My non-scientific analysis is that we are caught in a self-perpetuating, interconnected web of myths, myths that have been handed down to us in one form or another ever since Eve took a bite out of the apple. Myths such as:
Myth #1: If I Am Good, They Will Come
This is the biggest hurdle that we, as 51 percent of the population, must overcome—whether we're at home, in the workforce, or in the C-suite.
Myth #2: Marketing Myself Is a Dirty Business
Successful personal branding means continually standing far enough away to see yourself and your work as if it were not you and your work that you were looking at.
Successful personal branding means wearing labels such as "leading" and "expert," "sought-after," "popular," and "well-regarded." It means creating a brand identity that is authentic, consistent, and memorable, one that you own and are proud of.
Myth #3: I Can't Control What Other People Think
Develop a tightly honed messages that are reinforced and repeated over and over again.
Here are several simple steps you can take right now to bottle and market YOU:
- Figure out who you are, what you stand for, and why you are different than anyone or anything else.
- Create a story that communicates your value and your market differentiation.
- Pull the key words that you have used to create that story and weave them into everything that you say, do and publish about yourself and your business.
- Tell your story relentlessly, passionately, and unapologetically to anyone who will listen. You will refine and improve it as you go along, figuring out which parts work and which don't.