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The web-based proliferation of the buzz-phrase that is “Personal Branding” goes far beyond the HuhCorp-ish hilarity of just another “eCliche,” and in my opinion steps well into the realms of life, business, and the expression of your professional self.

The key to successful branding of any kind, corporate or otherwise, and you can quote me on this, is perceived quality.

Starbucks is much more than a good cup of coffee. Starbucks coffee is deliberately and tactfully presented as the second-to-none cup of coffee that money can buy, and outside of any measure of actual quality, the key to their success is that everything branded “Starbucks” is perceived at the highest possible quality. Whether the quality is there or not is almost beside the point.

I believe that the success of Starbucks can be credited to what I would call the most important element of a well-developed brand; consistency.

We’ll be talking about this a lot more in the coming weeks, but my personal opinion is that if you are not consistent, you are invisible, and very poorly represented. I’m stepping away from the corporate examples for a moment and now pointing a finger directly at each of us as individuals.

Without consistency, you are a fragmented and blurry face among millions, with almost no ability to clearly and confidently communicate who you really are.

When you see the Nike “Swoosh” you don’t think “Oh, that mark represents Nike.” You look at it and your brain immediately says, “Nike.” If you’re brain doesn’t do that, you probably work for Reebok and think “die die die,” instead. Either way, the brand is clearly defined in your mind by how you perceive the products it stands herald to.

While this example doesn’t currently apply to the individual, unless you’re Prince, I believe that you can create a very similar subconscious reaction to who you are. You can be synonymous with the quality of who you are, and the character you work to represent.

Don’t for a moment think that I’m touting Nectar as providing the end-all solution to achieve this goal, but we believe it’s important to understand the fuel behind our motivation.

Our desire as a company is to equip you with the tools you need to begin developing a personal brand that you can be truly confident in.

Stay tuned.