A Personal Brand is Many Things, but Differentiation is the Key

<h3>A Personal Brand is Your Unique Story</h3> <p>If you’re like me, there are parts of the journey that have been more challenging than others and there are some things I really don’t want to share.  These things are what will help you create a successful personal brand.</p> <p>However, there are a lot of things that, good or bad, have made me who I am and are the parts of my journey that have rooted me in the work I do today.</p> <p>If I hadn’t experienced a need to transition from corporate to creating my own business, I might never have found the work I do now.   My story has differentiated me from all others in my industry and given me the gifts of both strategic thinking and creativity with which my business is built on.</p> <p>Everyone has a story and journey that leads to unique gifts that differentiate you from others in your area of expertise.  But how do you identify those hidden gems that differentiate you and compel others to purchase from you or hire you?</p> <h3>What is a Personal Brand?</h3> <p>You all know that I talk about personal branding…all the time.   As an expert in personal branding, I’m often asked what a personal brand is.</p> <p>My answer always includes differentiating yourself from others in your space.</p> <p>Your brand is not what you think it is, it is what others think it is.</p> <p>Therefore, there is power in differentiating yourself and differentiation is key to creating a successful personal brand.</p> <h3>Your Personal Brand is Someone's Perception </h3> <p>If your brand is the perception someone else has of you, where is that perception coming from? </p> <p>You must help them create that perception.  You do this through your brand messaging, the content you have on your website, in your blog posts, in your email newsletters, and on your social media platforms.</p> <p>The next question is how can you differentiate yourself so that you not only stand out in the sea of online noise but also leave a great impression so that others have a good perception of you?</p> <h3>Your Per