Personal Branding: Building Your Personal Brand
It’s time to showcase yourself to the world and to have absolutely no fear in doing so.
I tell everyone that they must “get online.” and I will tell you the exact same.
The Internet has given us so many opportunities and we must make sure we are well-placed to take advantage of them, especially in an age where we are faced with increasing automation, and where it is easy to forget the “human factor.”
Emotional Intelligence (E.Q.) are two words that many people haven’t heard and yet they give us the ability to learn and reflect on those “human” values and I want people to develop their E.Q. skills and showcase them to the world.
One of the simplest and most effective methods to be able to do this is to start a personal blog and then use that to build your personal brand.
It doesn’t matter where you are in life, or what you do, you are YOU and that will impact everything and here I mean getting that place at University, your first job, starting a business or simply promoting you to the rest of the world.
I am totally passionate about getting one hundred million people online!
When I say this to people, some of them look at me as if I am crazy and question the number of people and then even more so, when I tell them that I want to target people from third-world countries!
Think about the maths for a moment — I start with one person and they influence let’s say another ten, then we influence a hundred, one thousand and so on.
I came to the U.K. form Sri-Lanka to study, much like many foreign students and after studying engineering and working in a few jobs I simply disliked, I found the opportunities that the Internet could offer me.
I targeted Internet Marketing and I wanted to master that art and over time and with a load of hard work and dedication, I began to master the art of Search Engine Optimization.
From here, I decided to teach the art to others, so that they could break free from the grind of nine to five and enjoy what many describe as the laptop lifestyle.
I grew up with the Internet, so I know the potential it can offer and with a predicted ninety percent of the population becoming online by 2030, I could see the potential, so let me very briefly describe my vision for a moment:
Children:
We know they are the future and I can imagine a time in the near future where each child will be born with an I.P. address.
This will be their digital “blueprint” but it will also give them the start to building the most valuable asset of all, the asset of their own online “home,” or their own piece of Internet real estate.
As they go through life they are also building their own online C.V or resume and this will further strengthen their value as their experiences (good and bad) can be reflected upon and also displayed to others.
Students:
Students need to be able to showcase their abilities and especially those “over achievements” that can make a real difference in life.
When someone asks anything about you, it would be great to respond with a “find me at xxx.com” and from there they can learn much more about “who” you are, rather than simply what you know.
Getting that first job:
Employers are much keener these days to find out “who” the person is rather than simply what they know, just as I explained with the student example.
Hiring someone will depend much more on EQ skills than technical ability and the words “character” and “Integrity” will become more and more important.
If you have taken the time to build a strong personal brand, it will enable you to articulate that difference.
Staying marketable:
The 21st century is volatile and uncertain, so the job market will be equally so.
A strong personal brand will prove essential to anyone who wishes to stay ahead of the job market and it could mean that those lucrative job opportunities will actually start to come to you.
Entrepreneurs:
The number of entrepreneurs is increasing and in line with a volatile and uncertain economy, people are far more choosy when it comes to deciding where they will spend their cash.
People also want to know who is behind the businesses before they hand over money.
Your personal brand will support that decision.
Retiring or retired?
Can you think about how much knowledge is sitting in the heads of retired doctors, teachers, lawyers as well as gardeners, builders and so many other occupations?
I want these people to share this knowledge with the world.
So many children, for example, could learn from the wisdom just as so many people starting out in all professions.
It goes without saying that celebrities devote so much time and energy to build their own brands, so why not be a celebrity in your own right?
You never know where it could get you!
Fernando Raymond
