Personal Branding Blog – Dan Schawbel

Out of everything I’ve learning on my personal branding journey, the Theory of eBrand Attraction is one of the most significant. I say this because the whole idea of eBranding is to expose exactly who you are, in a very authentic way, to the world. When this occurs, there are those that are attracted to your brand and others that are repelled. For you, this is really important because websites and blogs are “people filters.”

I’ve defined the term eBrand in the past, but essentially it’s an electronic or virtual representation of yourself. Any website that carries your name or image is part of your eBrand. Some people tell me “your blog is your brand” and that statement is only true if that is the only place on the internet with your name. If you comment on three blogs, have a Facebook profile and wrote an article for Fast Company, then the summation of all of those parts equals your eBrand. As you grow and develop your online presence, the outside world has more control over your eBrand than you in fact have yourself.

Why is this special Dan? By attracting the right attention, you aren’t wasting time with people you wouldn’t associate with anyways. Relationships are typically built and hinged from shared interest and eBrands are a way to communicate with those who you could see yourself being friends with in real life. A lot of online friendships turn to offline friends, especially if they are located in the same area.

eBranding helps employers find who they are looking for. By telling everyone “this is who I am” and “this is what I stand for” you are inadvertently telling employers you are qualified or not qualified for a position. You are explaining that you are passionate about and have expertise in an area and telling them not to contact you if it doesn’t fit your brand. In this way, you are saving them time, as well as yourself.