We believe that, in the wake of the financial crisis and the social media revolution, 2013 is going to be the year that ‘personal branding’ comes of age. It will be a tough year for many but there is a ‘sink or swim’ mentality in the air and now is not the time to be ‘forgettable’. As Eintein said (however long ago): “Try not to be a [wo]man of success, but a [wo]man of value” – and that couldn’t be any more relevant now.

That’s why I chose ‘social media and personal branding’ as the topic of my evening guest lecture at Leeds Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Business and Law the other night.
(The guest speaker programme for this semester featured a stellar line up of senior business people so I needed something that would stand out and get people talking if I was going to attract a crowd both in the lecture theatre and via the live streaming!)

It’s also why we are currently writing an ebook entitled ‘Power your personal brand for 2013’. The book is about how you can stand out and get noticed in an increasingly competitive marketplace by working smarter, not harder.

In the ebook, we will set into context everything that has happened in the last few years to create the ‘perfect storm’ for personal branding in 2013. We’ll explain why it’s no longer about being egotistical and why it’s relevant for everyone, whether you’re a lawyer, a teacher or a stay at home parent. We will then use our expertise in communications and engagement to advise on how to develop a personal brand strategy and then build and manage a powerful personal brand (both online and offline) that will help you achieve your personal and professional aspirations.

In the meantime, click here to download the slides from my guest lecture or, if you have an hour on your hands (or don’t mind fast forwarding some bits), click here to watch it on youtube.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe include some of them in the book. Watch this space to find out when/where/how you can get it…