10 Potent Ways to Build a Strong Personal Brand

A strong personal brand is more important than being the best at what you do today if you want to bring in new business and stay top of mind with your clients, prospects and referrals.

In order to develop a strong personal brand, you must be able to differentiate yourself from others and demonstrate your unique capabilities, talents and strengths to potential clients.

If you cultivate a strong personal brand, you will differentiate yourself from others and showcase your unique skills, talents and strengths.

For a brand to be successful, it is imperative to communicate what makes you unique, what makes you compelling, and what makes you stand out. Think about who you are, who you aren't and whom you want to be.

You might find it helpful to think about the following questions:

• How can I distinguish myself from other professionals in my field?
• What kind of work do I enjoy doing the most?
• What do I want to be known for? What do I want to make a name for?
• What makes me the best choice for a client over someone else?
• What unmet needs or under-served markets are there that I can address?
• Is there anything I can offer my clients?
• Are there any individuals in your professional career whom you look up to and admire? Take some time to write down what you admire the most about them.

After you have determined who you are and want to be, it's time to talk about building a strong personal brand.

10 Potent Ways to Build a Strong Personal Brand

1. Be good at what you do

The most important thing you can do to build a strong brand is to be great at what you do. If you're not good at what you do, your business will fail. You need to be able to provide value and make people feel like they have gotten their money's worth—if not more!?

If you provide excellent service, people will want to come back time and time again. This will also help distinguish you from competitors in your niche.

2. Focus on a niche

If you're going to be an expert in something, it's best to focus on one specific area of expertise. Your customers will know exactly what they're getting when they ask for your help. It also means that you'll be able to build a community around your work with other people who share similar interests and expertise.?

Focusing on a niche makes it easier for people to find and connect with your business—and helps you stand out from the crowd! Don't try to be everything to everyone!

3. Be a great networker and connector

A strong brand isn't just about being good at something—it's about connecting with others who are also good at what they do and you can all grow stronger together as individuals and as businesses within your industry.?

If you don't know anyone else who does what you do or could benefit from what you do (and vice versa), then, how will they find out about your business? You need to reach out and meet people who might benefit from knowing about your business or service.

4. Establish yourself as a thought leader

Thought leadership is the act of sharing your ideas, knowledge and expertise with the world, and it's one of the most important things you can do to establish your brand as an authority on your topic.

If you're going to become a thought leader in your industry, you need to be consistent about sharing your thoughts and ideas with others. Take the time to publish blog posts, newsletters, and articles and speak at conferences, even if no one is listening yet. The more people see your name and hear your voice, the more they'll know who you are when they need your services!

I started publishing my newsletter on LinkedIn last year, and I can tell you that the number of people following me increased phenomenally. It made people stop and listen to what I had to say, thereby enabling me to stamp my authority in my field.?

5. Attend speaking engagements

This goes hand-in-hand with becoming a thought leader. Speaking engagements are a great way to get your name out there, but they don't have to be at conferences—consider offering your services for free or reduced rates at events hosted by local organisations that match your interests. This can put you in front of people who might not know about you otherwise, and it can also help build relationships with other speakers or organisers in the community.

LinkedIn is a great place to start your speaking engagements. Last year, I got invited to speak at four LinkedIn audio events. From these events, I got invited to speak on a podcast and several other events outside of LinkedIn.?

Speaking engagements, many times, open doors to other speaking opportunities, referrals and new clients.?

6. Be authentic (be yourself)

It's okay if you're not perfect—just be honest about who you are! People like real people more than they like perfect ones because they feel like they can relate to them more easily. So don't try too hard; just be yourself and let it happen naturally. Your brand should represent who you are as a person, so try not to let it stray too far from what makes you unique and special. If you want people to recognise the value of what you offer, show them how much value it has for YOU!

Don't try to be like anyone else. Learn to express yourself, let your personality shine through and be unique.?

7. Learn to promote others.

This one is huge, and it's something we see a lot of people missing out on. When you learn to promote others, it shows that you're not just looking out for yourself—you're interested in helping others succeed as well. This will make all the difference when it comes time for someone else to decide whether they want to work with you.?

Learn to promote people who are important to you such as mentors, clients, referral sources or even a follower or connections. Mention them in your posts and express your gratitude for something they've done.?

Promote events of others on your page and congratulate people on their successes. You will attract people to yourself this way if you are willing to help, considerate and appreciative. When you help people out and get them the recognition they deserve, it will come back in abundance.?

8. Help others

When you're building a brand, it's important to remember that the only way to truly succeed is by helping others succeed first. It's easy to forget that being helpful is one of the most effective ways to build your brand. If someone reaches out looking for help with their own business or project, take some time to help them out! If you're known for being kind and caring to other people, chances are good that someone will think of you when they need some help. And when they do, they'll probably recommend you because they know how helpful you were to them.

9. Protect your online personal brand?

Don't let other people define who you are—define it yourself through your actions and words! Your online personal brand is just as important as your business one—so make sure it's protected! Join LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook so that people can find out more about who you are as a person before they ever decide to do business with you or buy from you.

Your online presence is an important part of how people see you as an individual, so please make sure that the information out there about you is what you want out there. After putting in all the work to build your brand, you want to protect it.?

Once in a while, Google yourself and see what information is out there about you. Be careful about what you post online, as you don't want anything used against you in future.

10. Learn from others

If you're unsure about how to build your brand, look to others who have already done it successfully. Use them as benchmarks for what you can do yourself, and then add your own flair to make it your own. If you want people to trust your brand and buy into it, it's important that you learn from the best. Check out profiles of brands that inspire you and try to emulate their style. Take note of their activities, publications and updates, and see how you can incorporate some ideas into your branding strategy. If you need to reach out directly to some, please do.?

Are you ready to build 'Brand You in 2023? Send me a DM, and let me help you push your brand to the top of its game!

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Till I come your way again, I am YourCreativeWordsmith.