Consciously or unconsciously we all are brand addicts!!!

We live our lives daily depending on the services, brands we have grown to trust offer us.Whether you agree with this or not,there are services or products you have become dependent on and this for three principal reasons; authenticity, relevance and differentiation. Take me for example, there was a time when i was helpless without my blackberry phone. It had through the years become my most faithful and trusted companion.I evolved from curve to bold to torch etc and with each innovation I felt more comfortable with the brand. It was and still is, from my point of view, very practical,user friendly and fun etc. Any where any time and I am ready to deliver required services.prior to this I was less effective and inefficient.I no longer needed to be in my office to work.My blackberry phone permitted me to carry my office around. Now this is not to say other phones or gadgets aren't great (am using an SG tab at the moment lol). They are and i would recommend you stick to that which delivers and adds value to your service, but I got introduced to blackberry at a point where I was getting fed up with the pace at which I was going because I was confined to working in a given location.the fact that it could permit me get most of my work done while on the move all the time made it a relevant and indispensable tool for business. Many of you like me have brands you have become addicted to, not necessarily because of the beauty or buzz around the product or service, but because they are authentic, you can relate to them, they are relevant because they meet a need and they are different and unique in the service they offer. These three aspects; authenticity, relevance and differentiation are all qualities that make for a strong personal brand.

Personal branding contrary to some opinions is not self aggrandizement based on false impressions;it is coming to terms with the real and authentic you , which is usually the most time consuming and important aspect of (discovering your personal brand in my opinion,) and communicating this as your unique promise of value to your market place. When this is achieved, you effortlessly become the brand everyone can trust and one to identify with. Like Simon Sinek says it, people end up buying why you do what you do and why is usually what makes you relevant or unique.

Make no mistake, your brand is a constant expression of your unique promise of value, be it at home or in the office, in a supermarket or a barbers shop. You are either gaining trust or loosing it.
When next you set to doing something, remember you are either going to increase dependability like my blackberry phone or just be one of the millions in the crowd trying to survive.