Cultivating a Personal Brand

Beverly Bowers • October 19, 2022

At NPS+ we are proud of our large and growing team. We collaborate, brainstorm and attend meetings together. We wear our NPS nametags without hesitation and are quick to tell people where we work.

In this day and age being a part of a team is only part of your career, especially if your daily life is spent in the world of marketing, public relations or strategic communications. It may feel unnatural, braggadocios or like you are “cheating” on your company if you also work towards creating your own professional brand. However, personal branding is a way to establish and reinforce the work you are doing in your organization and beyond.

Here are three ways to get your brand off the ground floor.

1) Be strategic when you say “yes.” Asked to sit on a board but you aren’t passionate about the mission of the group? Instead, engage with a cause that you can get behind. By being strategic with your “yes” you are building the most authentic version of your brand. This will allow you to speak freely and share with others about the work you are involved in away from your desk.

2) Network beyond your immediate team. It is so easy to simply put our heads down and look at our phones or shut our office doors. Instead, make it a point to introduce yourself to someone you don’t know while riding in the elevator, walking to your car or waiting in line for lunch. A simple, “Hi I am Beverly Bowers and I work at NP Strategy,” can open up a world of opportunity. Remember, people promote the people they know, trust and see out in the community.

3) Smile for the camera! Think about how often you scroll day after day through LinkedIn looking at what people’s successes and professional updates entail. Those same people are also scrolling! Post the board retreat picture, write about a behind the scenes event with a client and showcase your first huge client partnership. This reminds people what you are capable of and may jog their brain of what your area of expertise is. It only takes one person to look at your social media channels to think “I need to reach out about engaging in their team’s services!”

Cultivating a brand isn’t just for your business. In fact, when built strategically, a personal brand can lead to impactful change in your personal and professional life.