Some of you may be asking yourselves, what is a mood board? It is a mosaic of images, words, graphics, and objects that project what you want your brand position to be. In developing your personal brand, think of a mood board as a snapshot of where you want to be. It is a destination postcard. Designers have used them for years to gain an overall feel for where their product is going to fit in the market. You can use them to identify your personal brand position and why it’s important to you.

5 Easy Steps to building your mood board.

1. The Gathering. Find magazines, pictures, books, stickies, etc. that represent the feeling or “mood” you want you personal brand to evoke. Be inclusive and pull together anything you may want to use. We’ll pare it down later.
2. The Arrangement. Take all of the stuff you’ve acquired and arrange it, collage-style (remember elementary school?) on a board, poster, or wall. I usually like to group things together that are similar in emotion or ideal. You’ll see why later. As your board is forming up, take notes of common themes that begin to pop in your head. The idea here is to gain insight and inspiration for what your true personal brand is. Don’t affix things until after step three, which is…
3. The Purge. Before you solidify the mood board you need to refine it. Eliminate anything that doesn’t align with your personal brand position. You are looking to clearly communicate who you are and where you are going. If a graphic or color doesn’t represent that, then it has to go. Also, keep it to three-to-five words that define your characteristics, ideals, and emotions. Too many will add complexity to the visual.
4. The Test. Now that you have trimmed the fat, it is time to test your personal brand mood board. Take a picture of your board and send it to a friend or mentor. Have them tell you what they see. It should be consistent with your vision of your brand. If not, revisit steps one, two, and or three.
5. The Finish. The final step is to write summaries of your mood board’s themes. Each one should validate the visuals on your board.

I recommend you put your board up where you can see it. Look at it regularly. Compare your work, attitude, and associations with the images you fastened to your mood board? Is it consistent? The board will serve as a beacon for your personal brand. Last thing, have fun with it. Enjoy the process of discovering your personal brand position.

What say you?

photo credit: lolololori

Story- What story do you want to tell? What story do others tell about you? This is what connects you to others in your niche. Is it consistent, authentic, and true? Your story is the only one like it in the world. Make sure it is powerful and memorable.

Works- What are you going to do? Choose the paths that are most productive and give you a return gain. Working hard helps you find opportunities and working smart help you capitalize on them.

Abilities- These are the areas you are exceptional. Identify what you do better than anyone else. You have talents that set you apart. Play to these strengths in your pursuit.

Goals- Know where you are going. The best strategies and tactics are useless without goals. Once you have determined your goals, prioritize them. This will help you focus on what is most important to accomplish.

Regardless of whether you are in Time Ferris’s camp or Gary V’s, the practice of performing a personal S.W.A.G. will give you clarity and awareness for your personal brand. I hope 2011 is your best year yet and a spring board for years to come.

To download the SWAG worksheet click [here].

Your thoughts?

photo credit: anarchosyn

photo credit: Greensboro College

A couple of weeks ago I spoke about personal branding and social media to faculty and students at my alma mater, Greensboro College.  Thanks again to everyone who attended, I enjoyed talking with you and it was a pleasure to meet you.

My presentation focused more on philosophy (what, why, who) and less on the mechanics (how). The new media tools we use to connect to our communities, engage in conversations, and tell our stories will change (probably sooner than rather than later), therefore I wanted to communicate sound thought process instead of how to upload a profile image to Linkedin.

I believe things went well, only one student fell asleep during the hour and half I was there. I am sure he would have been lights out for anyone save Megan Fox.  My biggest takeaway from conversations with faculty and students was how many folks try to over complicate branding and how it integrates with the web. Too many people are stuck applying old marketing mentality to new business environments. This results in a failure to launch or a disjointed message which lacks connection to the community.

Here are a few things I have learned that help me simplify the philosophy of utilizing social media to build your brand.

Know what you are trying to accomplish.

Know your story a La Tim Ferriss and Rick Smith.

Be unique a La Josh Madden and Hugh MacLeod.

Be passionate a La Gary Vaynerchuck and Chris Laney.

Be authentic, listen, and give value to your community a La Chris Brogan and Mitch Joel.

Reach the right people (not all people) a La Seth Godin and Cali Lewis.

How are you going to build your brand in 2010 ?

If anyone is interested and would like to receive my speaking notes you can contact me here. Please put “you 2.0″ in the subject line and I will send them to you.