The Top 2015 New Year’s Resolution: Brand Enhancement. Hello to Halo Effect

Welcome to 2015. If only because “Top New Year’s Resolutions” inevitably includes a focus on improvement, (yes, we know that “weight loss” is traditionally the top goal for most), whether you are a C-suite exec, a mid-level manager, or a fast-moving entrepreneur, burnishing your corporate brand image as well as your personal brand image is likely on the top of your “to-do” list as this new year unfolds.

The folks at The JLC Group contend that the good news is that the process for creating and/or enhancing brand recognition aka brand awareness often entails the same steps, and begins by first embracing the tenants of the Halo Effect , which is the “cognitive bias in which an observer’s overall impression of a person, company, brand, or product influences the observer’s feelings and thoughts about that entity’s character or properties.”

In an ‘evergreen’ post courtesy of B2B Marketing Blog.uk and submitted by a fellow named Cliff Findlay, there are 10 simple keys to unlocking the code towards better brand recognition; our favorite 4 includes: (i) First Impressions Are Paramount (ii) Define The Emotions You Are Selling (iii) (Re-) Establish Your Brand Values (iv) Stay On Message

Before you click on the above link for more details, we encourage you to consider extracts below from a Jan 2 WSJ column by Joann Lublin, which reminds business executives as to recommended steps for improving your professional brand:

Quick: how would a professional acquaintance describe you to others? Savvy project manager? Collaborative leader? Digital whiz?

That answer is your reputation—or, in the parlance of social media, your personal brand. Career success highly depends on that snap description, says Paul Winum, a senior partner at RHR International LLP, a leadership-development firm.

With the rosy outlook for hiring and promotions in 2015, now’s a good time to refresh your reputation. Maybe you’re known for using sharp elbows to get things done fast. Hone your diplomacy skills—and request some feedback on those efforts.

“Our brand has to evolve,” Dr. Winum says. The management psychologist counsels executives on burnishing their reputations. Edited excerpts of his advice for the rest of us:

WSJ: How do successful executives refresh their reputations?

Dr. Winum: Do an inventory. On one side, you say, ‘This is what I want to be known for.’ On this other side, ask, ‘How do other people see me?’ Determine if there is a gap between brand aspiration and reality.

Continuously invest in personal improvement. [Executives also] figure how to revise their brands when they carry negative attributes. Once you identify how you are being perceived, become a voracious student of what you want to master.

Many people have high IQs but low emotional intelligence. To develop that, someone needs to become a student of manners [and] active listening, paying attention to other people’s feelings and communicating more effectively.

For the full column by WSJ’s Joann Lublin, please click here.

The Top 2015 New Year’s Resolution: Brand Enhancement. Hello to Halo Effect