Academic Branding Advice That Can Change Your Life

If you are thinking about branding yourself, the best advice I can give you is START TODAY. Don’t make it your new year’s resolution, don’t wait until Monday, and don’t make excuses. Just start, and it can change your life by opening up opportunities that you could not even imagine.

I wish I began using digital media to promote my personal brand during my first year of the doctoral program but instead I started just a few months before graduation. I could name numerous excuses that prevented me from starting at that time such as being too busy working full time, pursuing my doctoral degree, giving birth to our first son, and learning the ins and out of parenthood. But honestly these were not the actual reasons.

The real reason I did not start was because I did not think of myself as a brand. Also, as an introvert, I was not comfortable putting myself out in the public eye and doing self-promotion. But you are many steps ahead of me because you are already thinking about personal branding, and its importance for your future career.

If you do it right, it’s amazing how many new contacts you can make, how many people you can influence, and how many new opportunities will open up for you. The reality is if you want to create and promote your personal brand you need to put yourself out there. For some people it might be scary, it certainly was for me, but be brave and start today. With time, you will become more comfortable doing it, and you will start to enjoy it.

Don’t repeat my mistakes and start branding yourself today!