“Finding your purpose is central to developing your personal brand,” was one of the key messages from Marlene Govender, Founder and CEO of The Market Masters International. She was the guest speaker during the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) KwaZulu-Natal Regional Workshop held at Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal on 30 May 2018.

The workshop was attended by various institutions of higher education in KwaZulu-Natal with representation from the Durban University of Technology (DUT), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Unisa and Berea Technical College.

Govender’s presentation was titled, “Finding your purpose – Your personal brand”. She began her presentation with a refreshing brief motivational video centered around purpose. “You need to understand yourself first before you worry about what other people think of you,” she said.
She highlighted the importance of social media for a personal brand. “Social media has become very important for your personal brand because whatever you do on social media has become a reflection of who you are, and that is why it is important to align your social media activities with the values of your personal brand because people will judge you based on your social media activities,” she added.

Govender shared some insights on the key facets of creating a personal brand. “Your uniqueness is your personal brand. It is important to communicate, align yourself with people who have positive energy, strengthen and reinvent yourself and lastly be authentic and consistent,” she said.
She added that it is also important to discover your area of expertise and explore it further. “Begin writing and publishing, splash out your social media profile, participate in public speaking and network because relationship marketing has become one of the most critical element of marketing,” Govender explained.

DUT is member of MACE, which is an organisation that fulfils a leadership role in the higher-education sector within Southern Africa by adding value to practitioners in marketing, advancement, and communication.

Pictured: Marlene Govender

Nduduzo Ndlovu