One of the hardest things nowadays (besides making a perfect pancake) is figuring out a clear and effective way to brand yourself. Whether its for monetary gain or simply getting your name out there, its important to treat YOUR brand (you), almost like a product. Successful products of various types in the market, started somewhere, and that start gives way to a momentum that must have strategy behind it.

Be honest with yourself and assess who you are as a person, your strengths and weaknesses, potential pitfalls, and of course what makes you happy as that directly ties into the motivation necessary to put together and execute a successful brand with integrity and longevity (which is key). I cannot emphasize this enough, but you must RESEARCH, RESEARCH, AND RESEARCH ahead of time before going into anything. Explore all forms of media and gather information. Look at how other people/companies have successfully branded themselves. Study the trends within the market you wish to get your hands dirty with. Be PROACTIVE when it comes to understanding what it out there, and the formulas that work for people.

Courtesy of Lisa Quast a blog Contributer at Forbes. The step by step list below outlines a comprehensively condensed series of guidelines that can help you in your endeavors. Really put some thought into this as what you put into the brand, is what you will get out of it over time. Type or write all your responses to these questions on paper. Put it down so you can see assess your thoughts concisely.

Step 1: Define your overall aspirations. Be specific and clearly define your goals and objectives. Is it to become known as the best project manager in a certain industry? Obtain the job of Creative Director at a large advertising agency? Become VP of Marketing?

Step 3: Determine your brand attributes. What do you want your personal brand to convey? What adjectives do you want people to associate with you (as the product) and why? In what niche of the market do you want to become known?

Step 4: Assess your current state. How do people currently perceive you? How large is the gap between the current you and the person you want others to perceive you to be? What needs to change and why?

Step 5: Create your game plan. Your game plan should include more than just branding yourself in social media – it needs to include all aspects of you, as a product. Defining your plan needs to include the tangible and intangible characteristics of personal branding including attire, hair, makeup, behavior, verbal and non-verbal communication.

Your game plan also needs to include the specific social media aspects you’ll use to convey your new personal brand (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) and how you will use each of those aspects to build your brand.

Step 6: Manage your brand. Proactively manage all aspects of your brand, ensuring these aspects are in sync and that they continue to reinforce your brand attributes and market niche.

For example, your LinkedIn picture should look similar to the in-person you, your Tweets and any social media posts should stay within your market niche and your in-person behavior should be representative of how you want others to perceive you. And if you’ve branded yourself in social media as a creative fashion diva, then make sure that extends to how you come across in person (attire, hair, makeup, etc.).

Don’t create a mismatched brand by conveying different or competing attributes in various social media outlets, such as tweeting negative opinions about gowns worn at the Oscars and posting comments on LinkedIn about your vacation when you’re trying to brand yourself as a savvy cross-functional project team leader. Doing so will create audience confusion about who you are and what you do.