Building your personal brand is not something you should postpone until you graduate. It is a valuable asset that can help you stand out from the crowd, showcase your skills and passions, and attract opportunities for your future career. In this article, you will learn how you can start developing your personal brand while still in school, by following these six steps.
The first step to building your personal brand is to define your niche, or the specific area of expertise or interest that you want to be known for. Your niche should reflect your strengths, values, and goals, as well as the needs and expectations of your target audience. To identify your niche, you can ask yourself questions such as: What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What problems can you solve? What makes you unique?
You should always work to your strengths. Finding out what you are good and passionate about will help narrow down that niche. Ensure your language is clear, concise and consistent and you will do well.
Identify your niche or your passion. And then "own" it and work on it. Don't be discouraged if your attempts don't gain traction immediately. Learn from the failures and keep at it - expand your reach, and your networking circle and continue to learn and grow.
The next step is to create your online presence, or the platforms and channels that you use to communicate your personal brand to the world. Your online presence should include a professional website, a blog, a portfolio, and social media profiles. These elements should showcase your niche, your personality, and your achievements, and provide value to your audience. You should also optimize your online presence for search engines, by using relevant keywords, tags, and descriptions.
In today's post-COVID more virtual world, your online presence is your first impression whether you like it or not. Additionally, due to the primacy effect, people have a tendency to remember the first piece of info they receive more than info presented later on. So, it's incredibly important to invest in your online personal brand, even while still in school. It doesn't need to be daunting though - curating even a basic LinkedIn profile and consistently engaging with content that resonates with you is a great start. Putting forward your interests, goals and aspirations, unique skills and strengths, etc. will set you a part and impress future employers. Start building your network early and it will be sure to pay off.
It is very important to create the online social presence but you need to identify which platform you will be focusing on. Each social platform has its own audience and content type, don’t go for every social platform as it is not possible but rather select two platforms one primary and the other secondary, on which you will build your presence. That way you will not waste your energy, so the best approach is to focus on one platform first and after establishing a good presence and understanding it then move to next one.
Creating an online presence can be daunting, especially if you are younger and developing your taste and perspective. Don't be a copycat. Start small - pick your favorite channel and begin developing that. Don't pay for likes - be you - own your voice and keep working on it - it's okay to change and reinvent as you go along. Start with 1 or 2 social channels and devote time and energy to developing them When appropriate add other platforms such as a website, blog or your portfolio as relevant. Utilize easy free or inexpensive tools such as Canva to get started or apps to enhance imagery. There is plenty of FREE advice and tools online - You Tube, Coursera, Google, etc. Use them.
Another important step to building your personal brand is to develop your network, or the relationships that you establish with other people in your field or industry. Your network can help you gain exposure, feedback, support, and opportunities for your personal brand. To develop your network, you can attend events, join online communities, reach out to influencers, and collaborate with peers. You should also nurture your network, by providing value, sharing insights, and expressing gratitude.
I agree with this in developing a network. The main thing in this is patience. People do work with ones they know, like and trust. It will take time to build those relationships, so be sure you give tips on how they can improve their brand, but the key is patience.
Developing a network cannot be done overnight and it takes diligence, patience, and professionalism. Get business cards made or have a digital card you can share. Don't try and connect with everyone you meet - connect with those that make sense for your path at the time. Look up places you can connect in person for example local chamber gatherings, free or minimally priced networking events. It takes time and some financial commitment to meet new people in the right places.
One of the best ways to build your personal brand is to showcase your expertise, or the knowledge and skills that you have acquired in your niche. Showcasing your expertise can help you demonstrate your credibility, authority, and value to your audience. To showcase your expertise, you can create and share content, such as articles, videos, podcasts, or ebooks. You can also participate in discussions, answer questions, give presentations, or teach courses.
Building your personal brand is not a one-time project, but a continuous process of learning and growing. Therefore, you should seek feedback and improvement, or the ways that you can measure and enhance your personal brand performance. Seeking feedback and improvement can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, discover new opportunities, and adapt to changing trends and needs. To seek feedback and improvement, you can use analytics tools, surveys, reviews, or mentors.
The final step to building your personal brand is to be authentic and consistent, or the qualities that you should maintain throughout your personal brand journey. Being authentic and consistent can help you build trust, loyalty, and engagement with your audience. To be authentic and consistent, you should align your personal brand with your values, vision, and voice. You should also deliver on your promises, stay true to yourself, and update your personal brand regularly.
Be you. Too many compromise to get a client or fit in. You are the face of your brand and your word should carry weight and trust. Honesty with people on what you can and cannot deliver helps keep everyone's expectations in check.
Talk about the things you are passionate about. Share your goals and be authentic. Promote others doing things you love and support. Don't make it all about you all the time. Share the wealth - support others.
Consider how you can make your views and opinions something that people may want to pay money for. What's your long-term goal in branding yourself? How do you get your voice established and then pivot into materials, courses, etc., that others will want to pay for to get your insights.