hear is to make a brand name of your own and improvise yourself to make certain changes in your professional life. Then why not start focusing on this very aspect?

Here are 7 tips so that every conversation you have, every decision you make, and every action you take is an investment in your personal brand:

Identify your strengths, capabilities, and abilities

Create your brand from your essence, your purpose, and your passion. Only then will it be unique and authentic

and can accompany you in any situation. Each of us has an exceptional talent that no one else has and a way of expressing it that is unique to us.

What things are you good at? What activities do you do better than most? What are you passionate about? What motivates you? What do you enjoy? What makes you special and different?

This is hard work of reflection and self-knowledge, which will also require a sincere search for feedback, in which other people can help you see your blind spots, which can be vital in defining your brand.

Seligman’s personal strengths test, the book Find Your Element by Ken Robinson, and the self-knowledge tool known as the Johari window can help you in this task.

Look for a slogan that defines you

You can start by building a story that expresses well what you are, what you do, how you do it, what you do it for, what you want to convey with it to others, and most importantly, what do you want to achieve with it, what is your goal.

Dig deeper into the story, extract key points that stand out to you, create a mind map with them, let it sit for a few days, let your unconscious mind work for you. Look at it again after a few days, listen to what it says. It will whisper your slogan: who you are and how you want others to see you.

Your catchphrase is what precedes you and what you leave behind when you leave.

Define what you offer and look for your audience

Look in what you do and how you do it, what it contributes to others, what problem it solves, what it facilitates, what need it covers, and show it.

If you are a very confident person, you will bring security to others, and everything you do will be impregnated with it, and they will look for you for that. If you are a very serene person, they will look for you because you bring serenity.

If you are already clear about what you contribute, the time has come to look for who needs it, values ​​it, appreciates it, and is interested in it. Also, look for who you want to know, know, see or hear. Among all of them are your potential clients, partners, collaborators, employers, prescribers. They are all an opportunity to grow your brand.

Communicate, tell, sell

Sell ​​your brand. It is not about showing off. It is about showing what you can contribute. Be clear and precise about the benefits you offer. Before offering, an interesting question about the needs, motivations, and desires of whoever is in front of you. Look for the connection with what you do and contribute, and the spark will jump.

Move, do your best to get to know you, collaborate, participate. The more people see you in action, the more you add value to your brand. Seek to participate in activities or projects that allow you to show what you do to the people or groups that interest you.

Write the story of your brand and tell it whenever the occasion arises. It is easier for people to remember a story.

Generate connections and conversations. They will take you to a world of possibilities and collaborations that will enhance your brand.

Strategically lead your brand

Strategically select the projects you get involved in, the actions you take, the decisions you make, and the people you surround yourself with. Always ask yourself these questions, do they move me away or bring me closer to achieving my goal? Do they reinforce or diminish the value of my brand? Do they multiply or divide the impact of my brand?

Surround yourself with people with whom you shine, grow and flow. There is your tribe. Run away from relationships that wear you down, take away your energy, and endanger the value of your brand, your image, or your reputation. Harvard psychologist David McClelland says that the people you associate with daily are 95% responsible for your success or failure. Choose them strategically and always look further, who today is your supplier, tomorrow can be your partner, who today is your client, tomorrow can be your collaborator.

Find yourself a mentor

Mentors are characterized by having a good reputation in their field of action and environment. They are people with influence, who are known, have contacts, and know how to appreciate the potential in people.

A mentor will help you reflect on your talent, where to put it in value, and how to get the most out of it. It will help you to relate and give yourself visibility. It will provide you with feedback on what you do and the results you get. It will help you to be strategic and lead your career.

You are not your role. You are your brand

Remember that what is important and defines you is not the role you play but the brand you present in each position. The part can change, but your brand must leave a mark on all of them.