Branding, glorious branding
It’s been 20 years since Tom Peters coined the term, “The Brand Called You.” The business guru is generally credited with the advent of the personal branding movement.
The truth is, branding has been around for about 4,000 years, and personal branding is as old as the emerging science of marketing itself, so since at least the 1950s. No. Even older. Ever heard of Caesar? Well then, personal branding is at least as old as the Bible.
If you’re a small business, then chances are your business brand’s fortune is inextricably linked to your personal brand. In some cases, they may even be one and the same. So Joe Soap Consulting is just that: Joe Soap as the consultant. Many a personal brand has lent his/her name to an even bigger concern. Think Walt Disney, or the Oprah Winfrey Network, or even Donald Trump!
But whether you are your company brand, or your personal and company brands are separated, you as a person have a digital brand footprint. And, like it or not, it tends to follow you around in cyberspace.
Yes, so what? Who cares? Ah, therein lies the rub: most people KNOW this, but don’t DO anything about it. You see, managing your personal brand, and how it works in cyberspace, is an altogether different story. Stay tuned next week for more insights on you and your PB.