August Woman Magazine Interview On Branding Strategies

January 2013 has been a superb golden month for me in terms of media publicity. To kick off the media hype was the Mediacorp Radio 938 Live radio interview when I shared branding tips and promoted my book “Branded For Success”. This was followed by the Lianhe Wanbao fitness and nutrition interview on doing the right bodyweight exercises and eating right to lose weight in time for Chinese New Year. Then I morphed into the 8 Days Shirtless Guy of the Week after a photoshoot cum interview for the popular magazine. And now to cap it all off, my exclusive two-page interview sharing branding tips for readers of August Woman magazine officially hits the newsstands today.

It feels surreal. But I’m really truly grateful for everything.

Ok, back to the August Woman interview. As the target audience of the magazine is working women, I was given some scenarios and asked to share tips on how women could brand themselves both in the corporate world and after they stepped out of the office back to their homes.

It’s never easy being a woman. It’s never easy being a man either. Regardless of gender, we play multiple roles and need to balance each and every one of them well. As a woman, you are someone’s daughter, sister, wife, mother, cousin, boss, colleague and subordinate all rolled into one.

But in case you start to freak out, stop!

Let’s go back to the basics. And it boils down to just one word – branding.

A brand is like an image we project to the outer world and the perception it creates in others. It is a multi-sensory engagement of the various human senses. Whether you know it or not, people form a perception of you and you need to take control of that. Whatever role you are playing now is dependent on the brand you create for yourself.

In my opinion, every modern woman should create her own SPICE © brand story by being true to her values, character, personality and passions. Once she understands her own brand, she can then attain her career goals more easily.

Everyone has a unique personal brand and it is crucial to manage it proactively. Your personal brand speaks volumes of who you are as a person, your expertise and your promise of value to the organization, colleagues and clients. A strong, authentic personal brand helps you become known for what you’re good at, sets you apart from everyone else, and can position you as an industry expert.

In today’s competitive society, building a strong personal brand is crucial to one’s career. But take note that it should not overshadow the company’s brand. After all, you are hired by the company and must be aligned to the same group mission and vision. As strong as your personal brand can be, one tip would be to leave the ego out of the equation. Companies do not welcome staff with huge egos as it complicates matters and relations.

Simply put, your personal brand should thus be in tandem with the company’s brand. Once you understand your company’s brand, you would be able to translate your own personal brand by communicating your value and what differentiates you from others in the same industry.

It is an open secret that human beings are emotional creatures. That’s why we need to handle every “transaction” with each person with tact, care and finesse. Whether you are a single lady or married with kids, we all have choices we must make. And that choice very often is a choice of how we want to be perceived in the hearts and minds of others.

As a coach, mentor and friend to my female clients, I have witnessed their phenomenal growth as a person after being more aware of their own personal brand. And I’m proud of each and every one of them 🙂