Corporate branding is the foundation of an effective marketing strategy. A company’s brand is the collection of its messages, voice, values, mission, vision and visual identity. But branding isn’t just for companies. Professionals and thought leaders have their own story to tell and insights, skills and expertise to share. In today’s increasingly competitive world, a personal brand is no longer nice to have—it’s a must.
Why Personal Branding Is the Key to Your Success
A personal brand is similar to a corporate brand in many ways. It represents who you are, what you stand for, the values you embody and the expertise you bring to your industry. Just as a corporate brand helps communicate its value to customers and stand out from the competition, a personal brand does the same for individuals. It demonstrates your unique identity and clear value to potential employers, clients and peers.
Your personal brand shows the world who you are as an individual. Creating and nurturing your personal brand helps you:
- Demonstrate value to your employer, co-workers, industry peers and customers
- Build self-awareness and confidence
- Improve visibility in your marketplace
- Establish and achieve goals
- Advance your career
- Build strategic partnerships
- Boost brand awareness for your employer
- Attract new opportunities
- Increase earning potential
- Take control of your future.
10 Steps to Developing and Selling Your Personal Brand
Developing a personal brand might sound challenging, but there are incremental steps you can take to build credibility in your field. Here are ten tips to help you create an authentic personal brand—and amplify your career in the process.
1. Define and refine your identity.
To build a personal brand that reflects your personal and professional identity, ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I passionate about?
- Where do I excel?
- What motivates me?
- What do others compliment me about?
- In what areas is my expertise most often requested?
If you struggle with answering these questions, ask friends, family and co-workers to describe you. Armed with the knowledge about the different facets of your personality and professionalism, you can decide how best to brand them.
2. Identify your personal differential.
Your personal brand is more than a representation of who you are today—it’s a roadmap of where you want to go. Take time to reflect on both your strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, you’ll uncover the skills and traits that make you unique as well as identify areas you need to improve in order to advance.
3. Define your audiences.
An important part of creating a personal brand is knowing who you want to reach with your message. Do you want to connect with other industry thought leaders? Potential employers or clients? Recruiters? With a clearly defined audience, it will be easier to craft messaging that resonates with your target audiences.
4. Research the competition.
To differentiate yourself, it’s important to identify other thought leaders in your industry and see what they are talking about. Follow their blogs and social media accounts, read and share their posts, and see where you can make a unique contribution to your space.
5. Craft an elevator pitch.
A 30- to 60-second story about who you are will help you clearly and concisely communicate your personal brand. Whether you’re attending a networking event or pitching a media outlet or potential employer, an elevator pitch makes it easy to describe succinctly what you do, what value you provide and what makes you unique.
6. Produce and share high-quality content.
To establish credibility and visibility in your marketplace, it’s essential for you to become a published author. This can take the form of company blogs, guest posts on other sites and bylined articles. Be sure your content is always relevant and valuable to your target audiences.
7. Build your social media presence.
One of the most important aspects of personal branding is making sure you are visible online. To do this, become a dedicated and frequent social media contributor across Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, Instagram and even TikTok. In addition to sharing your original content, like, share and engage with other thought leaders in your space.
8. Create a website.
A personal website is the ideal place to share your expertise via written, audio or video content that can include a blog, published articles, webinars, videos and or other content. It visually highlights your work and boosts your online visibility. Simple and inexpensive sites can be created using Squarespace, Wix, WordPress and other design and hosting resources.
9. Become a speaker.
Whether online or in-person, speaking to the masses and sharing your expertise is an excellent way to propel your personal brand. Seek out speaking engagements via podcasts, webinars virtual programs, industry conferences and other events.
10. Be a resource for journalists.
Reporters are always seeking quotes and input from expert sources. Create an account at HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to receive regular emails about journalist queries. When topics are a fit, respond quickly and concisely to increase your exposure in the media. To track your media mentions, set up a Google Alerts account to get email notifications when you name appears online.
The Importance of Evolving Your Personal Brand
Personal branding is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning that person as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition. By investing in developing a personal brand, individuals advance their careers, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact.
By creating a personal brand for yourself, you gain a clearer understanding of who you are, what you want to achieve and how you can get there. Realize that your personal brand, like many corporate brands, will change as your career and the digital marketplace evolve. Continually refine your personal brand as you develop new skills, make new connections, take advantage of new opportunities and grow in your industry.
To learn more about how to build a personal brand to help you achieve your goals, schedule a complimentary consultation with our experts today.
