Are you your own brand?

From the pages of In Business magazine.

I’m sure many of you learned about branding in marketing 101 courses back in college (maybe even high school), and I know that we all get bombarded by thousands of brand messages each day as we go about our daily routines. Most of the time, the word “branding” is used in reference to a company or a product, but have you ever thought of yourself as your own personal brand? 

According to the very insightful Jim Signorelli, “If you have a birth certificate, then you are a brand!” In other words, we are all our own brand. And while it might take you several experiences to form an opinion of a company or product, people often form opinions and beliefs about your personal brand within a few seconds of meeting you. Some of this is out of your control, but there are certainly a number of ways in which you can create a positive opinion during those first few critical seconds.

If this idea intrigues you, then I encourage you to come define your own personal brand at our fourth annual In Business Expo & Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 22! I’m thrilled to announce that Signorelli will be giving a keynote address on “Personal Branding” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the expo. It will be the perfect topic to kick off a day of connecting, networking, and learning, and you’ll be sure to encounter hundreds of personal branding opportunities throughout the day.

Signorelli is the award-winning, best-selling author of StoryBranding. He also serves as CEO of eswStoryLab Marketing in Chicago (cited as one of the top 25 agencies in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago) and is regarded as a leading authority on the subject of storytelling and its application to branding. Signorelli’s keynote presentation will help you:

•    Clearly understand the importance of having an authentic vs. “manufactured” personal brand.
•    Use tools to define your personal brand the same way some of the most successful corporate brands do.
•    Develop a plan to cultivate your personal brand.
•    Use your personal brand to be more successful at work and in life.

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Here’s a special offer for you: If you register for this keynote presentation by July 31, you will receive 20% off the ticket fee. The normal ticket fee is only $25 for the keynote breakfast, but this discount will knock off an additional $5. To register, go to MadisonBusinessExpo.com (you can also get more information about all of the expo activities while you are there) and type in the code EARLYBIRD20 when you are registering for all the events you would like to attend.

Personal branding is unavoidable, and you are never too old to craft (or refine) an authentic brand for yourself. I would strongly encourage you to join us for this keynote presentation on Oct. 22, and please make plans to stick around after the keynote to walk the expo floor and connect with the exhibiting companies, or to attend the many other events going on that day at the expo and conference.

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