Do you have a personal brand?

You can be forgiven for believing that branding is the sole domain of businesses selling a wonder product or influencers marketing themselves in the quest to obtain millions of followers. However, personal branding is not restricted to large companies or individuals with lofty online dreams. Developing a personal brand is a practical approach that any professional can take to advance their career and expand their network.

This week at the Florida Library Association conference, I am presenting a breakout session titled, Shelf-Promotion: Crafting Your Brand in the Digital Age. The session will outline a non-influencer approach to developing a personal brand. Below is the description in the conference agenda.

Building a brand is not just for influencers. Professionals of all types benefit from creating an engaging online presence to drive their career. This interactive workshop provides practical tools and a personalized action plan to confidently build an authentic, effective brand while maintaining professional boundaries. Presented by the Efficient Librarian.

In the breakout session, I’ll guide participants through a simple series of steps to create the foundation of their brand. One concept that will be shared is known as “Skill Stacking.” Here is how the website, Indeed, defines it.

Skill stacking is the concept that individuals can make themselves more valuable by gaining a wide range of skills instead of pursuing one skill or talent. Try pursuing complementary skills that may support each other and create a unique new set of skills. Doing so can offer a more realistic path to success and may provide more professional opportunities in various fields.

In my case with the Efficient Librarian, I have matched the skills of productivity, leadership, and librarianship together to forge my unique brand.

Go ahead and try this for yourself. Make a list of all the skills you are good at and enjoy doing. The trick is you don’t need to excel at any one of them. A high level of competency is good enough. Review the list and then match together skills that complement each other as the basis of your brand.

To learn more about creating a personal brand, please attend the Florida Library Association conference in Orlando this week. I hope to see you there.