Personal Branding: How to build the brand called 'YOU'

Personal branding: How to build the brand called 'YOU'

The concept of personal branding has gained momentum over the past few years as the job market has become more and more competitive.

But what is the definition of a personal brand?

Personal branding is creating an identity for yourself as an individual or business. This involves developing a well-defined and consistent look, message, and presence online and offline.

Think Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs and various public figures and politicians. They have all established an identity in the public realm – their personal brand – that enables others to understand the type of person they are.

But beyond the hype, branding yourself is an important consideration within a professional context. The pervasiveness of the internet and the flourishing of social networking sites has made it essential for any professional with a presence on the internet and networking sites to mould and manage their brand.

Why is building your personal brand important?

Your brand is critical because it represents what others are presented with when they look for you online and the image you choose to project in face-to-face interactions.

Whether we are aware of it or not, all of our activities online – on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms – form an online personal profile that is searchable. And today, employers and recruiters are using the internet to conduct employment background searches and to gauge an idea of the character and interests of their potential employees. Interestingly, 57% of employers are less likely to interview candidates they can't find online.

So actively creating a personal brand for yourself allows you to have a say in how you market yourself and gives you control in crafting an accurate picture of your identity, rather than it is happening purely by default.

While social networking sites are predominately about engaging in a social environment, viewing them as platforms on which you can easily start building a personal brand is wise.

How to build a personal brand

Your brand needs to be constructed, so it is easily articulated in an online environment and communicated verbally and through behaviours and actions.

Because you will 'live and breathe your brand, it's essential that your brand is genuine and accurately depicts who you are.

Follow these steps for building a personal brand:

Build your foundation

The first step to crafting your brand is laying a foundation you can confidently and authentically build upon. The key principle here is authenticity.

There is a misconception that building a personal brand means crafting a persona. But a persona, by definition, is a facade, and it's not a true reflection of who you are, and therefore, it's inauthentic.

Your brand should not be an inauthentic persona. Branding is not about positioning yourself as something you are not, but it's about purposefully and strategically showcasing your authentic self to your audience and customers. Your brand should be a true reflection of your skills, passions, values, and beliefs.

Your brand must align with and reflect your likes and interests. What do you want to do, and what attributes and qualities express your passion? If you want to be a professional speaker, market yourself as someone with public speaking skills and ambition in your field of expertise.

Grow your social footprint

Create profiles that reflect your passions on social networking platforms. Maximizing your LinkedIn profile to reflect your interests, skills, and ambitions is essential. If you are active on Facebook and Twitter, make sure your profile and the information you share on those platforms are consistent with the overarching tone and message of your brand.

Choose your target audience.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as you build a personal brand is trying to appeal to everyone. Not everyone is your ideal client.

To attract perfect clients, you must be willing to repel those you do not want to work with. This means identifying a specific target audience and building a brand that is attractive to them.

Tell a story

One of the most effective ways to build a compelling personal brand is through narrative. It's easy to state who you are and what you do professionally – but a ho-hum description of yourself will not cut through the noise and allow you to stand out from the pack.

Think about what makes your story unique: have you taken an unusual path to get to where you are today? Has your career taken interesting twists or turns? How have your life experiences impacted your professional choices? The more colour you can add to your story, your brand will be more compelling.

Have a content strategy

Creating and distributing free content is one of the most effective ways to build your brand and earn the trust of your target audience. Instead of convincing your audience that you can help them, you create content that supports them. These build trust and help to position you as an expert and an authority in your industry.

It is not a coincidence that today's most successful personal brands (Grant Cardone , Marie Forleo , Gary Vaynerchuck , to name a few) publish significant amounts of content online to help build and nurture their audience.

Have a visibility strategy

Publishing content on your platforms is a great way to build your audience, but it also takes time. A faster way to make your audience is via exposure to other people's audiences.

Here are some common ways to increase your visibility:

·???Interviews & PR: get interviewed as a guest expert on podcasts and virtual summits, as well as for traditional media, including TV, radio, and print magazines.

·???Guest blogging: write articles for other blogs and online publications your target audience reads.

·???Public speaking: apply to speak at live events, local Meetup groups, and conferences your target audience attends.

·???Partnerships & joint ventures: Building mutually beneficial relationships with other people and companies can lead to several opportunities, including guest blogging, interviews, joint ventures , partnerships, and customer referrals.

Start building your personal brand.

There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Thanks to the internet and technology, the barriers to entry to entrepreneurship are practically non-existent. Anyone can build a brand and an audience online and create products and services to sell to their audience.