On Friday, November 15, engaged community members, Circle leaders, and influencers from across the country convened in Chicago for the 4th Policy Circle Leadership Summit. More than 350 women and men participated in conversations and workshops that encouraged them to think about the broad implications of living and leading in a connected world while honing their leadership and engagement skills. The following is a recap from the Building Your Brand Workshop presented at the Summit.
Speakers:
Tamara Edwards, TE&Co.
Ellie Weed, Travel Marketing Partnerships, LinkedIn
Sarah Stefaniu, Google
Mary Schaper, The Policy Circle
What is branding? And what does it mean for you personally?
A brand is anything – a symbol, design, name, sound, reputation, emotion, employees, tone, and much more – that separates one thing from another. Branding on a business-level is common: everyone knows and recognizes Coke, Pepsi, and McDonald’s, but today branding is becoming just as important on a personal level. You might work for a business that works with other businesses, but people working with people is what makes relationships valuable. And with a surge in social media, you have the ability (and now the need) to manage your reputation, brand and share of voice online to support offline action.
Why should you build your personal brand?
Building a recognizable personal brand opens professional opportunities. Creating a vision for your future and implementing that vision can lead to:
- A better job
- Better contacts, relationships and clients for you or your company
- Industry recognition
- The ability to influence local leaders and issues happening in your community
These steps below will help guide you as you create your unique personal brand with tactful tips and effective ways to enhance your profile and make your voices heard within your immediate communities and industries through simple, smart, and effective communications.
- Understand your goals and objectives: People who look you up online will be looking to define you under 3 Cs.
- Character: Value System, integrity, leaders look at the online you which gives a good feel about judgement on posts and comments on posts. For instance, your strengthfinder profile indicates that you have taken time to develop yourself.
- Competence: Competence framework, and professional progression.
- Culture/Cultural Affinity: Where are you investing your time outside of work? Think about what are you passionate about, who your friends are, who you are connected to, who you interact with, and activities and posts that reflect the work environment that you favor. Are you a team player and a collaborator in a highly competitive environment that is focused on delivery?
- Understand your voice to enhance your online presence: Develop key messages to advance your brand through digital storytelling. Share your thought leadership by defining your niche and speaking to the issues you care most about. Talk about the issues that matter most to you and add your voice to the content you share.
- Develop a media kit that includes:
- Leadership bio
- Archive of mentions, projects or successes you’ve been part of
- Content calendar, strategy, or personal policy on subject matter
When you build a strong foundation for yourself and/or your brand, you’re able to establish trust with others who care about the same issues. This helps to grow your network and allows you to expand your own knowledge base and confidence in addressing the policies that impact you and your community.
About The Policy Circle
Founded in 2015, The Policy Circle provides a fact-based, nonpartisan framework that inspires women living in the same community to connect, learn about and discuss public policies that impact every American. The Policy Circle’s vision is that women across the nation are connected and engaged in their communities, openly sharing their views and taking a leadership role in public policy dialogue on what human creativity can accomplish in a free market economy.
In just four years, The Policy Circle has grown to over 3,500 members in more than 296 Circles in 40 states and 3 continents. Based on organic networks of women, it is one of the fastest growing national organizations empowering women to gain the knowledge and confidence to become policy leaders.
