Controlling Context: Leading with an Authentic Personal Brand

By Amber Anderson, CEO of Women+ Insights and Marketing Studio Tote + Pears.

My gender, my race, my height, my role as a mother, all of these can lead to guesswork before I show up. But instead of letting those attributes speak for me, I used my personal brand to share who I am and why people should value my contributions as a strategist.

Many professionals, especially women, are judged in the workplace. In McKinsey's 2021 survey of more than 65,000 employees at 88 different companies, women say they face more skill challenges than men.

In fact, 31% of women say they have had their judgment challenged, compared to 24% of men. And 38% of black women say they have experienced it, compared to 31% of white women, 29% of Latinas, and 25% of Asian women.

How can women leaders and entrepreneurs anticipate these notions? A personal brand allows you to define yourself, prove your worth, and share what sets you and your experience apart.

What is a personal brand and why do you need it?

Your personal brand is an impression you create that allows you to raise your own voice, establish your credibility, and define how you would like to be known. By stating who you are, what you stand for, and what makes your experience unique, you showcase your worth. If you want to increase your chances of being recruited by a company, find new PR opportunities, win customers or become a thought leader, a personal brand is essential.

What goes into creating a personal brand?

Your personal brand should reflect what makes you unique. Your brand plan has many layers, and focusing on these helps you make an impression where it matters most.

• Strategy

The first step is to determine your goals, the needs or opportunities of your target market, and how you can fill the gaps.

When I collaborate with leaders, I ask them: what are you doing and what is important to you? Talk about your passions while integrating the novelties of your market and how you can contribute to it. Your brand needs to stand out, which sometimes means finding a niche where your voice and ideas can be heard. So be clear about where you bring value and how your story sets you apart.

• Positioning and messaging

Next, focus on the issue or opportunity you want to highlight. This is where messaging is important. Messaging is your unique position on a particular topic. It's the story that drives the conversation and the "one thing" you want people to remember about you. At Tote + Pears, we do this by selecting a concept that is used as an anchor for all content and conversations.

For example, my passion is identity and how it shapes our experiences. I translated this into my personal brand to share my experiences and highlight how valuable they make me. This helps combat stereotypes and highlights how companies need to consider the differences and experiences of their audiences, especially when it comes to marketing and product development.

• Visual identity

Finally, you will move on to creating your brand's visual identity. The visual element of your brand is an essential part of your brand identity. It's the first thing the audience usually notices before they even read or hear a single word from you. To do this, create visual style guides that show how your brand appears visually. The style guide should include a logo/wordmark, color palette, and photographic direction that work together and align with your personality and message. Then use these resources wherever you go (in person or online) to help people...