Self-Marketing

A phrase caught my eye the other day, “whether you know it or not, you are marketing yourself each and every day.”  How true!  We are sending messages about ourselves in everything we do – every action we take, every word we speak, every email we send. From holding the door for a stranger to how we treat the customer service representative on the other end of the phone – we are showing others who we are.

The more we are aware of the image that we are projecting, the more we should try to focus on intentionally sending the right messages - putting our best self out there - and making sure that the image we are portraying is the one that we want others to see. 

The three big steps in self-awareness and self-marketing:

Prepare - Know your value and establish goals:

1. Who are you now? Make a list of your best qualities.  If you were to ask friends and coworkers to describe you now, what would they say?  Create a “positioning statement” about yourself.  Hone in on who you are, your strengths and your positive attributes. Identify and state what sets you apart from others.

2. What do you want out of life? Be as specific as possible.  Use both short and long term goals.

3. How will you know when you've reached your goals?  Write down the key indicators that will let you know you’ve reached your goals.  It could be landing that new job, completing a specific course, obtaining certification, or expanding your social network.

Package - How people judge you
Even though you may not be aware of it, people are constantly judging you and assessing your capabilities by noticing many different things about you. How?  With your eye contact, body language, appearance, speech.  You also market yourself with your quality of work.  And still others will pick up on your work ethic, sincerity, punctuality, etc.

Other cues that people use when forming opinions about who you might be:

• Clothing / Hair / Weight / Height
• Jewelry / Facial hair / Makeup / Glasses
• Smell / Teeth / Smile
• Eye contact / Gait / Posture / Tone of voice / Laugh
• Nervous habits / Handshake / Neatness
• Handwriting / Spelling / Phone skills
• Car / Office / Home
• Enthusiasm / Energy level

Present and Promote Yourself - Now that you know you have a lot to offer, how will you let others know? 

• Create and maintain a professional resume
• Stay current in your field and search for ways to continue your learning and gain expertise
• Study a specialty niche in your field to increase your value to your company
• Network – in person, via social networks, at business meetings, trade shows, charity events
• Join clubs, professional groups and organizations
• Serve on committees and boards or volunteer your time
• Make sure that any social media channels that you post on are presenting the “you” that you want others to see.  Keep your posts professional and connect with like-minded individuals.

Once you become more aware of your value, setting goals, presenting your “best self” to others, and getting your information out there, you are well on your way to mastering the art of personal branding and marketing yourself!

Ed4Career has hundreds of career and professional development courses to help you attain your goals.  Visit our website today to learn more.

Sources:

http://www.boston.com/business/blogs/global-business-hub/2012/02/personal_brandi.html

http://www.gmarketing.com/articles/163-guerrilla-marketing-yourself