How do you show your professional identity in your personal brand?

That’s a lot of words for simply saying ‘always be you, always be honest’. There’s no better or easier personal branding strategy.

I quit my corporate career of 15 yrs to start my own businesses in 2013. In the last 10 yrs, this is my advice for building your personal brand: Step 1. Identify your strenghts Step 2. Prioritize the top 3 based on your willingness to stick with long-term (we are talking about 10-15yrs). Step 3. Do market research to find evergreen & bad problems that people are willing to spend money to get rid of. Step 4. Pick the 1 problem that you are qualified to talk about & solve - based on your own experience, skills, and expertise. THAT is your sweet spot. This process lets you filter out potential traps down the line - either from your own side or from the market. Gives you the best shot at building personal brand.

Know what problem they solve with their career. Whether it is your own company or working at someone else's, you must understand at your core how you solve a problem. Once you understand that, your personal brand begins to take shape. This shape morphs over time as you change positions and problems, but that is the root of your professional identity.

Showing your professional identity in your personal brand requires a thoughtful approach that encompasses various strategies. Firstly, it's essential to define your brand by identifying your core skills, values, and unique strengths. Consistency is key across all platforms, ensuring that your messaging aligns with your professional identity. Content creation plays a crucial role, as sharing valuable insights and knowledge through articles, blog posts, or social media establishes you as a thought leader in your industry. Engaging with your audience, whether through online interactions or in-person networking events, helps reinforce your professional identity and build genuine connections.

Define your professional identity: Begin by introspecting and identifying your unique skills, experiences, and values. Clearly articulate your professional goals and the value you bring to your industry or field. Highlight your niche expertise or specialization that sets you apart from others.

While your goal is to be everywhere and increase the points of connection with your ideal client, you need to start with one and master it. Do market research to find the places where your audience hangs out. Pick one platform, understand how to use it to maximize returns clearly identify your objective from the platform, and get down to work. Build your brand on it, and then add the second platform. Rinse and repeat.

Use your online presence to promote the problem that you solve, then people will naturally turn to you to solve that problem. I tend to take a focused approach and choose one platform as my online home base. (LinkedIn) Spreading yourself thin makes it too hard to stay consistent.

Optimizing your online presence is crucial for showcasing your professional identity effectively. Start by ensuring your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date, highlighting your skills, experiences, and accomplishments. Use relevant keywords in your profile to improve searchability. Additionally, create a personal website or portfolio showcasing your work, projects, and expertise. Regularly update your website with fresh content to keep visitors engaged and demonstrate your ongoing relevance in your field. Active participation in relevant online communities, forums, and social media platforms can also enhance your visibility.

Optimize your online presence: Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and reflects your professional identity accurately. Use keywords relevant to your industry to enhance discoverability in searches. Regularly update your profile with new achievements, skills, and experiences.

Optimize your online presence: Ensure that your LinkedIn profile reflects your professional identity effectively. Use keywords relevant to your industry and regularly update your profile with achievements and relevant content.

While tools are great, right approach takes you further. I approach from 'pay if forward' angle. That is find people you want to connect with and find ways to support them and help them. This is the best way to build strong and long-lasting relationships with people that are willing to support you in your endeavors.

Learning what problems other people solve is vital to expanding your network. If you because a problem solver for your problem and can refer others to different people for different problems, you become a linchpin point of contact and a go to networker.

Building your network and community is essential for expanding your professional reach and fostering meaningful connections within your industry. Start by identifying relevant networking opportunities, such as industry events, conferences, workshops, and seminars. Attend these events regularly to meet new people, exchange ideas, and build relationships with peers, mentors, and potential collaborators. Additionally, leverage online networking platforms like LinkedIn, professional forums, and specialized social media groups to connect with professionals in your field. Actively engage in discussions, share valuable insights, and offer support to establish yourself as a valuable member of the community.

Build your network and community: Connect with professionals in your field and related industries to expand your network. Engage with your connections by sharing valuable insights, commenting on their posts, and participating in discussions. Join LinkedIn groups and communities relevant to your interests and expertise to foster meaningful connections.

Build your network and community: Connect with professionals who share similar interests and goals. Engage with them regularly by sharing insights, commenting on their posts, and participating in industry discussions.

This is the core of building your personal brand. You do this through content marketing. Write about your experiences, wins, losses, lessons learned, techniques, and approaches. Show your vulnerability. Make them you are human, an expert one at that, and someone that can help them solve their problems. This is the fastest way to build your personal brand online.

Thought leadership is expressing your unique way of seeing and solving a problem. If everyone solves it the same way, try to come up with a unique approach. Being a thought leader is always scary, so don't be surprised when you get nervous. That is how you know you are on track for leading with your thoughts.

Developing thought leadership involves establishing expertise in a niche, staying informed, creating quality content consistently, engaging with the audience, seeking speaking opportunities, and networking with other professionals. It's about offering valuable insights, contributing to discussions, and inspiring others through innovative thinking. By focusing on these aspects, individuals can build credibility, influence, and impact within their industry.

Develop your thought leadership: Share original content, articles, or insights on topics relevant to your industry or area of expertise. Position yourself as a subject matter expert by providing valuable insights and perspectives. Collaborate with other professionals or influencers to amplify your reach and credibility.

Develop your thought leadership: Share your expertise and insights through articles, posts, and comments. Position yourself as a thought leader in your field by providing valuable content that resonates with your audience.

Showcasing your personality and style is essential for creating a unique personal brand. Incorporate elements of your personality, such as humor, passion, or creativity, into your content and interactions. Use a conversational tone and inject personal anecdotes or experiences to make your message relatable and authentic. Additionally, consider visual elements like color schemes, imagery, and design that reflect your personal style and preferences. Whether through written content, videos, social media posts, or presentations, let your personality shine to connect with your audience on a deeper level and leave a lasting impression.

Showcase your personality and style: Infuse your personal brand with authenticity by sharing stories, anecdotes, and experiences that reflect your personality. Use multimedia elements such as videos, photos, or infographics to add visual interest and showcase your creative side. Maintain a consistent tone and style across your content to build brand recognition.

Showcase your personality and style: Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through in your online presence. Share personal anecdotes, hobbies, and interests to humanize your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

What is not Personal Branding? But you can use stories, impact & results from these to build a brand ?? Not your “Title” Not your “Job” Not “What you do” Not “Marketing” Not “Publicity” Not “Bragging/boasting about you” C's of creating your personal brand: clarity, connection, content, consistency, and community. If you are changing/pivoting your career branding could be transferable. Define hard & soft skills to build your brand Here is a great tool from LinkedIn to check in on how your current skills could match with a new career. It is data-driven from LinkedIn profiles. ?? tutorial https://youtu.be/Uy4ODDADGa0 4 Ps if personal branding ?? https://www.teachndo.com/post/what-is-not-a-personal-branding

Here’s what else to consider: Continuously monitor and refine your personal brand strategy. Stay updated on industry trends and adapt your approach accordingly. Seek feedback from your network and adjust your content and messaging as needed.

In my experience, if there is one 'secret' to building a personal brand, it is to identify your ideal client/reader and understand them better than themselves. And then share content to help them. So once you choose your niche (using the 4 steps I explained earlier), you will want to create your ideal reader profile. This is the base that guides your personal branding activities.

Your online personality is not the same as your offline persona. Your online is the select parts that people are able to see. You don't have to share what you are eating for breakfast, pictures of your kids, or personal things if you don't want to. You choose what you become known for and all the things that people don't see nuance everything you allow to be shown to the world. Collectively, that is what makes you, you.

Here’s what else to consider: Continuously monitor and analyze the performance of your content to refine your personal branding strategy. Stay updated on industry trends and best practices to remain relevant and influential. Seek feedback from your network and audience to continuously improve and evolve your personal brand.