Marketing Brand You
“The days of the mammoth corporations are coming to an
end. People are going to have to create their own lives, their own
careers, and their own successes. Some people may go kicking and
screaming into this new world, but there is only one message there.
You’re now in business for yourself.”
—Robert Schaen, former controller, Ameritech
Even if you work at an association, the quote above applies to you.
Perhaps you’re thinking about a career shift, either within
the nonprofit sector or into business or government. Or maybe
you’re satisfied with your current job creating professional
education programs but feel uncertain about exactly what you would
have to offer if circumstances changed and you had to, too.
No matter what, it’s now time to discover your abilities
and strengths—your personal brand—and what makes you
marketable.
Why go to all this trouble?
Because the world of work has changed. In the past, as long as you
did your job and met expectations, you got paid. According to
William Bridges, author of Creating You & Co. and Jobshift,
“Jobs were slots, boxes, and pigeonholes. Jobs demanded
performance in a script that was already written.”
But those scripted days are over. Today’s employers—yes, including nonprofits—pay only for results, what you can produce for them. People who succeed know what they have to offer and what they’re capable of doing better than some of their competition. They also know they have to take charge of their own careers, including playing up their most marketable and transferable skills.
You might be asking, “So what does this have to do with Marketing Brand You?”
A lot! Any marketing professional will tell you that one of the first things you have to know before putting together a marketing plan is what the product’s benefits are. What makes this product different? Why should anyone buy it? How will it benefit the buyer (and maybe the buyer’s team)? To answer these questions as they relate to you as a professional, a job candidate, or both, you must know what you have to offer, what makes you different, and why Mr. or Ms. HR person should hire you.
Clearly, in today’s competitive job market it is
imperative to understand the benefits of you. But even if you
aren’t planning to change jobs soon, it’s smart to know
and use the factors that can help you advance where you work now.
By knowing what you have to offer and then marketing and branding
yourself as the person with that expertise, you will be able to
distinguish yourself from your competition. Your marketability
depends on your ability to demonstrate, on paper and verbally, your
skills—again, even if you just want more appreciation within
your current organization.
Uncovering your most valuable skills
If you don’t know what skills you offer (and therefore
you’re not sure how to market your brand), find out. There
are various types of assessments you can take, some available
online, that can involve everything from checklists to card sorts
to experience stories. If you need more help preparing your list,
hire a career coach or counselor. Just don’t forget to
include soft skills (such as being a team player or independent
thinker) as well as hard ones (such as strategic planning or member
service skills). The soft ones can be just as important when
marketing you.
If you think you already know what you have to offer and how to brand yourself… great! In that case, I encourage you to look beyond your current skill set to develop additional benefits of Brand You. By asking yourself (as well as peers, friends, family, and/or your “board of advisers”) the following questions, you should be able to come up with specific ways to improve your product (you) in the next six months.
1. What are the projects or skills I am known for among my peers or coworkers?
2. What are the ways in which my current project is challenging and provocative to me?
3. What new things have I learned in the past three months that will help me move forward?
4. Who are three important people I have added to my Rolodex (or Palm Pilot) in the last three months?
5. By this time next year, what are skills or projects I would like to be known for?
In addition to knowing your skills, abilities and experience, when you develop your marketing plan, I also encourage you to
2. Develop a personal brand statement that says why you are the best candidate. For example: “I am an association executive with expertise in leadership, adult education, and marketing.”
3. Tailor your brand statement to a specific job. “I am a senior-level professional- development program planner with expertise in program development, distance-learning technologies, and brand management.”
4. Let people know about your brand. Network, network, network!
Get the visibility your brand needs (and deserves).
Another way to apply these skills
A final note: Don’t forget that the same Marketing Brand You
skills I described above can serve you well when you’re
marketing your association’s professional education programs.
Even the steps are the same:
1. Don’t work in a vacuum—determine the needs of your audience (a.k.a., your members, or customers) before you develop new or different programs. This is relatively easy to do through a member survey or focus group. Just as in a career search, don’t assume you know what people want before asking them. It’s a lot more effective (and profitable) to develop your professional development programs based on their actual needs as opposed to what you think they may need. Listen to members, as they will tell you what they want… if you ask.
2. Once you uncover the needs, plan your programs accordingly. For example, let’s assume your members tell you they want to your association to provide them with training services. Find out what specific needs they have and plan seminars and a Web site according to what they say their needs are.
3. Finally, market the program based on its strengths and what your members will get out of attending.
Like knowing yourself, knowing your product takes time and energy. But developing that knowledge, and your brand, are well worth it.
