Brand Statements are the backbone of marketing. They give the reader a quick overview of what your brand stands for, what values you live by, and how your brand is different from all others in your industry.
But why should you write a brand statement? And how do you write a personal brand statement?
What is a Personal Brand Statement?
Basically, a personal brand statement is a short one-liner that can be delivered in a mere few seconds. It is not supposed to be a sales pitch, but rather an ice-breaker or conversation starter that leaves people wanting more.
A personal brand statement is a concise sentence about what you do and why you are unique in your field. It is not as long as an elevator pitch, but longer than a slogan. This phrase helps people understand who you are and what you offer. It should be catchy, memorable, and attention-grabbing, which separates it from a slogan which tends to be more of an advertisement or catchphrase that can easily change with the times without much thought put into it.
The goal of a personal brand statement is to create a short, catchy and memorable phrase that sums up who you are and what you do. You can then use it on social media bios, website landing pages, and business cards. Personal branding statements should be simple enough to convey the value of your personal brand or they can describe the intricacies of who you are and what you offer.
A personal brand statement can act as a defining factor when people search for you online or decide whether they want to learn more about you or not. It's important that the statement be concise and compelling so that it reflects positively on you.
Why should I write a Personal Brand Statement?
Personal branding statements can be a powerful way to introduce oneself to others and create a memorable first impression.
While these statements are common at large companies, we believe they're equally as important in a world where everyone is becoming their own employer. In the sports industry, being your own brand is especially important. As Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules are established within NCAA athletics, there will be more and more opportunities to leverage your playing career into easily accessible endorsements.
How do I write a Personal Brand Statement?
Writing a brand statement may seem intimidating at first, but if you follow these steps you'll be able to put together your very own in no time.
Just like a business needs to have a strong and unique selling proposition, so do you. So let's start there.
1. Write down all your skills and interests
A list of strengths and interests is a good way to organize your thoughts when you're trying to decide what to do for a living. You could make a list of your interests, hobbies, and talents. It's a great idea to create a list like this, because it can help you to see both what you enjoy doing in your free time and what things you think you're good at.
2. Why do you love these things?
What is it about your hobbies and interests that you enjoy? Of the strengths you listed, which ones do you find personal fulfillment in? Sometimes we're good at things that we don't enjoy, sometimes we're not good at things we enjoy, and sometimes we're both good at something and we enjoy it. Our goal should be to find the things we're both good at and love to do.
3. Who do you love working with?
Think back to the teammates or co-workers you found the most enjoyable to work with. Who gave you energy as opposed to taking your energy away?
4. Research Others
Listen and read to what others are saying their unique selling propositions are. Read other personal branding statements. Basically, do a little competitive research and try to get a feel for where you might fit in.
5. How are you different?
Now that you've looked at your competitors, it's time to consider the lists you made in the earlier steps of this process. What is it about your strengths that are unique? Is there a unique audience you can focus on? Ideally, you'll find things you a both passionate and great at, working with a target audience that gives you energy as opposed to taking it.
6. Try writing it all out in a paragraph
Don't worry about being simply just yet. Focus on writing out your thoughts free form to see if anything obvious jumps out!
7. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
This might be the hardest step for a lot of people. The goal is to come up with a short, concise statement that helps you get your point across easily and efficiently. Cut the word count of your paragraph as much as possible by eliminating sentences and simplifying statements.
8. Make it fun.
Add in some adjectives to make your statement a little more fun. If you can add a call to action to it, even better. The goal at this stage is just polish -- are there any little tweaks you can make to make you personal branding statement truly stand out?
With these steps, you should be able to craft an amazing, unique personal brand statement to help benefit your career!
Alex Rudloff is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of GMTM.com. He believes that UCF would have beaten Alabama in 2017 and he'll die on that hill.
