You, the brand.
What goes into your personal brand?

Personal branding isn’t fakery; it’s presenting your true self in a cohesive way. Part of it is packaging, but more than that, it’s lining up what you say with what you do, who you are at home with who you are work, your personal values with your business objectives.

Tell a good story.
Your story is an essential part of your brand. Here’s an anecdote that illustrates the power of a good story:

Last Sunday morning, my girlfriend, a friend and I were strolling at our local farmers’ market. We stopped at a diminutive stand where a girl, about 17 or 18, was selling spinach and basil. As we picked out some greens and retrieved some cash, the girl told us her story. Turns out she and her friends have a small garden plot on Federal Ave., a busy and otherwise strip-malled road in Denver. They garden both for fun and extra cash. The girl casually and unassumingly told this story in about 10 seconds. Almost in unison, the three of us said, “That’s really cool,” or something similar.

The point I’m trying to make? Here I am telling you a story about one vendor among 50. Was the produce fresher? Were the prices lower? Dunno. But the story was better.

Emily Post was right.
If good manners aren’t part of your brand, then you’re working against yourself. Every touch point you have with coworkers, existing clients and prospects should convey class and humility.

Work on your voice.
Have you ever flipped through a magazine and noticed that all of the articles read as if they were written by the same author? That’s no accident. Businesses do the same thing: they develop a unique persona by speaking with a consistent voice. That means that every medium—your web site, your phone manner, your business card, your e-mail tone, your office walls—should augment your unique voice. The only right voice is your natural one.

Exercise: write down three or four adjectives to describe your personal brand.
Suggested reading: for more on branding, check out this article from Peggy Klaus, the expert in such matters.