Hone your work image into a brand to help you stand out

By Dana Knight
Indianapolis Star

Dr Pepper makes the world taste better. Crest toothpaste is minty fresh and removes plaque. Revlon's wet lipcolor in Silver City Pink is maximum moisture, minimum weight.

My brand? Had no idea I needed one.

A marketing trend has been swirling around, urging employees of every type to develop their own personal brand.

Evidently, brands aren't just for products anymore. They're for people.

Michael A. Snyder, a whiz of a marketing consultant who has a whole seminar on the topic, can fill you in.

A personal brand isn't exactly a label slapped on your forehead, the cheesy "cotton is the fabric of your life" slogan kind of branding. But it's close.

"Your brand speaks for you in your physical absence," says Snyder, owner of the Mek (pronounced "meek") Group in Indianapolis.

Think of Baskin-Robbins. It may not always be in your presence, but you know it's famous for ice cream. So, sometimes you go there just because you want a good ice cream cone.

Translate that into the workplace.

"Say Michelle always gets it done. Michelle is the responsible one. That is Michelle's brand," Snyder says.

"The brand may not be overt. You don't see it. But people know it. They talk about it."

A brand gets you jobs or promotions you may not have even known you were up for, he says.

To succeed in today's workplace, you definitely need to get a brand, Snyder says.

Still, a brand is a tricky thing to develop. It doesn't just create itself. You have to create it.

Here's a little example to get you started.

There are hundreds of shampoos on the shelves, and every shampoo cleans hair. So how do you decide what to buy? The brand.

Herbal Essence is a "totally organic experience." It's natural. Selsun Blue takes care of dandruff. Pert Plus is shampoo and conditioner in one. Their brand identities make them stand out.

Snyder suggests you come up with what makes you stand out or how you want to be known, then back it up with actions.

At Ben Hewitt's office, he's known as the calculator.

A construction worker by trade, Hewitt is the one everyone in the workplace comes to with math questions. It gets grueling, but he's always willing to oblige.

"That's what I bring to my job that no one else does and what makes me valuable beyond any other construction guy," says Hewitt, 29. "I'm kind of the geeky math nerd."

Snyder says others look at Hewitt and say, " 'Ahhhh. We need you, and you are valuable to us."

Kristin Ingersoll's brand is a bit less tangible.

"I'm the funny one," says the 33-year-old instructional designer.

She's the one who can make an uncomfortable situation comfortable. Brings laughter. Makes people feel at ease.

Ingersoll just switched jobs from a national comedy talk show to the training field. Her sense of humor has helped her adjust to a new city — and a new job.

She's an easy communicator and she's funny. Not a bad brand.

Snyder says brands come in all shapes and sizes and often are an accumulation of several assets.

His brand: "A person who gets things done, who recognizes the value of strategic thinking, goes to execution as quickly as possible without analyzing things to death, and knows to pool collective strengths."

Whew. That's some brand.

His point: Develop one of your own.

As Snyder likes to say: "If you don't stand out, you don't stand a chance."