Waltham, Ma – Lisa A. Nickerson, Principal of NickersonPR recently spoke to industry leaders on Thursday, February 27 about the importance of developing a personal brand. Hosted by ULI Boston’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) the event was held at the Goodwin Proctor office in downtown Boston, MA. The presentation drew a crowd of over 50 professionals who were looking to create, develop and expand their personal brand. ULI Boston is an industry association located throughout New England that specializes in industry leadership and responsible use of land throughout the region.
“Lisa’s presentation on personal branding was a great way to kick-off our 2014 WLI Boston program,” said Fern I. Kanter, Executive Vice President of Capital Hotel Management, LLC. “She provided clear direction, simple steps to put together all of the pieces and an easy to follow case study. Attendees were given a pamphlet with five takeaway’s that allowed everyone to begin strengthening their personal brand immediately.”
Last year, ULI Boston launched WLI with the mission to promote the advancement of women throughout their careers as leaders in the real estate industry. The primary initiative of the group is to increase the number of women leaders in ULI and the real estate industry by providing opportunities for informal networking and mentoring events as well as presentations from other women industry leaders. The idea for Nickerson’s presentation, focusing on the importance of personal branding specific to women, was identified when there was a lack of women industry leaders to partake in ULI and WLI events.
Nickerson opened the presentation by inquiring why women are hesitant to develop and promote their personal brand. The hesitation can be traced back to the fear of self-promotion and public speaking, which stems from judgment by other women or lack of self-confidence. Through the presentation Nickerson advised on steps to overcome these fears and empowered women to be vocal about their accomplishments – especially in the male dominated real estate industry. The event closed with a discussion on methods of empowerment used by Nickerson and attendees in the crowd.
“Personal branding is about riding the power of momentum. When you catch that wave, you have to stay on it,” says Nickerson. “The challenge with personal branding is timing, you always have to be ready whenever the opportunity presents itself.”
Throughout the presentation, Nickerson drew from her recent experience with Semper Sarah to highlight the impact and importance of each step in successfully developing a personal brand. The case study of Semper Sarah examines how former Marine, Sarah Plumber, successfully spoke with Katie Couric on “Katie”, at a press conference in Washington DC with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and on MSNBC and CNBC – all of which originally stemmed from one tweet. Semper Sarah was the perfect example of an empowered woman who has developed and promoted herself which led to a myriad of opportunities to strengthen her personal brand.
“I am thankful I had the opportunity to attend a ULI Boston event,” said Rod Mullice, Senior Vice President, Atlanta Capital Markets Group and National Director, Transit Oriented Development of Colliers International. “Lisa covered key elements to building a personal brand but kept the presentation to the point and memorable.”
Nickerson’s extensive background in real estate and entrepreneurship made her a prime candidate to present on the importance of personal branding amongst women. She began her career in sales for a financial company and then became a broker at The Codman Company. Over the past 10 years, Nickerson has grown the NickersonPR firm to have multiple divisions that include PR, marketing, social media, and business development. Clients span a variety of sectors including the A/E/C/ industries.
