This personal branding stuff is not really a new thing. Since the early days of advertising, faces of people have graced the packaging products, and businesses grew from the sheer force of the personalities of those who started them. Look at Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Tiger Woods, Richard Branson, Michael Jackson, and a whole host of others who have used their personas to create or enhance a brand.

All of them built their businesses and brands around who they were. Sure, all of those mentioned above had their talents. Michael Jackson had a brilliant singing voice. Tiger Woods has a knack for golf. And Gates, Buffett, and Branson certainly had more than their fair share of business acumen.

But who and what grew their careers and businesses? They did. And it was not just because they had talent. People liked and trusted that they would do the things they said they would, and all things being equal, people tend to buy products or services from people they like and trust. That is one of the most important reasons behind celebrity endorsements for many big companies.

What is new about personal branding today is that now anyone can do it with relative ease and with little expense. Social media has leveled the playing field, allowing small business owners, wannabe musicians and artists, filmmakers, job seekers, and others to stand out from the herd.

It has helped consumers become more responsible about the companies with which they choose to do businesses. It has helped launch new celebrity careers. It has promoted businesses that start with little or no advertising budget. And it can help you.

Whether using your personal brand to launch a career or strategically place your start up business, personal branding using social media is as important a development as television was to advertising and marketing in the 1950s. In fact, it is even more important!

This is because social media allows people to easily carry on conversations with other people, including and especially potential customers, something which television tends not to do so well. Social media has become a means to connect people with common interests from around the world. People in business are finding it is an important way to connect consumers with their products or services. The Internet has become ever more social, and with the number of online communities growing exponentially, knowing where you fit into it is essential to developing your personal brand.

For social media to truly work when developing your brand, it is necessary to look at what makes you stand out from the crowd. You need to look at yourself and what you do, and how you are different from your competition.

It is a good idea to ask yourself questions from a potential customer's perspective:

. What makes you better and more capable?
. What makes you a good person with whom to do business?
. Why should people do business with you rather than with someone else?

Once you know the answers to these questions it will help you create your brand position and focus your marketing message to a particular target.