HTML your personal brand before life HTMLs you

Imagine your personal brand as a web page. Imagine tagging the text on that page with HTML codes to add colour, graphics and links that present your brand in the best possible way to that anonymous person viewing it on a browser somewhere. That, my friend, is branding. I invite you to HTML your brand today.

Do not be confused. HTML is still the Hypertext Markup Language, the standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, colour, graphic, and hyperlink effects on web pages. Nevertheless, HTML, as you will see in this piece, is also a matter of ‘self-branding’.

What does HTML mean in the context of self-branding? Before I answer that question, I want you to recognize that every entity (person, business, organization government, etc.) is a living brand and every brand communicates to those who interact with it at every given time.

The difference between brands is that some recognize they are brands and some do not. Again, some recognize they are brands and do nothing to dress the brand the way they want it addressed while others, the deliberate brands, do something about it and they earn massive brand recognition, brand acceptance and brand equity in return.

Whether a brand recognizes it is a brand and does the right things to put it in the best light OR it recognizes it is a brand but does nothing, the HTML equation happens automatically. Let us dive right into it.

H = HYPERLINK your elements, skills and qualities. This works the same way hyperlinks work on web pages. There are certain things that are open to the public, the webpage of your life. Oftentimes, this webpage carries only partial information about you. Your personal webpage may be a skill you have, a position you occupy, an event you organize or an initiative you manage. The Hyperlink Action requires you to use the known element, skills or qualities to show-off the other. That you are employed as an accountant does not stop you from showing your graphic design skills or your Master-of-Ceremony abilities. Hyperlink and be extra-relevant!
T = TWEAK your elements, skills and qualities. Just as you edit your web pages to remove errors, update obsolete information or add media, do the same with your personal brand. Do people perceive you in a negative light because of something you do? If yes, edit it out of your life. Do people think you are dull or boring? If yes, add a new colour to your webpage. The overall idea is to make fine adjustments like getting a new skill, for example, becoming more organized, cleaning up after yourself, etc.
M = MESMERIZE your audience. There is always an audience, silent or outspoken, for your brand. You may not see them, but you must aim to mesmerize them at every touchpoint. You must mesmerize people in the way you talk to them, worth for/with them, deliver your service to them, etc. Your aim is to capture their attention completely, so that you get top-of-the-mind brand recall whenever they need a service you offer or one of the skills you have hyperlinked or tweaked.
L = LIBERALIZE your brand and explore. While consistency is a virtue, no one likes a static brand that too strict. The greatest brands evolve. Think Coca Cola and the shift from glass bottle to PET bottles. Think Apple and their continuous innovations. Think about becoming a multimedia web page with images, text, and videos – attractive and attention-grabbing.

There you have it, the HTML code your brand needs to become the better and best version possible: Hyperlink, Tweak, Mesmerize and Liberalize. You may wonder ‘so what happens if I do not HTML my brand?’ Read on for my answer.

H = HACKNEYED. If you do not hyperlink your known element, skills or qualities to show-off the unknown ones, you will become hackneyed – unoriginal, dull, made trite by overuse. You will become a ‘so-what’ or ‘oh well’ brand.
T = TRITE. After they overuse your only known skill, it becomes overfamiliar. You will become trite and stale to those who use/know you. What do you do with stale bread?
M = MUNDANE. No one wants the mundane, dull or routine. Your brand is heading to the bin of memory.
L = Lag. It is inevitable. Your brand will fall behind others. Again, welcome to the bin.

Self-branding is a matter of survival in our modern reality. The world is changing fast and leaving those who refuse or are unable to rebrand along with it behind. This change is happening in every aspect of our lives, social, religious, economic, political and cultural. In order to stay relevant in the midst of this change, individuals like you and me have to adapt our brands constantly and deliberately.

The choice is yours. Recognize and HTML your brand strategically or get HTMLed into the bin of brand memory.