Are you personally seeking higher visibility in your field or profession? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. More and more of us are aiming to be widely recognized. This can benefit us personally as well as the companies we work for.
It used to be that the desire for high visibility was largely confined to stars in the worlds of movies, sports and politics. But in our web-enabled world, those tools have been democratized, and the high visibility trade is now widely practiced. Capitalizing on the advice of folks like Tom Peters, individuals in business and the professions now build “the brand called you.”
In their book High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand, Philip Kotler, Irving Rein, Michael Hamlin and Martin Stoller argue that high visibility marketing and communication has become a sophisticated industry that reaches deep into the economy.
The book, which was originally written in 1997 and was re-released in 2006, provides a framework for understanding the drivers and enablers of visibility. The authors contend that “attaining visibility has become a highly sophisticated process” and “all kinds of people today are seeking ways to become brands.” So why are more people seeking high visibility?
· Money. You'll command higher fees, salary and other perks if you're well recognized and respected.
· Attention. If you are well branded in the marketplace, you'll attract more prospects (or prospective employers).
· Trust. You won’t be widely viewed as a provider of trustworthy guidance unless you have already been elevated to a certain level of public recognition and esteem.
At the same time, organizations benefit from the rising profile of their people. This dynamic attracts attention from media, analysts and other market influencers. It attracts new prospects -- and strengthens bonds with existing customers. Indeed, thought leadership helps to build confidence in a company's long term vision and success.
The Visibility Premium clearly represents enormous payoffs. The question is: What steps will we -- as individuals and organizations -- take to raise our visibility in today's hyper-competitive markets?
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