A Fill-In-The-Blanks Guide to a Powerful Personal Brand Statement
Laser focus your personal brand and share it with the world
Getting Started with the Personal Branding Fill-In-The-Blanks Guide
Expressing your unique personal brand to others is not always easy. Writing about yourself is not easy and it can be a challenge to find the right words to explain what you do and what makes you special.
To save you from hours of frustration staring at a blank page, here’s a helpful resource for getting started building your personal brand. Once you have these key elements in place, you’ll get a clear picture of how best to market yourself.
Figuring out your unique personal brand starts by answering the following fill-in-the-blank questions. When you put together the answers to these questions at the end of this worksheet, you’ll have written a concise and powerful personal brand statement.
You can use it on your website, your About Page, your social media, your marketing materials and anywhere else!
Begin building your personal branding statement by typing your responses into the placeholder fields: () throughout the various steps on this page. At the end of the page, you will be able to copy the completed statement.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Step 1: How Do You Help Your Customers? Step 2: What Makes You Different? Step 3: What Makes You Qualified? Step 4: Why Do You Care? Let’s Put it All Together!Step 1: How Do You Help Your Customers?
Ironically, your personal brand is not really about YOU. The key to understanding your brand is in knowing your customer and what you have to offer them. This is what the first sentence of your personal brand should be about.
Start by asking yourself who the person you want to help is, what you do for them, and how your product or service solves a problem for them and improves their lives.
FILL IN THE BLANKS:
I help (ideal customer) by (how you solve customer’s problem) so they can enjoy (benefit) without (obstacle).
I help by so they can without .
FOR EXAMPLE:
“I help entrepreneurs by setting them up with a easy-to-update blog, so they can update their website without having to learn HTML.”
“I help busy parents by creating an app that gives them recipe ideas based on what’s in the fridge, so they can cook something healthy and nutritious without having to go to the supermarket.”
“I help overwhelmed students by offering study skills workshops, so they can use their study time more effectively without getting distracted.”
Step 2: What Makes You Different?
Once you’ve figured out how you help your customer, the next important step is to determine what makes your product or service unique.
You’re not the only one in the world to offer a product or service like yours. There will be others out there in your industry providing something similar to what you do.
But you’re the only one in the world who offers EXACTLY what you do.
The key to this is to figure out your own unique strengths and attributes, so that you can highlight the ways you stand out from your competition.
Think about something you do that goes against the grain and creates a better outcome than the standard practice in your industry.
FILL IN THE BLANKS:
Other (providers who do what you do) tend to (do this not ideal thing), which leads to (negative outcome). Instead, I (what you do), which means (positive outcome).
Other tend to which leads to . Instead, I , which means .
FOR EXAMPLE:
“Other dog trainers tend to use fear-based techniques, which leads to your dog being stressed out, afraid and aggressive. Instead, I use gentle discipline methods that reward good behaviour, which means your dog will be calm and well-behaved.”
“Other graphic designers tend to not bring new ideas to the table, which leads to boring, uninspired designs. Instead, I offer clients several new and creative ideas with every project, which means their visuals are fresh, unique and eye-catching.”
“Other financial advisors tend to see things from a male perspective, which leads to difficulty understanding the needs of their female clients. Instead, I offer financial advice from a female perspective, which means my clients feel understood and empowered to make money decisions that make sense for their needs.
Step 3: What Makes You Qualified?
Ok, so you’ve established who you help, and what you do that makes you stand out from your competition. The next thing you’ll need is to establish your credibility. What makes you qualified to do what you do? What’s your background and experience?
There are a lot of effective ways you can establish your credibility whenever you are promoting yourself. Such as:
- Sharing testimonials from happy customers and clients on your social media, website and marketing materials.
- Mentioning any training or formal education you have had in your field.
- Showing off any awards or other recognitions you have received.
- Noting any memberships in any professional organizations.
But the answer to this question doesn’t have to always be “official” qualifications. It can be any experience you’ve had in your life that has taught you something that you apply to what you do now.
To make these qualifications and experienced even more meaningful, it’s always important to mention HOW they made you better at what you do.
FILL IN THE BLANKS:
My experience (your qualification or past experience) taught me (what you learned from it). This has made me a better (what you do) because (how that knowledge makes you better at what you do).
My experience taught me . This has made me a better because .
FOR EXAMPLE:
“My experience volunteering with a charity for the blind taught me that most urban spaces aren’t designed well for the visually impaired. This has made me a better urban planner because I consider the needs of people with disabilities in every project I work on.”
“My experience working in HR taught me how important it is for employees to be happy This has made me a better business owner because I always make sure my team knows I appreciate them.”
“My experience teaching children taught me how to keep lessons engaging and entertaining. This has made me a better public speaker, because I have the tools and skills to hold the attention of my audience, no matter what their age.”
Step 4: Why Do You Care?
The final (and maybe the most important) step is to express why you’re passionate about what you do.
This is the secret ingredient that will make your personal brand so much more real and authentic. If you show you really care, you’ll connect with customers, clients and colleagues on a deeper level and really make a memorable impression.
You can express this in a powerful way in your personal branding statement by sharing a value or a belief, then sharing something you actively do that supports your belief.
FILL IN THE BLANKS:
I believe (value or belief), so I (thing you do to support that value).
I believe , so I .
FOR EXAMPLE:
“I believe in the importance of eating together as a family, so I wrote this cookbook to give busy parents more kid-friendly recipe ideas.”
“I believe elderly people are more capable of using technology than we give them credit for, so I developed a hands-on course to teach them computer skills.”
“I believe inclusive language makes a workplace more welcoming for everyone, so I provide workplace sensitivity training.”
Let’s Put it All Together!
Have you filled in all the blanks in Steps 1-4? If so, I have good news for you. You’ve just written a powerful personal brand statement!
Here’s what it will look like:
I help [answer] by [answer] so they can enjoy [answer] without [answer].
Other [answer] tend to [answer], which leads to [answer]. Instead, I [answer], which means [answer].
My experience [answer] taught me [answer]. This has made me a better [answer] because [answer].
I believe [answer], so I [answer].
Of course, you can make edits and tweaks if you like. But what you’ve created here is a solid first draft that will tell the world who you are, who you help and the skills, experience and perspective that make you unique.
Now, go share it!
