Staying invisible will do nothing for your business

Personal branding is no longer an option if you want to be successful in your career. 

It is mandatory!

Your audience needs to know you for something and needs to be able to identify you amongst the crowd.

Irrespective of your career path or business field, it is important to set yourself apart from the competition in order to attract the right clientele and ultimately make any money. 

Your business needs to be unique in order to GROW. 

It also needs to be VISIBLE online and offline if you want to see results.

For professionals, if you need a better job or need to make a move in your career, you also have to present yourself in a specific way to convince a prospective employer. 

Personal branding is therefore crucial to showcasing who you are, setting yourself apart and attracting those paying clients. 

To land your dream gig, you need to work on yourself. You need to understand who you are and what you want to convey to the world.

 The importance of personal branding cannot be overemphasized!

So what is personal branding?

It involves marketing your skills and abilities to potential clients, employers and any audience you think can help you get to your dreams. 

It is a consistent process of communicating and messaging to ensure you present a specific image in the minds of a target audience. 

Growth in your profession or career begins with branding. 

Although we don't like hearing 'image is everything', it plays a big role in business and is an important aspect of your personal branding.

How to develop a personal brand

To be successful in the 21st century, you have to develop a powerful personal brand both online and offline. 

One of the most effective ways to do this is through social media. Your brand will be sought after, and your company considered more valuable when you strengthen your online presence with the help of social media.

It is also the best channel to reach a wide multitude within a short time.

Here are some reasons why you need personal branding:

1. Attracts opportunities

Personal branding markets you even when you are asleep; it works 24 hours, especially if you are using internet techniques like social media platforms and your website.

While you will still have to put in the effort and talk to people as part of marketing and networking your business offline, personal branding draws customers and companies to you. 

A brand sells your skills and begins the 'know, like and trust' factor that is critical in selling and in business.

With strong personal branding, you won’t have to work so hard in your career or at sourcing clients. You will find that getting contracts or jobs for positions you did not even know existed are now a lot easier. This is simply because developing a personal brand gives you more visibility. 

YES! Branding is that powerful!

2. Builds online connections

People like to network with professionals. With a powerful personal brand, people will want to relate and connect with you. 

Developing a personal brand creates interest in who you are and what you do. 

In the digital age, relationships both professional and social are built online. The fact that you will be developing your personal brand on social media, means that everyone will in many instances be following what you do and say. 

They will be observing you and digesting your content. You will be seen as a subject matter expert and everybody wants information from the experts!

In many cases, individuals and businesses alike will begin following you on your various social media accounts. More connections can mean more prospective clients and more people for you to potentially work with.

3. Easy to network

With a powerful personal brand, you won’t have to introduce yourself like a new person in the industry each and every time. 

If you have built your personal brand well, people will come to introduce themselves to you. People will find it interesting to speak with you and will want your advice.

It won’t be hard to sell your ideas, projects, new products, and services. The fact that people already have trust and confidence in you as a professional makes it is easy to convince them of a new idea. 

It is easy to grow and influence people if you have a powerful personal brand.

In business, people take time to scrutinize partners before making any business deals. In this case, all these are covered by personal branding. 

Personal branding gives you the confidence to approach influential people of your caliber or higher because they probably recognize you. It is a sure channel for growth.

4. Business growth 

Clients want to do business with a professional. Customers also want to be sure they are not wasting time or risking their investment and this is where personal branding can be extremely helpful.

If you have a powerful brand in the market, businesses will seek you because they have confidence in what your brand has presented.

 In fact, you may find you have to choose carefully whom to engage and what to accept because the offers may be overwhelming.

The idea is to make your brand bigger than just running a business. Once your personal brand is powerful, dynamic and engaging, it does not matter the kind of business you start or what you are into. It is guaranteed to be effective because people have confidence in your personal brand.

 The top companies in the world today have such a reputation because of the mind behind the establishment. A personal brand is a reason behind success whether you want to rise in your career or grow your business.

5. Get Hired

Today, companies and clients all around the world source for experts online. 

For you to build a personal brand online, it starts to build a huge following, meaning people can access your profile easily.

I have seen this especially useful for Sales, Marketing and HR Managers.

 Now that professionals are also hiring online, building a personal brand means you have a high likelihood of meeting potential employers or clients through digital media.

 Previously, employers and clients had to bring people in physically to find out their expertise and abilities. While this still happens today, the online world has changed the corporate world. 

It is easy to search and engage with people online to find out about their expertise and experience. 

Also, online reviews are a new way of gaining referrals both in business and in the corporate world. 

Are you ready to start building your personal brand?

You should no longer ignore the significance of social media and other internet channels in developing YOUR personal brand. 

Whether you are growing your own business or a part of the corporate world, personal branding is vital.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Stammering Communicator

Debbie-Ann Jollie is a Marketing Strategist with more than 10 years experience creating marketing strategies and promotional campaigns for a diverse group of corporate clients and first-time entrepreneurs. In her not so spare time she likes writing blogs for her boutique while sipping on Jack Daniel's honey ('cause vodka gives her a headache) and taking naps on Sundays.