Do you have a kick-ass personal brand mantra?
Ya know, a power-packed statement, that encompasses all you and your brand stand for?
So much of branding is perceived as only being visual, as in logos, graphics, packaging, colors, and the like.
But the essence of your brand, what these visual components or even tangible products embody, is your brand mantra – that statement that represents you, your company, your side hustle, your blog, all that you create.
Your brand mantra is what ties everything that you do together.
In order to have a consistent brand presence across all platforms, products, and mediums, you need to know what your personal brand mantra is.
So, what do you and your brand stand for?
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The Power of Having a Personal Brand Mantra
Your personal brand statement is not only fundamental to how others perceive and interact with you and your brand but for how YOU perceive your brand and yourself.
A powerful, “make it” brand mantra will keep you going, push you farther and set your course. It defines, drives and determines YOUR attitude and perception of yourself.
Whether you’re just starting out, or even been at this for a few years, creating a personal brand mantra has the potential to shift your mindset about you and your business.
Want to get serious about your blog, side hustle or business? Own, live, breathe and be your personal brand mantra.
Want your family, friends, and competitors in your industry or niche to take you seriously?
Take yourself seriously!
You are Your Business
I don’t know about you, but I love music.
There are times when I hear a beat and instantly start rocking back and forth. I’ll rock to that song over and over again and even after it’s no longer first on my playlist, whenever it comes on again, I immediately start rocking like before.
Recently I was driving and ‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone’ by Kanye West and Jay-Z came on. I hadn’t listened to that song in years, but I started rocking as soon as it started blasting through my speakers.
As my head was bouncing up and down, Jay-Z started to rap and he said a lyric that almost made me crash my car! ‘I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!’
After listening to that song a thousand times, I don’t know how I missed the significance of his words, but in that very instant, they were life-changing and immediately shifted my mindset.
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What Does “Success” Mean to You?
According to society, becoming a successful businessperson requires you to wake up early every morning, put on your business suit or a cute, professional dress and go into the office.
At the end of the week, you get your paycheck and if you’re one of the lucky ones, you’re content with the amount that you’ve been paid.
But, if you’re anything like me, then your ultimate goal is to escape the 9-5.
Your desire is to be your own boss and live a life that provides you with the freedom and flexibility to do what you want when you want because that’s what you want to do.
You never want to clock in anywhere ever again.
Whether you believe you get paid well or not in your current career, the fact is that in order for you to escape the 9-5 and begin living the life of your dreams, you are required to spring clean your mind of this particular image of success.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: Why You Need to Define Success in Your Own Words
Your Personal Mantra for Success
You are your business.
In order to shift your mindset and escape the workplace, you must start thinking of yourself as a business.
From this point forward, your level of success should be measured by achieving goals to improve your personal brand rather than your accomplishments in your current career field.
The person you are, the way in which you present yourself, what you want to be known for, the good you do, the worse you do… All of this equates to your personal brand.
Developing your personal brand and living it out are essential keys to your overall success.
The first step in the development of your personal brand is to create a personal brand mantra. Your personal brand mantra will become the cornerstone of your future life.
The personal brand mantra that you develop today will inspire you to slay your goals by only working on those goals that are aligned with your personal brand.
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So, What’s a Personal Brand Mantra?
The simple answer is that it’s a short and sweet statement, typically three words, that describes who and what you are.
A couple of popular examples of brand mantras include McDonald’s “Food, Folks and Fun” and BMW “Ultimate Driving Machine.” In both of these examples, it’s easy for someone to identify what they have to offer.
If I go to McDonald’s, I can expect to eat (food), interact with others (folks) and have fun (think indoor playgrounds). And if I’m planning to purchase a car, I can expect BMW to provide me with everything that I need or in other words, the ultimate driving machine.
The goal of your personal brand mantra is twofold.
- First of all, it should inspire you to slay your goals by remaining focused on those items that promote your personal brand.
- Secondly, your personal brand mantra should communicate to others what your business is all about. Someone that has never heard of you before should be able to read your personal brand mantra and instantly know what to expect from your brand.
How to Create Your Personal Brand Mantra
Here are the three simple steps to developing a Personal Brand Mantra:
#1. Describe Yourself with Adjectives
Answer the question, “What words do I want people to use to describe me?”
Notice that I didn’t ask you to answer how people currently describe you. The point of this step is for you to focus not on where you are right now, but on where you want to be.
How do you want people to describe you? Answer this question by listing all of the adjectives that you can think of.
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To help you get started, here are ten common adjectives that people use when answering this question: passionate, creative, insightful, entrepreneur, visionary, effective, reliable, strategic, focused and innovative.
Check out this amazing list of powerful personality adjectives.
Don’t stop at 10. Keep writing until you’ve listed all of the adjectives that you can think of.
#2. Categorize Your Brand Adjectives
Divide each adjective into one of the following categories:
- Feelings: Adjectives in this category should describe how you make people feel.
- Traits: Adjectives in this category should describe the traits of your target audience.
- Actions: Adjectives in this category should describe what you do or what makes you unique.
#3. Create Your Personal Mantra
Now that you have your three lists (Feelings, Traits, Actions), use the words to create a personal brand mantra.
To be most effective, your personal brand mantra should only consist of 3-5 words and should be easy to memorize.
👉🏽 RELATED POST: How to Write a Personal Mission Statement
#4. Get Your Personal Mantra Workbook
Create your powerful brand mantra today with this printable or form-fillable Brand Mantra Workbook.
Sign up below for your FREE Workbook + weekly tips to help you slay your goals.
What’s Your Personal Brand Mantra?
My personal brand mantra ‘Fearless. Visionary. Influencer’ is posted everywhere.
I have it as the image that I use for the wallpaper on my iPhone. I use that same image as my laptop screensaver and it is also written on post-its that I keep on my bathroom mirror.
Every day I look at my brand mantra to remind me of my overall purpose in life and mission of my brand.
I hope that your personal brand mantra will inspire you and motivate you to achieve goals that you thought were impossible.
Share with us your personal brand mantra. We can’t wait to hear it!
What do you stand for? Do you have a personal brand mantra? Let's make one!
What’s your personal brand mantra?
More About Guest Contributor
Erica Crawford-Terry is the founder of Black Bloggers Network and the blog Focus. Implement. Triumph! where she provides tools and resources that empower you to achieve goals, ditch the 9-5 and create the life of your dreams.
Last Updated on November 2, 2024
Ama Addo says
Great post Erica! So informative and super helpful as I’m looking to get my brand look together now.
Ama / Albatroz & Co
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Ama! I’m so glad that you found this post to be helpful. As you begin working on your rebrand, share your mantra with us. We’d love to hear it!
Melissa Javan says
Great post, valuable points. Sjoe, describing my brand in three words is going to be a tough one. I have a lot to think about now.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Melissa! Initially I had a difficult time developing my brand mantra too, but the workbook that Nadalie created makes the process so much easier. If you haven’t already done so, download it and give it a try. Share your mantra with us once you create it. We’d love to hear it. Talk soon!
Ngumabi says
I think a mantra is very important for a business because it’s the meeting point for you and your customers
It represents what you stand for and how you want people to see you
It maintains your focus as well and helps the client to know what he will get
Thanks for emphasising on this important aspect of branding
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Ngumabi! I couldn’t agree more with everything that you said. Your mantra truly becomes the essence of your brand. Do you have a mantra? Share it with us. I’d love to hear it!
Christine C says
Great post! Thanks for the tips and passion!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tips. Thanks for stopping by!
GiGi Eats says
My mantra is iron clad and makes me who I am as a person. And I love me, so I think I chose a good one to follow! 😉 haha!
Erica @Black Bloggers Network says
Hi GiGi! It’s great that you have a mantra that inspires you to be your best. That’s awesome!
Amanda Nel says
I am busy redoing my blog and one of the demons I have to slay is my mantra. I struggled with it the first time but your 3 step allications makes it so understandable. You go girl!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Amanda! I’m so glad to hear that the 3 step process makes it easier for you to develop a mantra. The guide that Nadalie created breaks the process down even further and is very user friendly. Definitely give it a try and let us know what you come up. Can’t wait to read your mantra!
Amy Agur says
You hit the nail on the head! Branding is about so much more than colours and logos. It’s the feel of your brand. My blog sounds like me and that is a huge part of my branding campaign. Great article!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Amy! You’re absolutely right in that branding is so much more than colors and logos. It’s all about who you are. Thanks for stopping by!
Miranda Nahmias says
Beautiful post. Having a mantra for your business is a constant reminder of your values and what you stand for!
Nadalie says
Thanks so much Miranda! I always look forward to your comments on my new posts. <3
Aniela says
Great tips for a useful exercise! It really made me think 🙂
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Aniela! I’m glad that you found the exercise useful. Thanks for stopping by!
Jasmine says
Great post! We surely are our businesses.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Yes we are! So glad that you liked it
Sarah says
Great tips here, reminds me a lot of what I learned in marketing classes I took in the past. As simple as this may sound, it can be a daunting task, but your post really helps!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Sarah! I agree with you that creating a mantra can be a daunting task because it requires you to truly self reflect. I’m glad that you found the post to be helpful!
Czjai says
I actually named by blog after Rebel, Sweetheart – a song by The Wallflowers. My blog name pretty much reflects my personality. 🙂
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Rebel, Sweetheart… I LOVE IT!!!! It’s awesome that you found a name that truly reflects your personality.
Roxy says
I don’t have brand mantra, but this sounds like an awesome idea. I totally need to spend some time working on my brand, its mantra, and everything else associated!
Nadalie says
Hey Roxy,
Spending time in really figuring out your brand is a great investment. Your mantra will be so helpful is setting your direction.
Happy branding,
Nadalie
Makeup Discourse says
I never looked at my blog as a business, maybe I should.
This post is an eye opener.TY
Nadalie says
For sure, not just your blog, but you yourself as well. That mindset shift definitely ripples out to your blog and everything else you do.
Amrita says
What makes my brand special is the way things work out with a good aim.We can only have a plan when we know what makes us special.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Amrita! I completely agree with you. Making your brand special is definitely one of the keys to success. It’s awesome that you have been able to accomplish this.
Briana Wilvert says
Great post! Love these tips!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Briana! I’m so glad that you found the tips to be useful. Thanks for stopping by!
Deepa says
I think we all want to make a big brand name for our blogs and this workbook looks great and something useful. Thanks for sharing
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Deepa! I’m glad that you enjoyed the workbook. Thanks for stopping by!
Aitza B says
Having a brand mantra is uber important. It works to remind us why we began to brand ourselves and create content in the first place. It’s so easy to lose focus when you see someone else doing x,y,z and that mantra should work to pull you back on track.
xx,
Aitza B
Nadalie says
Hey Aitza,
AND it’s UBER powerful! I sooo agree, it’s really easy to get caught up in the “blogging” to forget WHY we’re blogging and where we’re trying to take it. I like using mines to remind myself and stay focused.
Shivranjani Rathore says
Very informative post. never thought so much about my brand this way.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Shivranjani! Branding is so important. I’m so glad that we were able to help you think about it in a different way. Glad that you found it to be informative.
Gigi Kierstern says
Very informative blog post! I diffidently use this to better post.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Gigi! I’m glad that you found this post to be informative. Your brand mantra can definitely be used to improve your posts. Good luck!
Sondra says
Wow! I would have never in a million years thought to have come up with a brand Mantra but this makes perfect sense. I’m actually writing out the adjectives to describe my brand now to form my mantra, thank you so much for sharing.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Sondra! It’s awesome that you’re creating a brand mantra. Your mantra will really help you stay focused on accomplishing your goals. Please share with us the mantra that you created. We’d love to hear it!
Cynthia says
Wow, this is a very fluent and informative post, thank you! I never really thought about developing a brand mantra, but I think you’ve shifted that thinking.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Cynthia! I’m so glad that this post has inspired you to create a brand mantra. Please come back and share your mantra with us. I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.
My Teen Guide says
I love that quote by Jay-Z. It does make you look at blogging from a different perspective. I don’t have any mantra yet. I will have to brainstorm with myself. I will check out that work book too.
Erica Crawford-Terry says
The quote from Jay-Z that I included in this post is one of my favorite lyrics. It truly inspired me to take my blog to the next level and I’m glad that it’s done the same for you. Please come back and share your brand mantra with us after you create it. We’d love to hear it!
kelly reci says
Wellm my blog name is very meaningful, I believe that every blog name are special!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Kelly! I couldn’t agree more that blog names are special. Just like with the brand mantra, most blog names hold a meaning that inspires you to help others and achieve greatness. Thanks for stopping by!
Carol Cassara says
Making a brand personal is great especially if you’re a blogger or someone who is marketing their skills or something like that. I think these are great tips for that!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Carol! I’m so glad that you found the tips included in this post to be useful. I agree completely that making your brand personal is essential to achieving success. Thanks for stopping by!
Patty says
I love the idea of having your brand mantra on your phone! Very effective!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Patty! Storing your brand mantra in a place that’s easily accessible makes it so much more effective because it allows you to review it whenever you need a little inspiration. I’m glad that you found the idea of storing it on your phone to be helpful. Thanks for checking out the post!
Arien Smith says
Really helpful article! My current one is “Positive transformation for Those of Us with Mental Illness” but I do wonder if it’s too long. Or is there really no limit, as long as it’s repeatable? This makes me curious too!
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Arien! I’m not a branding expert by any means, but my personal opinion is that there’s a required length for a brand mantra. As long as it’s meaningful and inspires you to work daily on achieving your mission and vision, then it’s passes the test. Thanks for sharing your brand mantra with us. I think it’s perfect!
Ike Paz says
coming up with adjectives for one-self is very telling.
and its not easy. nonetheless a good brand identity exercise
Erica Crawford-Terry says
Hi Ike! I agree with you that coming up with a brand mantra is definitely not easy, but it’s oh so worth it! Your brand mantra becomes instrumental in empowering you to establish an online business that’s aligned with your mission and vision. Thanks for stopping by!
Elizabeth O says
I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man. Perfect! That breaks it down for us. Branding is not easy work so I enjoyed reading your take on it.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Elizabeth,
Isn’t it the BEST quote ever! Totally, Erica did such a great job on this.
Natasha says
This is such a great and inspiring post…makes me think about how well I’m portraying my own personal brand mantra. I definitely want to check out more articles from Erica!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Natasha,
Right! Me too, I was like “woooh” I really need to do some personal reflection on my own brand mantra. She really does have great content.
Enjoy,
Nadalie
Marina Lotaif says
Amazing post! I had never thought about creating a mantra for my business. This is DEFINITELY something I will be working on, and you just make everything so much easier and actionable with the free workbook. Thank you so much for sharing!
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Marina,
Agreed – Erica did such an amazing job on her post.
Same, I read it and I was like OH I need to get myself a seriously powerful mantra. Really helps with focusing myself daily and knowing where to put my energy and efforts.
Emma M says
Wonderful post. While reading I stared working through what my being an African Orchid really meansand what I’d like people to say even in my absemce and I came up with my mantra:
Fearless, Visionary, Game changer
I want to change a lot of things and need to be strong and effective to do so.
Thanks for the post.
Nadalie Bardo says
Hey Emma,
That’s a powerful mantra. Go get em game changer! Such a powerful title, you know who you are and they will too!