If you are going to build a house you will want to have a blueprint.  Otherwise how would you know if you were supposed to install a window or a door? How would you keep the roof from falling through the floor without the proper placement of the pillars?

If you are going to develop your personal brand you will want to have a strategy — a blueprint for building your personal brand.  Here are the four pillars of that blueprint.

1) Know Your Product. When marketers go about designing brand identity they begin by studying the major products in the line(s).  Wht is it? What does it do?  How does it work?  What are the feature?  What benefits does it provide to the customers? In this case the product is YOU.  What do you have to offer your current or next employer?  What are you capable of doing for them?  Most important, what are you WILLING to do?  Get as clear about this as you can.  Be specific about what you want and are able to do.  Write it down. Study it.  Create a matrix.  When building a personal brand, you must begin with product knowledge.

2) Know Your Perfect Client. The next pillar is the ability to identify with great specificity who your perfect client is.  Who is going to “buy” what you have to offer?  Who’s needs can be fulfilled by the promise offered through your brand?  This will also help you figure out how to position your product to be attractive to your clients and customers.  In this case, your clients/customers is you employer or potential employer.  Figure out what s/he needs and make your value proposition look attractive to them. Marketers conduct market research in order to be able to clearly define every minute detail of their customers.  In the job search we call that “informational interviews.”

3) Match Client Needs With Your Product Strengths. In traditional marketing, this involves the creation of a variety of marketing channels through which you promote your product’s message. Advertising professionals have found that this is most easily done through the telling of stories which place their product directly in the hands of their perfect customer.  How can you do this as a job seeker? Can you tell a compelling story that will capture the attention of a potential employer and show them how you can meet their needs?  [Hint - resume's are probably the LAST place you should try to accomplish this pillar!]

4) Sell, sell, sell. The final pillar in your personal brand blueprint is the ability to sell what you have.  In order to accomplish this you must be diligent, creative, charming, persuasive, and a skilled negotiator.  A good sales person simply helps the buyer make a decision that s/he wants to make.  What do you need to learn in order to become a good salesperson?  Remember, you only need to make ONE sale every so often, and your product is something that you are intimately familiar and (hopefully) very fond of!

That’s the blueprint for a successful personal brand strategy.  Come back tomorrow when we talk about how to promote your brand.  Happy hunting!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 19.