July 5, 2016

By Mike Silverstein, Managing Partner of Healthcare IT & Life Sciences

Every business or organization has a brand. A brand is the way in which others identify the values of a company and how that company is perceived by its audience.  Branding is very strategic and calculated and the idea is to find unique ways to gain mindshare and positioning in the minds of customers and clients.  While it is commonplace for a business to put extensive amounts of time, money and energy into building its brand, personal branding is just as important for individual executives especially in an industry as dynamic as healthcare technology.

If you are a Healthcare IT Executive, your personal brand is everything you say and do on a day-to-day basis. This includes not just your actions but also your individual qualities and unique attributes including your passions, values, and goals.  If you think of the concept of your brand as a foundational element in your career, it can be a consistent motivator to build your network, meet new people, and create a presence both in person and online.  In other words, personal branding will position you in the marketplace as a logical choice for your next desired business partnership or career opportunity.

The question is how do you start building your brand or more importantly, start taking control and managing the brand you are already conveying to the market? Below are some thoughts on how to put some structure and methodology to your brand and how to manage the messaging you put out to your clients and industry colleagues:

Determine Your Target Market

What is your purpose for building your brand?  Whose attention do you want to catch?  It is important to have a clear view of who you want to target as your audience.  For example, you could be looking for a leadership position in a healthcare software company and will want to position yourself to appeal to potential employers, recruiters and investment firms within the industry.  This could differ completely from a professional who might be looking to sell a portfolio of solutions, find new clients and network with potential industry partners.  The key is first to define your audience and then figure out the best way to reach it.  Knowing which organizations you want to make an impression on will help you to determine what types of content you should be sharing, what events to attend, and key influencers you should connect with.

Building and Marketing Your Brand

Today there are many different channels to showcase your personal brand; particularly online.  Social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, along with personal websites and blogs are all channels that can be used to promote your personal brand.  It is important to stay consistent across all platforms to make sure the same message is being received no matter how your audience is finding you.  Sharing relevant healthcare thought leadership content to start conversations and creatively managing your social media channels are ways to boost your personal branding efforts.

Aside from your online presence, other helpful ways to build your personal brand are what you do in person.  Depending on how you want to frame your brand, speaking opportunities, volunteer work, guest writing for industry publications, or presentations at workshops and conferences could be great for your brand.  Attending conferences and functions pertaining to the healthcare industry will not only give you more credibility, but also will help you to build and expand your network.

As you build your brand, remember these three rules for promoting yourself:

1. Be consistent
   Make certain that messaging across all platforms carries your personal brand and voice in the same way, while not necessarily being the same content.

2. Be creative
   Develop your profiles to have a look and feel that encompasses your personal brand.  In addition, think of unique ways to capture attention of any organization you are interested in.

3. Be purposeful
   Always keep your end goal in mind while branding yourself as a talented Healthcare Industry Executive.  Everything you say or do contributes to your brand, so a helpful way to make sure you are being purposeful is to ‘Google’ your name to understand view how you are perceived by others.

Monitor and Maintain

The most important part about building your personal brand is making sure to effectively monitor and maintain it.  In business, marketers work around the clock to not only build the company’s brand, but also to get real-time feedback from the market in order to make adjustments and pivots as necessary. Similarly, your personal brand will benefit from the same diligence.  Continuously updating your online presence with relevant content, new industry connections and accomplishments in your field will help increase the level of engagement with your audience and position you appropriately for the next step in your career. Building industry relationships and staying in touch with those folks through relevant content is also paramount. Lastly, asking for others opinions about the messaging you are putting out there and always be receptive to feedback and new ideas will help you fine tune your presence and stay in front of the correct audience with the appropriate branding touches.

No matter what your goals are, you can effectively build your brand to help you achieve those goals.  What are you currently doing to showcase your personal brand?

For over 33 years, Direct Recruiters, Inc. has been recognized as the relationship-focused search firm that assists top-tier organizations with recruiting, acquiring, and retaining high-impact talent for mission-critical positions.