In a 1997 Fast Company article, management guru Tom Peters is credited with inventing the term Personal Brand.  Peters said, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.

It's that simple -- and that hard. And that inescapable.”

So how do you build your Personal Brand in the age of Social Media.  Is it time to get on LinkedIn?  Some would say that if you’re not already LinkedIn, Facebooked, Tweeted and Digged then you don’t exist – brand-wise, that is.

British branding coach, Lesley Everett (author of Walking TALL) describes a Personal Brand as being just like a corporate or product brand.  It’s how you make others feel about you, what people say about you, and the words they use to describe you.  If it’s that important, then constant Brand Management is obviously going to be necessary. 

Everett has several key steps to build that brand including :

1. Who you really are – Getting feedback from others on how they see you is a good beginning.  Ask others for three words to describe you.  This collection of perceptions from others is your brand.  Is it working?
2. The First Seven Seconds – that’s all it takes for others to judge us.  People make snap decisions based on what you look like, what you sound like and what you say.
3. Dress like you mean it – style, dress and grooming are important components of your brand.  Are you presenting yourself in a way that invites trust and credibility.  Do you smile and have a good handshake with positive eye contact.
4. Consistency – this is key since the consumer experience has to be repeatable in order to build value.

While much of this may sound like Etiquette 101, it’s certainly true that each of us has the capacity to control our external image, and that image is part of the reason that others will do business with us.