The Art of Personal Branding

April 12, 2010 by Stacey Pokluda · 5 Comments

Personal branding is a process that could have a big impact on your career. It’s not just big brands that deal with reputation management anymore. Regardless of your career, age or position, everyone needs to understand the importance of branding. You are the CEO of your own company and that company is YOU. It’s time you took a lesson from the big brands if you want to stand out and prosper.

Anyone can have a website and everyone does. Not only should your website be integrated with your social media outlets, but it should also incorporate a blog. If you’re not much of a writer, you might try a video blog. Improving your online visibility and keeping your visitors engaged and coming back for more will help grow your audience. These days, ordinary people can create a brand for themselves just as easily as celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. Personal branding is simply the process in which you market yourself.

When it comes to personal branding, the first name that comes to mind is Gary Vaynerchuk, the wine guru and founder of Wine Library TV. Gary has built a small empire on his obsession with wine, the internet and business. I had the pleasure of meeting with Gary when I was at B|W|R Public Relations. We met to discuss publicity as he was in discussions for a TV deal based on the success of his video blog. He turned his family’s small New Jersey liquor store into a wine empire that grosses over $60 million a year; more than 100,000 viewers watch his daily video blog; he’s a sought-after speaker; he released his first book, Crush It! last year and he’s signed on to write nine more business books for Harper Collins.

Check out Gary’s interview in Business Week.

Also, check out Gary’s appearance at Web 2.0 Expo NY where he discusses Building the Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape.