Are you the world’s best? How to market yourself for career success

Who is the world’s best wine-o? If you spend much time on the Venice Boardwalk in California, then you have probably met Bobby. He donned a sandwich board over 20 years ago that boldly claims he is the “World’s Greatest Wine-O.” I’ve never seen him take a drink. In fact, most of the time, I see him posing for pictures with tourists and charging them $5 for the photo op. I don’t know the official qualifications to achieve wine-o status, but in my book, anyone who can make a living calling themselves a wine-o is some type of expert.

So how do you achieve “world’s best” or “expert” status in your profession? Some would say it requires education, years of practice and work with mentors. I agree those are all keys to becoming an expert. I also believe it is a process of branding. You have to believe that you are indeed a thought leader in your space. Then you have to put on your “sandwich board” and tell everyone else.

No matter your politics, you have to agree President Obama ran an all-time great marketing campaign branding him a leader and ultimately putting him in the top office. His sandwich board – the Internet. Obama hired Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, in 2007 to work on his new media campaign and develop the Facebook-esque site, My.BarackObama.com. He used the web as a political tool, helping to raise more than 2 million donations of less than $200 each and swiftly mobilize hundreds of thousands of supporters before many primaries.

In Principles of Marketing, by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, a brand is defined as “a name, term, sign, symbol or a combination of these, that identifies the maker or seller of the product.” Every time I see Bobby on the boardwalk, it reminds me of the power of a brand. If you want to be seen as an expert, decide what message belongs on your sandwich board and begin telling everyone.

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Photo by Katrina Snaps. Used by permission.