Do you know the idea of ‘Personal Branding’?”, one of my pen pals asked me in his mail. His question made me thoughtless for a while. But, I instantly recalled the same matter what I had been talking much from the time I started my teaching career. It is, in fact, the idea of creating a good image that everyone loves to have. In my experience, many of us are still ignorant about its value.

Well, our “personal brand identity” is created by finding the intersection of who we are, who we want to become, what our ‘organizations’ and ‘customers’ want from us, all relative to any competitors. We know that all brands have customers, products and competitors. Similarly, we have. But, what does it actually refer to? Here our ‘customers’ may be our bosses, friends, students or relatives. So it is necessary to develop healthy relationships. Therefore, we need to understand that the main goal of ‘personal branding’ is to build and/or enrich our trust relationship with the target customers.

Likewise, we are a ‘product’ with different features and benefits, certain skills and special talents that other people value. In creating our ‘personal brand’, ideally we need to use

those skills and talents that are highly appreciated and valued by our

‘customers’, and that we also enjoy using. Moreover, we are a part of a larger ‘organization’.

We all live and work in it, whether it is our family or the place where we work. Almost all organizations have written or unspoken values and cultures that have a big impact on how we act. It won’t be wise if we pose any activity that hinder their well-being because they are important to our success and happiness.

Thus, our personal brand identity is the image that surrounds us.

Just like brand-name products such as shoes, wrist watches, clothes, etc; our personal identity is a ‘package’ consisting of ourselves as a ‘product’ that is a part of a larger ‘organization’ with ‘customers’ and ‘competitors’. Our brand image is basically communicated by what we wear, how we make our hairstyle, what personality we possess and how our physique is.

Finally, the goal of personal branding is not about being someone we aren’t. It is not about exaggeration or egotism. It is simply about becoming the best ‘we’.