A Strong Personal Brand Starts with a Strong Sense of Self

Looking to create a personal brand?

I’ve got news for you: *whispers* you already have a personal brand!

Yerp – it’s made up of your unique combination of skills, expertise, personality, values, and overall reputation.

In short, your personal brand is the culmination of what makes you uniquely you.

Now, here’s where it gets tricky...are you sharing your true self with the world or your representative?

#oop

BTW: your representative is the version of you that you THINK people want to see; it's the version you put forth in hopes of being accepted.

After 13 years of helping executives clarify their personal brand to attract new career opportunities, I have found that a strong personal brand is F.A.I.R.? (focused, authentic, impactful, relevant).

That said, I want to focus on the authenticity piece in this article.

I heard someone say building a personal brand is exhausting…it can be, but if you’re exhausted, you’re probably not doing it right.

If you’re doing it on your terms, it really should be fun and exhilarating to show the world who you are.

What’s more exhausting is trying to be someone you’re not and building a brand centered around your representative.

You don’t only have the haters, trolls, and cyberbullies to battle, but you’ll be battling with yourself internally as well – now THAT sounds exhausting.

What I will say is building a strong personal brand takes resilience.

When you put yourself out there, you're opening yourself up to judgment, rejection, opposing views, and internet trolls.

That's why you need to build resilience by becoming intimate with who you are and what you stand for.

When you have a strong sense of self, you can handle anything that comes your way and you're not easily swayed by what other people think.

Because here’s the thing…

• When you are locked in on a clear vision for yourself, your audience, and the world, you won’t be swayed by a few nay-sayers.
• When you are 100% sure of the value you bring to the world, no one can take advantage of you or lowball you – and you won’t sell yourself short.
• When you know your strengths (and self-perceived weaknesses) no one can manipulate you into being someone you’re not.
• When you have a personal mission, you can easily recognize what opportunities are for you and which are not aligned.
• When you know what motivates you, you can set yourself up for success by feeding those motivations.
• When you know your personal values, no one can successfully bring your ethics into question.
• When you know your differentiating factors, no one can make you feel regular schmegular (because you’re not).
• When you know your story and which parts your audience needs to hear, no one can silence you – because your ability to make an impact is BIGGER than your discomfort of telling it.
• When you fully understand how you serve your specific audience, no one can muddy up your message or downplay how you contribute.
• When you identify your passion(s) you can speak from the heart and draw people in.

Knowing yourself (on a deep level) makes for a rewarding, enjoyable and lucrative experience as you build your personal brand.

So, don’t skip the deep work #surfacewontsuffice

You need a solid foundation of who you are, your beliefs, values, personality, and passions. This is the core of your identity -- the unique essence that sets you apart from others.

Here are a few quick tips for developing a strong sense of self and building a successful personal brand:

1. Take the time to get to know yourself. Do some deep reflection and journal about your values, vision, passion, strengths and weaknesses.
2. Keep it real with yourself first. Authenticity is key. You don't have to be someone you're not to succeed – people can spot a true fraud a mile away.
3. Learn to articulate your value concisely. Be clear, and persuasive. Speak your truth and let your personality shine through.
4. Be consistent. Consistency is important in building a strong personal brand. Ensure that your messaging, visuals, and tone of voice are consistent across all channels.
5. Have fun. If you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point? That applies to EVERYTHING in life ??

As I said, building a strong personal brand begins with a deep understanding of who you are and what you stand for. It requires resilience, authenticity, and a clear sense of purpose.

So, dig deep before posting for the sake of visibility. Your future self will be grateful you did.

-------------------------------------

Looking for more support in building your personal brand, click here to apply to work with Mel.

Ready to go from Invisible to Influential, get instant access to the free virtual workshop here: Invisible to Influential Workshop

Melanie L. Denny is a personal branding consultant, self-marketing expert, certified LinkedIn strategist, and founder of the Empowered Presence? framework designed for brilliant women of color to gain visibility and capitalize on new opportunities beyond the 9-5 through the power of personal branding.

Melanie has been featured in Forbes, Huffpost, Yahoo News, Fast Company, NBC News and countless podcasts sharing self-marketing tips and tricks. She has been invited to speak to national organizations and non-profits across the world on career topics including LinkedIn, personal branding, networking, and career empowerment.