<p>Author and cultural arbiter Tom Wolfe designated Baby Boomers as the &#8220;Me Generation&#8221; in the 1970s, casting the ambitions of these coming-of-age adults in the most self-serving of lights.</p>
<p>Nowadays, career-minded professionals and entrepreneurs of any age not only accept this mindset but use it as a strategy for advancement, known as &#8220;personal branding.&#8221;</p>
<p>Personal branding is the crafting of an outward persona in such a way that it matches the individual&#8217;s career goals.</p>
<p>Movie actors, athletes, and politicians have long had to pay attention to such trappings to attract publicity. (Even Wolfe had his signature white suit.)</p>
<p>But as online technology and social media has expanded opportunities for direct marketing to a niche audience,</p>
<p>so too has the need to manage and cultivate a personal brand in order to differentiate oneself from his or her competitors.</p>
<p>Who would have thought just a few years ago that solo professionals like musicians and artists would need business cards?</p>
<p>But in today&#8217;s interconnected world, they absolutely do!</p>
<p><img class="alignright" alt="personal branding" src="http://myblogguest.com/forum/uploads/articles/2013/4/id-100142040.jpg" width="350" height="350" /></p>
<p>Here are four steps for helping you develop and promote a personal brand, no matter what your profession is,without breaking you bank account in the process.</p>
<p><strong>1) Start in the inner circle.<br />
</strong>&#8220;Your closest personal contacts likely will be the people helping your business the most initially,&#8221;</p>
<p>says Epic Media&#8217;s Mike Sprouse, &#8220;In fact, your personal brand is the best capital you have amongst your network of people.&#8221;</p>
<p>This may feel at bit uncomfortable at the onset because most people don&#8217;t really like asking others about themselves.</p>
<p>But you&#8217;re trying to find out what you bring to your career that is unique.</p>
<p>Only the people who are closest to you can help you find the answer.</p>
<p><strong>2) </strong><strong>Keep channels uniform.<br />
</strong>As Micha Kaufman writes in <em>Forbes,</em>&#8220;Our &#8216;selves&#8217; are now digital and are spread wide and far across the Internet,</p>
<p>living and breathing in the social spheres of Twitter and Facebook to our personal websites and Tumblr blogs.&#8221; Sojust like a business has a logo, slogan, corporate colors, etc.,</p>
<p>that go on everything from print ads to ballpoint pens, you should adopt a consistent identity for all external communications, right down to professional-looking headshots, email signatures, and info boxes used in blog comments.</p>
<p>Speaking of which&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>3)</strong> <strong>Engage your audience on their turf.<br />
</strong>It&#8217;s much easier for you to visit other blogs or websites already frequented by prospective customers than get them to come to a new site.</p>
<p>Once you figure out which ones are the best, you can garner attention with insightful comments. See if the site administrator&#8217;s welcome submitted articles, webinars or other content.</p>
<p>It can turn into a mutually beneficial partnership for both you and the host.</p>
<p><strong>4) </strong><strong>Network offline, too.<br />
</strong>It&#8217;s easy to get fixated on the online interactions. But your personal brand is best displayed&#8230;well, in person. Join organizations that have like-minded individuals.</p>
<p>Attend professional conferences and trade shows; or better yet, apply to be a presenter.</p>
<p>These opportunities that blend professional and personal interactions can cut down on the time it takes to develop the kind of relationship that will lead to long-term success.</p>
<h5>Featured images:</h5>
<p><span class="license">License: Creative Commons</span></p>
<p><span class="source">image source</span></p>
<p>Chris Lenois is a small business owner and freelance journalist who writes for Vistaprint, a leading provider of custom marketing products for solo professionals across the globe,</p>
<p>such as business cards for makeup artists.</p>
<p>Chris has contributed articles to many renowned publications, including the <em>Times-Picayune</em> and <em>Wired</em>.</p>

4 Tips For Boosting Your Personal Brand
