A Personal Brand Beyond Myself

What’s my personal brand?...

Up until this time last week, I was attempting to figure out what my personal brand should be. Not too long before class, I finally figured it out, or so I thought.

One of my main dilemmas? Prior to the start of this class, although I had an idea of my personal brand (granted, I didn’t refer to it as a personal brand), I never stopped to put it into words.  While not set in stone, after class, I have come to a better understanding of my personal brand.  

 Over the past few years I've been blessed to work alongside several non-profits doing life changing work, both domestically and abroad, that have drastically changed the way I view the world around me. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with several Christian bands that have has a profound impact on my life, and the lives of countless others. 

Did she say Christian? While mentioning anything to do with faith (I’m hesitant to use the word religion) is not what one may initially think of when discussing personal brands, my faith makes me who I am; without it, I would not be the same person. So, while I understand that everyone may not have the same beliefs, I simply cannot isolate my faith from my personal brand.

Based on my experiences and faith, while I am a college student interested in learning more about social media who will have a marketing degree come December, I want my personal brand to be about more than just myself.  I want to use it to build a reputation to help Christian bands and non-profits build their brands and connect with the public. 

From this, my objectives would include:

• To network with those currently working in or with Christian bands and non-profits and those with similar interests.
• To help market and promote various Christian bands and non-profits (both those I already have connections with, and new ones as well).
• To address distorted perceptions individuals may have about Christian Bands. With everything from contemporary, to rock, to heavy metal, to rap, to country, and beyond, Christian music is no longer limited to the traditional sense.
• To encourage my audience to find a nonprofit that aligns with their interests and get involved.  

My target audience would include:

• Anyone interested in learning more about non-profits and Christian bands
• Potential employers and those currently working with non-profits and Christian bands

The social media channels I plan to use include:

• Facebook: Connect by "liking" pages for nonprofits/bands and by interacting with them. Also to build a brand through sharing/posting related stories and articles to my account.

• LinkedIn: To network with current employees of companies/organizations that I would possibly like to work for. 

• Twitter: To follow/interact with nonprofits/bands, and to create a following of my own in promoting them.

• Blogger: Ultimately, either later in the semester or after the semester, I would like to create a blog to further help build the brands of non-profits and Christian bands.  

 

While my brand is clearly sill a work in process, by maintaining relationships with nonprofits and bands I've worked with in the past, and by reaching out to a new audience, I'm excited to begin to grow my brand through social media.

First Task: Retrieve my login information for my forgotten and unused Twitter account.