Next year (2008) is going to be the year of the personal brand. It has been over 10 years since Tom Peter’s article, ‘The Brand Called You’ was printed in Fast Company magazine in 1997, and it is the perfect time to jump start your personal brand.

I could list 10-15 items to focus on for the new year, but why. Most people create New Year’s Resolutions and within a short period of time they are back to their old ways. According to CBS experts resolutions don’t go past the 8th of January. As a personal brand there are millions of things that you can do from blogging, joining linkedin, creating facebook/myspace pages, writing articles and the beat goes on to establish your brand. Listed below are seven brand points that will be important in developing your personal brand in 2008. Revolution / Resolution bulletin Originally uploaded by ryanhartsock

1. Be Consistent: Consistency is the hallmark of brands personal and business.
2. Be Visible: Develop your online presence, attend key networking events, and incorporate your image whenever possible (business cards, website, blog, etc.). It is always good to put a name with a face.
3. Be Competitive: Learn how to compete in your space. Successful people have learned to love competition.
4. Be Focused: Brands are most effective in their niche.
5. Go Digital: Network and work the net. Social networking is here to stay, learn it and leverage it.
6. Live your Dreams: Identify what you to love to do and do it.
7. Think Differently: Your brand will be limited by how you think. (Moving at the speed of thought)

My ‘Brand “YoU” Resolutions’ are to be a consistent, visible, competitive, focused individual who lives his dreams. What are your ‘Brand “YoU” Year Resolutions’?