Crafting Your Authentic Personal Brand

Analyze your current online presence and reputation to understand how you are perceived. Consider: "It's your reputation. In other words, it’s how people perceive you -- your friends, colleagues or the general public -- and it's what people think about you when they hear your name as well as what people say about you when you're not in the room."

“It's your reputation. In other words, it’s how people perceive you -- your friends, colleagues or the general public -- and it's what people think about you when they hear your name as well as what people say about you when you're not in the room.”

Determine what you want to achieve with your personal brand and set specific, measurable goals. This is important because as the author states: "First, you need to figure out what your goal is."

“First, you need to figure out what your goal is. Let's start by answering a foundational question: What do you want your personal brand to help you accomplish?”

Determine your unique value proposition, the skills, knowledge, and expertise that set you apart and make you desirable to your target audience. "Next, you'll want to get clear on what you want to be known for. In other words, how do you want people to describe you as a professional?"

“Next, you'll want to get clear on what you want to be known for. In other words, how do you want people to describe you as a professional?”

Determine who you want to reach with your personal brand, remembering as the author stated, "Who you decide to focus on should be based on two things: the goal of your personal brand and the people who can best benefit from your unique talents and skills."

“Who you decide to focus on should be based on two things: the goal of your personal brand and the people who can best benefit from your unique talents and skills.”

Write a concise mission statement that describes who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and the transformation you can create. Remember to consider "Let's pull all your answers into a single mission statement that describes who you are, what you do, who you do it for and the transformation you can create in people's lives."

“Mission statements are going to look wildly different depending on who you are in your career. But whatever your mission statement is, write it down and put it somewhere prominent.”

Create a personal website to take full control over your online reputation. "What's so important about a personal website is that it allows you to take full control over your online reputation. It offers the most flexibility in sharing your brand and value to others in a much deeper way than a resume or a LinkedIn profile."

“People want to work with others they like, know and trust, and your personal website provides you an opportunity to share more about your personality through photos as well as more about your career and life story. This, in turn will differentiate you from others in your industry.”

Select the right social media platforms to share your brand with your target audience. Social proof is a powerful principle here.

“Social media is also a great way to share your personal brand with the audience you're looking to connect with. However, I suggest trying not to be on every platform.”