Personal Branding for Success

The importance of branding

Personal Branding. Think for a moment about brands you trust. Perhaps your favorite technology brand, maybe your vehicle of choice, or a clothing label you love to wear. Or, think about small businesses – your go-to restaurant or local gift shop. What is it about them that causes you to be loyal?

For most people, it’s a combination of two things.

First: authority and individuality. You trust that the business knows what it’s doing, whatever that is. You have more confidence in the company’s ability to provide a good product or service than you do in its competitors.

And second: authenticity and consistency. Before buying anything from that company, you have a good idea of your experience. You’ve had good experiences in the past, and you keep going back because you know that you’ll have more.

?What is personal branding?

The same principles hold for personal branding. Not to worry if you haven’t heard the term before; although introduced several decades ago, it’s taken hold in the internet age. According to?Wikipedia, personal branding is “the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, widen their circle of influence, and have a larger impact.”

Why is personal branding important?

The value of personal branding is difficult to quantify because it’s a blind spot: you don’t know what you don’t know. You might not know what you’re missing out on unless you’ve done it well. What I can assure you for sure is this: a strong, positive personal brand can open doors to opportunities. Doors that otherwise you might not have known existed.

These opportunities can take many forms: new sales and business relationships, partnerships with complementary businesses in your industry, promotions, advancement in your career, and – of course – job opportunities.

Imagine a hiring manager or a recruiter is considering two candidates for a job, otherwise equal candidates. If that person sees that one candidate is knowledgeable, knows people in the industry, and is respected in their field, that may be the deciding factor between those two candidates. Not to mention that people with a solid and visible personal brand are, by definition, top of mind. When an opportunity arises, they’re more likely to be thought of – before the hiring authority posts the job.

How to Build Your Personal Brand

There are some extreme examples of personal branding. I’m thinking especially of the so-called ‘influencers’ on Instagram and TikTok. People who’ve made a living from building a massive following and monetizing that following in various ways. Personal branding doesn’t have to be that extreme; in the context, we’re speaking of here, it shouldn’t be.

As a job seeker, there are two essential elements of personal branding. First, define it. And second, build (or promote) it.

To help define your personal brand, think back to what makes a brand stand out to you: authority and individuality. What are the things you know more about than most people, and what makes you unique from others in your field? Those are the essential elements of your personal brand. You may even want to consider creating a?personal branding statement?that concisely articulates these elements.

When promoting your personal brand as a professional,?LinkedIn?is arguably the most valuable tool available to you. With LinkedIn, you can effectively grow your network with simple and consistent actions that help to build your brand. Some examples:

• Engage with others in your field by ‘reacting’ to and commenting thoughtfully on content that others have shared.
• Share others’ posts and like and share your company’s posts.
• Be visible and active in industry groups and other communities – it doesn’t take long, just a few minutes each day.
• Post content that is informative and valuable to others in your field. Where you can, add commentary that demonstrates your insight and knowledge.
• Network with and among your contacts. Focus on helping support and connect others as much as you focus on growing your network – or more so. Whether karma or goodwill, good things come to people who help others.

?My personal brand

I like to think I’ve been building my brand throughout my career. I brushed against it in retail, touched on it as a Real Estate Broker, and lived it as an inn owner. To be honest, it took the pandemic to allow me time to contemplate my development and who I was as a professional.

What I focused on during the pandemic was personal development and encouraging others of like mind. At the beginning of the pandemic, I published daily positive thoughts on LinkedIn and other social media. These were well received, so I built a website as a repository and a medium to post the Positive Thoughts. I started posting the occasional blog on personal development and recruiting-focused topics. By the end of 2021, I upgraded my?website. I created a blog posting schedule that I continue to adhere to,?Positive Thought?on Thursdays, an?article?on Mondays, and an email recap of both to my subscribers on Wednesdays. In January, I had 325 subscribers, and I now have over 1500 who receive the weekly emailed recaps. For digital marketers, this is a pittance, but this is organic growth. I did nothing to solicit subscribers other than providing the tool to subscribe.

Here is my version of my personal branding statement:

• My Professional Mission – Helping others achieve success.
• My Motto: – I succeed by helping others succeed.

Your turn: what is?your?personal brand?

What are the elements you’ve picked out as the ones that define your personal brand? Do you need some help crafting a brand statement? I’m happy to help you define your brand and provide some tips to help build it. Feel free to?get in touch, and let’s chat.

[Jim Newcomb has been a Senior Recruiting Partner with?Goodwin Recruiting?since 2013.]