Use these 2 elements in your personal brand's unique value proposition…

Think outside the box. Audit all the aspects of your personal brand that can add value.

Are you clear on the personal and technical value of your personal brand? Your personal brand should balance both.

At age four I started playing the piano. My family, especially, my late Papa adored music. As my sister so eloquently said in his eulogy, he made us believe in the “magic of music”.

I played consistently through most of high school, completing six exams along the way.

What does this have to do with personal branding? Because, I now see how it made me the marketer I later became.

I learned to appreciate the beauty of a composition - the bigger picture. While also knowing, it’s only possible with each note. To this day, I strive to see the big picture while maintaining attention to detail.

My Papa used to encourage me to play with ‘a little more feeling’. I now realise the importance of emotion. Like in leadership, simply hitting every note technically, leads to a lacklustre performance.

In 2005, Steve Jobs famously gave the Stanford University Commencement Speech. He spoke of his calligraphy classes. For months after officially dropping out of Reed College, he attended classes he was most curious about.

“I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture.”

Jobs found it fascinating. But, at the time believed none of it had any hope of practical application. Until 10 years later, when he was designing the first Mac computer. The first computer with beautiful typography. A cornerstone of all Mac designs since.

Sometimes you don’t see how a personal value will manifest itself in your professional life.

As marketers know, the key to any compelling messaging is to speak to both hearts and minds. Because people buy emotionally first, and then rationalise with logic.

Avoid a lacklustre personal brand of leadership. Understand the personal and technical elements of your unique value proposition.

1. Your Personal Brand’s Personal Value

Put the ‘unique’ in the ‘unique value proposition’ of your personal brand.

Others may share your qualifications, titles, professional skills and years of experience. So, tell a more personal brand story to differentiate yourself in a noisy marketplace.

Potential colleagues and customers don’t just want to know if you’re technically capable. They want to know if they can connect with you.

The Science of Storytelling

Research has shown a fact is 20 times more likely to be remembered if it is part of a story.

Neuroscience shows that when we hear a fact, it lights up two areas of our brain - our language processing and language comprehension centres. But, when we hear a story, this increases by five-fold. And reaches our emotional and visual processing centres. The more active brain processing makes us more likely to remember it.

Chemically, hearing a story also releases oxytocin. This is the bonding ‘empathy hormone’. It causes us to care about the people involved in a story.

So. embrace the power of your more complete story when it comes to your personal brand value.

What gives your personal brand an edge?

Here are just a few ideas for adding more of your story to your personal brand value proposition:

• Personal interests

• Personal achievements

• Volunteering

• Hidden talents and skills

• Personal relationships (e.g. networks and memberships)

Things you likely won’t find in a traditional job description or bio. But, they are the reasons people connect with you. Perhaps they are the things that make people’s ears prick up at a party. They tell a story about your values. And our values unite us.

This helps establish an emotional connection with your people. Again, people buy emotionally first, then rationale with logic. But, your logic does matter.

Remember, only share what’s most relevant. The personal attributes that contribute to your personal brand vision.

2. Your Personal Brand’s Technical Value

As a leader, you’re always selling - your ideas, your vision and your mission among many other things.

Marketers commonly believe that 80% of buying decisions are made based on emotions. However, you still need to move your audience through to consideration and “buying” phases in their processing. They need to feel the emotions they’re already experiencing are in fact justified.

This is where knowing your technical value remains important. For your personal brand, this can include:

• Qualifications or training and development undertaken

• Industry experience

• Years of experience

• Professional skills and talents

• Professional achievements

• Social proof (e.g. referrals, testimonials, awards and key partnerships)

Master brevity with your technical value. While you may be highly skilled, refine your choices to only what you want your personal brand to be most known for.

Be weary that this is technical information. It’s likely content without context. It’s the difference between data and insights. Your personal brand storytelling is the insights.

Apple’s ability to deliver stunning typography is a skill. The personal founder story behind it shares unique insights in an emotionally compelling way. The Stanford graduates likely remembered these words long after Job’s address.

Communicating head-to-head will only get you so far. Speaking to hearts and minds will leave a lasting impression of your unique value.

So, do you know your personal and technical value?