Define Your Personal Brand

“Your brand is a gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something – to create something or help others in some way. The question is, how can you set up your life and work so that you can do it? The answer lies in your brand. When you create a compelling brand you attract people who want the promise of your brand – which you deliver.”

– Dave Buck, Master Certified Coach

To help your clients achieve living healthier, happier, more fulfilled lives, as a practitioner, you first need to gain the trust of your client. The first step in gaining the trust of your client is to convey to them why you are a qualified therapist, for example by explaining your biography, educational background, and credentials through your online profile.Once they are convinced of your qualifications, your potential client will assess whether they can connect with you on an emotional level and whether they perceive you as being capable of helping them address their specific issue. All of these elements - your background, qualifications, credibility, and personality make up your "personal brand", and it is exactly your "brand" that is at the core of enticing potential clients to contact you.

Just as successful companies have well-known “brands”, so do successful service professionals. Whether you have tried to curate one or not, you already have a personal brand. Your “brand” is the perception that your colleagues, friends, and patients have of you; it is the culmination of the way you write, your professional history and the articles and references that show up when someone conducts a "Google search" on you.

“Personal branding is not about you. It’s about putting your stamp on the value you deliver to others.”

– William Arruda, Personal Branding Expert

When thinking through the "brand" of your practice, or simply when updating your online profile, take the opportunity to take control of your brand and define who you are, what makes you unique, where your expertise lies and tell your story - as you would like it to be told. Displaying your expertise can help you attract the kinds of clients that you are most passionate in helping, and can help you reach both your personal and professional goals.

How to (re)define your personal brand

Defining or redefining your brand starts with digging deep and thinking through what makes you unique — what are your values, how do your clients describe you, what are your qualifications?

We've put together a worksheet to guide you in defining, or simply gaining a fresh perspective, on your brand. When you're ready, we recommend that you mute your phone and turn off notifications, and set aside at least half an hour of uninterrupted time when you can approach the exercise. The more honestly you can answer these questions for yourself, the more effective this exercise will be. Now, let’s begin…