FIT Students are ambitious, energetic pacesetters who pursue careers in design, fashion, art, communications, and business. No matter what your career, developing a personal brand will allow you to differentiate yourself in the market, whether you want to design a new shoe line or become a movie producer.
We found a great article, Personal Branding 101, by Lisa Quast at Forbes. A quick summary of the six specific tips follows, but the full piece is worth the read so check it out:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2013/04/22/personal-branding-101/
Step 1: Define your aspirations. Be specific about your goals and objectives. FIT students need to set clear goals that relate to their interests, such starting their own jewelry line.
Step 2: Conduct research. What can you learn from what others are doing? There is a lot of competition in the fashion and related industries, so learn more about your competition.
Step 3: Determine your brand attributes. What adjectives do you want people to associate with you and why?
Step 4: Assess your current state. How large is the gap between the current you and the person you want others to perceive you? For FIT students, this may mean that you are a hobbyist with tremendous talent who wants to be seen as a serious designer.
Step 5: Create your game plan. Your game plan needs to include all aspects of yourself as a product. Your specific media strategy counts, but so does but how you present yourself in person.
Step 6: Manage your brand. Proactively manage all aspects of your brand and make sure everything works together to reinforce your attributes and market niche.
This article definitely offers a lot of great ideas for both established and developing professionals.