This was a presentation done for Netstarter PTY Ltd Sri Lankan staff during an internal training session the content has been modified to relate the content to a wider audience. This basically takes myself as the example model and how I did things in order to get my self started.

1. HOW TO BUILD YOUR
PERSONAL BRAND

2. WHAT IS BRANDING
?
The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a
product in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising
campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a
significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and
retains loyal customers.
Read more:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/branding.html#ixzz39FH
GzR3W

3. A PERSONAL
BRAND!

4. THE JOURNEY
2008 – skilled, unknown
2010 – skilled, (LOST THE JOB)
2011 – I decided to do
something about it

5. A ‘personal brand’ is in many ways synonymous with
your reputation. It refers to the way other people see
you as a business owner or representative of an idea,
organisation, or activity. Are you a genius? An expert?
Are you trustworthy? What do you represent? What do
you stand for? What ideas and notions pop up as soon
as someone hears your name?
When you have a personal brand, people
recognise and care about your name, what
you’re working on, what you offer, and
what you’re about.

6. layout your core values
How would you like potential customers and clients to think of you? Because your personal brand is built
from the thoughts and words and reactions of other people, it’s shaped by how you present yourself
publicly. This is something that you have control over. You can decide how you would like people to see
you and then work on publicly being that image. Values are the easiest thing to present and have people
identify with, so start there. Are you the sort of person who puts ethics above everything else?

8. To be the Best;
Work with the Best
If you want to get work for high-end design clients you’ll need to be seen as a runaway talent with a
professional attitude. Every good brand involves the notion of expertise. Nike brands itself as an expert
in creating quality and fashionable sportswear. Jeremy Clarkson (host of Top Gear) is an expert on
cars. Even if you’re not interested in marketing your advice, you need to create the perception that you
are very good at what you do.

9. A few local and international brands I’ve worked with before 2011

10. CONTINUE TO LEARN
& EXPERIMENT
Continue learning and updating your knowledge, especially if your expertise is
based around the online world. The web changes drastically from month to month. If
you were an ‘expert’ two years ago but have since stopped learning and challenging
yourself, you’re not an expert anymore.

11. Market your
personality.
Personal branding is basically selling someone your personality. You need to think hard
about HOW you act. You should have a clearly identifiable personality so that people can
easily feel like they know you personally, even if they've never met you. Your style of
delivery should be as unique as any other aspect of your personal brand. This doesn’t mean
you need to sit down and brainstorm how to be different. If you don’t actively imitate anyone
else, it will happen naturally.

12. MAKE people easily feel like they
know you personally,
Even if they've never met you.

13. Communicating with
People
Embrace this age of social media and let everyone into your life. Run a
blog or website that is all you. It doesn’t matter if it’s not your first priority,
or even your second priority, but it gives people a place to develop a
stronger connection with you.

14. CONNECT.
all the time!
Try to build relationships with as many people as possible. Constantly be figuring
out what you can do for other people and what they can do for you. Make lots of
friends and make sure those friends are diverse people who are really doing things.
The next time you need an expert or help on a project, you'll have someone you can
call.

15. GET TO KNOW THEM FOR
REAL.
learn their real or full names and remember details about
them.

16. Find your allies.
Look for people with an audience that you want to reach, the movers and the
shakers, the big names. You want to get in their inner circle. Comment on their
writing, keep track of them on social media,
Not only do you have plenty to learn from people like this, but they are also the
people who can give you that killer testimonial when you launch your product, who
can tweet your links to thousands of followers, who can share the best opportunities
with you.

17. Let people see you.
People need to feel like they know you, especially if your online presence is your main
business. In order to help them feel like they know you, they need to be able to see
you. This means pictures and, if possible, videos. Get some high quality head-shots
taken for your profile on your website. Get great actions shots of you doing what you do
best. Put out some YouTube videos where you hand out some of your expert
knowledge or tell people about what you're working on now. This will allow you to invite
yourself into people's personal spaces.

18. MY FAVOURITE HEAD-SHOTS

19. Promoting Yourself

20. 1. Have a website
Everyone has a website now. It's an important part of getting taken seriously in the
business and general work world. Make a website that functions as a sort of long-
form resume, showcasing what you're about and all of the cool things you've done.
A good thing to have on your website would be a blog, where you talk about your
ideas and the latest developments in your industry. This shows employers that you
take your job seriously and you're invested in what you do.

21. 2. Be present and active
on social media.
Social media is crucial in terms of giving people the ability to feel like they know you.
Keep your personal social media accounts under a slightly different name (your first and
middle, for example) and attach your real name to public social media accounts. These
will come up when employers or contractors look you up, so make sure the content and
ideas that you post are relevant and good.

22. 3. Get a unique
business card.
Business cards can still be very useful, even in this digital age. But you need to have
one that stands out. Get a professional, unique looking business card. Many sites sell
these online and even offer customisation services. These are not as expensive as you'd
think! Make yourself a card that no one will forget!

23. 4. Get a great head shot.
You want people to be able to picture you and feel like they really know you as they read
about you. Don't look like some second-rate wanna-be with a blurry picture of you on
your last vacation (complete with sunburn and embarrassing shirt).

24. Transform yourself.

25. 5. Put a lot of work
into how you look.
Dress like you mean business for your industry, wear clothes that fit and compliment
your body, and work on getting nice skin and a flattering hairstyle.
Sometimes this might mean updating your style a bit or moving outside of your
comfort zone. This is okay! Change is good for you and it will help you start a new
chapter in your life.

26. 6. Get a good bio written.
This will probably mean hiring a professional to write it for you. When we write about
ourselves at any length, we tend to write about what's important to us, rather than what's
really interesting or valuable to someone else. This is why it's a good idea to get a helping
hand. How your bio reads will depend on the nature of your industry and your particular
"brand", but a little humour and a smidgen of humility are usually valuable assets to a bio.

27. Succeeding
Long-Term

28. 1. Create your content.
A strong personal brand is not going to provide much benefit unless you have valuable
output to pair it with - a great service, a great blog, a great app, great public speaking
skills, or something else. You need to spend as much time creating your ’stuff’ (whether
that’s blog posts, videos or artwork) as you do building relationships.

29. 2. Create change.
You need to be an active force in your field. You need to be changing, innovating, and
making a significant contribution to your field at all times or else your brand will die out over
time. Find what your role is, what you do best or that no one else is doing, and find ways to
change the direction of that field for the better.

30. 3. Speak up
Take any opportunity you can to give speeches or present your work. When in meetings or
discussions with people, take the initiative and speak up for your ideas. People need to
hear you, as well as see you. You need to be an active participant in the events around
you and in your own life. Just make sure that you also value and ask other people's
opinions too. They need to feel that they are a part of your success.

31. 4. Keep your brand
fresh.
You don't want people to see you as dated, a one-hit-wonder, or boring and repetitive. No
matter how good your content is, you'll risk seeming stale and repetitive if you don’t
continue adding new elements to your brand or take on new challenges. You can’t ride one
idea forever. Keep adding new layers to what you represent.

32. 5. Play the long game
Look at your personal brand as an investment: your personal brand has the potential to last
longer than your own lifespan. While the projects you’re working on might get sold onwards or
shut down, your personal brand will persist and (hopefully) add value to each new project you
create. People will follow your brand from project to project if they feel connected to it. When
launching new projects, your personal brand has the potential to guarantee you never have to
start from scratch again. If you consider yourself to be in this particular game for the long-haul,
whether it’s an online business, art, or selling cars, a good personal brand is an invaluable
investment.

33. Thank You
Twitter : @shiran_sanjeewa