You are chief marketing officer for the world's most important brand. It is a role you should embrace even if you reluctantly accept the position. Why? No one else has more at stake in your brand's success than you. Adopting a personal branding mindset gives an edge over competitors that do not think the same way. As a brand, you are always open for business. Your task is at the same time straightforward and formidable: Manage the brand identity you wish to project. More importantly, it is a blueprint to professional and personal growth, setting standards for the three dimensions of a personal brand: -who you are (Meaning) -the value you offer (Makeup) -interactions with others (Message). Brand New Year gives 52 ideas for strengthening your personal brand. Take one idea each week over the next year and experiment with it. The Brand Builder section at the end of each chapter is a call to action for that personal branding idea. Try it for one week; you have nothing to lose except brand traits that have been limiting your growth! You may adopt some ideas, not fare well with other ideas, and even dismiss some ideas as not for you. That is OK; the aim is to try tactics that could aid in brand building.
About the Author: Donald P. (Don) Roy is professor of marketing at Middle Tennessee State University. Don has enjoyed a marketing career spanning over 30 years, even longer if you count his paper route in middle school. After graduating from Mississippi State University with a degree in marketing, Don began his marketing career with stints in department store management and consumer pack-aged goods sales over a 10-year period. It was during this time that he became inspired for the next stage of his marketing career. While completing an MBA at Mississippi College, Don decided to follow in the footsteps of professors that influenced him during his graduate program and become a college professor. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Memphis in 2000. Preparing the next generation of marketing professionals motivated Don to become a professor, and he has relished the chance to train future marketers over the past two decades. He has received teaching awards from the Marketing Management Association (Master Teacher Award) and Middle Tennessee State University (Outstanding Teacher Award). Don has merged two of his professional passions-branding and mentoring- in his research into personal branding. His expertise includes using online communication channels for personal branding. He has made numerous presentations on using LinkedIn and other social media for personal branding. Don and his wife, Sara, live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with their sons Chris, Sidney, and Ethan. You can find Don online at http: //donaldproy.com and on Twitter (@Don_Roy).