It’s something that comes up with colleagues and friends on a semi regular basis.

Working in Marketing it is often presumed that having a strong personal brand both online and offline is part of the job.  To a certain extent this is true, because often as marketers we feel the need to justify ourselves  but I would like to think that no matter what area of business I worked in that having a strong personal brand would remain as one of my priorities.

It can be seen as self-praise and anyone Irish reading will know that it pushes us to break away from the norm of avoiding anything of the sort or risk being branded “full of themselves”

Others may say it is only for people who are in the Sales game and with so much hype around Social Selling over the last year it is a valid argument but there is value in personal branding for everyone.

I like being challenged about it because it forces me to think why it’s important to me and why I encourage others to take it seriously.

Below are some of the benefits of a strong personal brand:

Identifying Strengths

Knowing what you are good at is important and often the only way to do this is to write them down. Your LinkedIn profile is like a supercharged CV allowing you to modify it on the fly, showcase your expertise and accentuate your skills.

Writing these down also helps identify what your passions are – you may realise that you are really good at certain tasks but you have a desire to improve or work on other areas.

Connect with your Audience

Found something interesting that your connections may get benefit from reading? Share it! Since the explosion of Social Media professionals have been learning and developing through their online networks.

Sharing your thoughts and ideas can be as simple as sharing a relevant article or writing an opinion piece through a blog. Like-minded people will engage and be grateful for the contribution.

Building Credibility

If you are in the Sales game we all know people buy from people. For a prospect, the more information they can have on the person they are dealing with the better. Whether it’s a strong Social Media presence showing their expertise on an area of business or the flip side of showing the human side of themselves by sharing what other interests they have a strong personal brand is a powerful asset to have as a salesperson.

For people not in the sales game building credibility can be of benefit when looking for career development, whether it’s a move up the ladder or a new role, having your personal brand in tip top shape will differentiate you from the competition.

It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have.Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.– Gary Vaynerchuk