Why Is Personal Branding Important To You

For many of us here in Singapore and even in Asia, branding ourselves is not a usual thing to do. Our cultures have time and again remind us that it is polite to remain humble by keeping silent, keep a low profile and not be visible. No wonder even with a bigger population size here in Asia than in America and Europe combined, there are fewer successful and respected individuals known to the public. 

Privacy is more important to us than publicity. But when privacy is hindering you from fulfilling your life long dream and aspirations, then the need to manage that balance between your privacy and public perception (could be your boss or customers) of who you are, is critical and important.  

And the reality is even if you do not intentionally want to brand yourself,  you already have a brand!Someone else out there has already branded you! That person could be your colleague, boss, customer, neighbour, your children’s teachers or even your good friend. The truth is we have already been branded by the people that surround our lives. This means that everyone in the world is branded and that personal branding is therefore inescapable and is in fact part of your life. It’s your DNA, uniquely special to you and yet, has a life of its own.

Your job is to understand who you are, what you do and who you serve, so you can better shape these perceptions and ‘own your brand.’
You cannot escape or deny the perceptions that people have of you. It’s their choice just as you have the choice to brand others. People will always judge you and box you up in their own perceptions and often inaccurate understanding of who you are.

You cannot stop them from interpreting but you can change their view of you by taking the responsibility to project that image and picture of who you want them to think of you as.

Personal branding goes beyond just ensuring that people get the right impression of you. Neither is it about just creating that “feel good” feeling about your self. In the words of Dan Schawbel, the author of Me 2.0 and a renowned brand expert, he says,

“Personal Branding allows you to monetize your passion, have meaning in your life and become very successful in your niche.”

When you are branded effectively and successively, your own brand can generate a sizable return on your life investment. Think of people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or the tennis supreme, Roger Federer who command huge salaries or advertising fees for their work.
Or how about that person in your company who seems to attract the right people and who frequently gains approvals from the bosses to his/her ideas and suggestions?
Or how about that business entrepreneur who is often featured favourably in the press and who seems to attract the right business connections for his company?

In the business arena it is a widely accepted fact that dynamic CEOs become intrinsically linked to the companies they represent. (Eg. Jack Welch, Lee Iacocca). As such it is important not only for a company to brand its offerings but also its people and its leader.

Personal branding can help you to meet your career, business and professional goals. And beyond that, there are immeasurable returns like knowing who you are and what excites you every day.
You can focus on those goals which when aligned to your brand will produce greater results for your efforts. You will gain more confidence, become more self assured and be able to communicate better of what you do.