We were excited to hear from the Engineering Management Institute (EMI) about their interest in having Ingenuity’s brand strategist and principal Dawn Wagenaar on the AEC Leadership Podcast.
Dawn was interviewed by EMI founder and podcast host Anthony Fasano, PE, F, ASCE about the power of personal branding for business success (Episode 333).
Anthony asked Dawn questions such as why technical leaders need a personal brand and how they can create an effective one. Dawn said:
- Personal branding is great for career advancement opportunities. Technical leaders can set themselves apart even as they represent the firm.
- Technical leaders can share their personal brand on social media, but also in networking and business development such as their proposal bios.
- Core values are different from firm branding in that core values are what the firm or the person stands for whereas branding defines how they deliver services or are perceived in a unique way. Values and branding can certainly align in firm brands as well as in personal brands. Who are you? How do you show who you are? How are you perceived in the market?
Anthony also brought up a great point about the power of social media for personal branding. Even though technical professionals in A/E/C firms may not be regular contributors to LinkedIn, for example, their profiles still show up well in search. A well-branded social media profile increases the firm’s visibility for leads and prospect awareness.
Dawn and Anthony agreed that consistent branding in your A/E/C marketing is especially important. The look and feel of the firm’s brand and the personal brand should be consistently represented across channels. Consistent branding leverages its value for visibility and business growth. Dawn also suggested that the personal brand can be a little more fun and still be professional.
“I show pictures of my dogs or my talent for creating signature cocktails. It’s ok to show your personality in your branding…people work with people.”
For more insights from the AEC Leadership Podcast, listen to or watch the episode here, or click the play button below.
