Be Irreplaceable: 5 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand to Differentiate Yourself

According to Coco Chanel, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” One of the ways to do that is to define your personal brand. Whether your are looking for a job, running your own business or freelancing, you want to get noticed, be needed and stay networked. Here are some rules to remember when you brand yourself:

1. Follow the advertising rule, it’s not about you, it’s about what you can do for the customer.

2. When you brand yourself, it must be actionable, real and effective.

3. If you are networking correctly, it’s not about you, it’s about everyone else.

4. Whatever you write/post/speak about must be relevant and useful for all.

5. When you post online, you need to actively reach out to your audience.

Again, successful personal branding is not about you and what you need. Your brand involves communicating “you” to others while involving them in the conversation. Another way to look at it is to remember that your focus when crafting your resume should be on how you are different and how this will interest and help the reader (a prospective employer). But in your marketing materials and personal branding, the focus should be on how you will make a difference in your clients’ business lives.