"Brand I" - How well can it be developed?

Networking, I think, creates a good brand image. The people around you, like your friends, colleagues, customers etc. are the most important marketing sources you've got. Their opinion about you and your contributions is what the market will ultimately gauge as the value of your brand. So to build your brand you have to find to find ways to nurture your network consciously. That is exactly why I always come back to this site ;)

Every Brand stands for something like Tata stands for Trust, Apple stand for innovation. You need to identify your self first like which category you belong to, the competition and etc. If you are able to do that than accordingly you will select your target audience. As per their liking and disliking you will create an entire communication based on that  

If you take the examples from Film industry:

David Dhavan stands for Comedy

Ramgopal Verma stands for fearless innovation

Sanjay Lila Bhansali stands for Classical artistic movies

Yash Chopra stands for love

They have their own set of audience . They are doing it consistently because they know what they stand for. They communicate as per that    

IF YOU WANT TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAND ,FIRST THING IS TO BE AMONG THE BEST IN WHAT YOU DO.TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT IS THE SPECIAL PURPOSE FOR WHICH I HAVE BEEN BORN AND THEN TRY TO FULFILL THAT PURPOSE AND BRAND I SHALL BE CREATED BY ITSELF.IF ONLY NETWORKING AND COMMUNICATION ALONE COULD DEVELOP PERSONAL BRAND ,THEN PEOPLE WITH HIGHEST FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK ETC.SHOULD HAVE GREAT BRAND VALUE BUT ACTUALITY IS ON THE CONTRARY.BRAND I SHOULD STAND FOR THE VALUES AND QUALITIES YOU HAVE AND HOW YOU APPLY THEM IN YOUR DAILY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE.DO A SWOT ANALYSIS OF YOURSELF AND ENHANCE YOUR BRAND VALUE BY UTILISING YOUR STRENGTHS AND TRYING TO OVERCOME YOUR WEAKNESSES.

I think this is also one of the most important part.As per jayant networking is important to stay connected with friends,customers etc. I feel one's Communication Skill is important to have a positive impact on people around u. Word power also adds some weightage.Through good Communication Skills a person can even pose how competant and reliable he is....

I. The most elusive and hated word in the corporate startegy. We stands for all the corporate stands for. But somewhere it must be realised that it is the sole responsibility of the person selected to perform a task and HIS capabilities that people have to rely on.

Its that I that works for you. But can that I be used in corporate world. NO!

Brand I according to me is a very social norm not to be practiced in the corporate world. It has to be at its best in social gatherings where you are not representing the work that you are known for but for the PERSON you are. Thats where the I can really be noticed. In sucg cases it has to be a conscious effort by I to put forth its attributes, salient features, qualities and push BRAND I! Thats when the equation will tally. Then it will be a magical and a very formidable combination of CORPORATE + BRAND I! WIN WIN!!

Superb idea Vishnuji!

I think so all the points said by every one is pefect to the core. But the basic question is the attitude of the person who wants to brand himself. There are many knowledge resource who like to be quiet and still go about there work.

So it boils down to who needs to develop the brand I concept? Why? How? When?

The above answer will lead us towards the roadmap of the brand I.

But to begin with we need to do our own assessment (i.e. Heat Map) and come out with a SWOT analysis. The risk appetie of each person will drive to different solutions.

But the common one are:

1. Try to grab opporunties when u get a small sniff of it (even if it is not ur strong point)

2. Try to put across ur ideas to ur peers, reportees, managers and mangement team and based on this try to put your ideas to large group outside of ur company

3. Networking is the key (Professional Networking - Linkedin, TooStep, PeerPower, to name few..., Social Networking - FaceBook, Orkut, Youtube....)

4. Conference, Events, Panelists, REviews, etc...

5. Blogging

6. Website about ur selve

7. Updates and following the events happening in ur area of interest

8. CErtification

9. Professional Memebership

10. Speaker to reputed instutue, events ....

11. Webcast, Podcast, be part of analyst review panel

etc....

Small achivement/steps will lead to brand I. Again it depends on each one of us how far we want to go....

Brand I in these days is very important to be left to the vagaries of HR deptt's policies and regulations. In fact, it should not be entrusted to the employer's howsoever enlightened that firm might be. We ourselves are responsible for it and its upkeep through our network, knowledge, education and experience is solely our responsibility.

Any role which you are doing in the organization should add up to your profile, your premise of what you offer to the existing or prospective employer, client, it can be as a marketer, production , enterpreneur, artist etc. Their forms of development have added a new dimension the virtual world in the form of Web 2.0

what i personally feel that self branding should be done in such a way that we should be able to exploit our capability and expose it to the market in an effective manner

Brand "I" or for that matter any brand cant be made if you dont create trust in the mind of your customer, partners, seniors or coworkers.

for customer, trust through meeting deadline, 

for senior, Brand I thru again meeting deadline.

And the most important of them Networking as discussed in other topic also, is only based on trust.  

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