As a freshman in college, I feel a little overwhelmed jumping head-first into PR. Though nervous, I've been able to immerse myself in many ways in a short month. One way is through BU's PRSSA . Thanks to Rachel Sprung and Chelsea Alexander, I became involved in the planning process for the 2010 Regional Conference- PR Advanced: Brand Yourself. Though I was thrown into the committee almost halfway through the process, I was encouraged to participate in any way possible.
As we had been planning the conference for months, I naturally was extremely excited for it to actually take place. We invited PR professionals and masters of personal branding to come speak. Though I had to miss Fiona Morrison, the keynote speaker, I was able to hear from Jacob Cass from Carrot Creative. A 22-year-old graphic designer, Jacob Cass began his own business and is the perfect example of a personal brand. Through his effective use of social media, Jacob created an image for himself that ultimately led to his success. He inspired me to not let this blog, created by my boyfriend, be wasted. So here I am, branding myself.
The conference, which took place yesterday on BU's campus, was very interesting. Everyone discussed personal branding, throwing it around as a buzz word. At first glance, personal branding sounds like a daunting task, something insurmountable. But in reality, personal branding is not just a buzz word. It's a way to guide myself to a career and ultimately a life that I love.
According to Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, personal branding is like going to the gym. Though I'm not very dedicated in that department, I know that personal branding is much more important. I personally go through "gym binges" where I exercise in extreme amounts for a short time period, so the gym analogy spoke to me. To be honest, I hate going to the gym.
But in order for me to embrace personal branding, I need to not binge on making myself known to the PR community. I need to put in the effort every day. Personal branding requires near-constant attention. So as much as I would like to continue on as I have been doing, something needs to change because I want to brand myself.
In essence, personal branding is all about confidence and humility. Those with confidence in themselves develop a strong identity. A powerful presence is essential to making a good impression in person or on the internet. Be confident in your abilities and others will notice. Though confidence is an essential quality to personal branding, humility is also needed. Confidence proves you are powerful, but humility proves you are a leader in whatever you do.
Don't be afraid to jump into branding yourself. Everyone's got to start somewhere.
