Personal Branding

There’s no denying the importance of personal branding. After all, branding is largely responsible for the message your name (and face) transmits to the world. Because of this, it’s vital that your brand is built on authenticity and engagement, rather than half-heartedness and complacency.

For many up-and-coming entrepreneurs, consciously making an effort to build a personal brand takes a backseat to other items on their never-ending to-do lists. In their minds, personal branding will take care of itself. Simply put, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Your brand is your reputation. It’s your calling card. It’s what you’re known for and how people experience you. It’s about bringing who you are to what you do and how you do it. Delivering your brand clearly and consistently will create a memorable experience in the minds of those you interact with and can open doors to new opportunities.

Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine (“A Brand Called You”) over 10 years ago. He starts out the article by writing, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

When I connect with people on Linkdin the first thing I do is look at their profiles and most of them are shocking. They incomplete, they don’t have a profile photo or they have a bad profile photo. This is your personal brand, your online reputation.  It’s the first contact you make with a potential client and first impressions do last. Whether you like it or not, your online presence matters more than you think.     

From your linkdin profile I will visit your website, if you even have one of course. This would be where I can find out more about what you do, what your company is about etc. I will click on the links to your social media (FB, Twitter, Instagram) to see how active you are and what you posting.  

What kind of an impression are you sending out if you have an incomplete Linkdin profile and inactive social media pages along with a bad website?     

It baffles me when people say they are EXPERTS at social media but don’t have a website or even a decent online profile …. Why on earth would I want to use your service if you don’t practice what you preach? Why would anyone take you seriously or even want to do business with you.

The world is changing and you need to keep up with the times. Personal branding is important and you need to step up to stand out.     

Here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand:

• Complete your Linkdin profile and use a professional photo.
• Be clear about the image you intend to project.
• Make sure your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.
• What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

If you don’t have the time to create a professional online presence then outsource it to someone who can do it for you. I love helping entrepreneurs with their marketing and branding. Putting a strategy together to support and grow their businesses is something I am passionate about. I believe that you need a solid foundation to build your brand on, which to me starts with having a good website and strong SEO, which I can also help you with.

For more details mail me at [email protected]