You can build a personal brand faster if you are prepared to pay for it...

If you are in business for yourself, or a leader who also needs to be their own boss, you’ve probably been told to focus on building your personal brand. But are you sick of waiting?

Do you want to get there faster?

Is it taking too long to establish yourself as the go-to, respected expert?

Getting frustrated and running out of patience?

Building a personal brand is like taking a trip to the Grand Canyon - it takes time, effort, and sometimes a little extra investment.

First, let's talk about the journey itself. If you're starting from Las Vegas, getting to the Grand Canyon is no easy feat. The distance is about 280 miles, and depending on how you want to get there, it can take anywhere from four to six hours by car.

However, if you want to get there faster, you have to pay more. For example, taking a helicopter can get you there in just 45 minutes, but it can cost up to 10 times more than driving. Similarly, taking a bus can be cheaper, but it can take even longer than driving.

So what does this have to do with building a personal brand??

Well, just like getting to the Grand Canyon, building a personal brand takes time and effort. You can't expect to become well-known and sought-after overnight. It's a journey that requires consistent effort and patience.

However, just like getting to the Grand Canyon, there are ways to speed up the process. If you want to build your personal brand faster, you might need to invest more time, money, or resources into it. Here are a couple of ways to speed things up:

Your Image

If you can get seen and noticed more regularly and with a consistent image, you can build brand profile faster. Hiring a personal branding expert or investing in high-quality marketing materials can help you build your brand more quickly, but it will also require a higher investment.

The best thing to focus on here is creating a brand message that stands out and sticking to it. Invest in your brand strategy, develop a creative brief and get clear on what you want your brand to stand for first, then you can ensure the money you spend will get the results you want.

Your image is crucial to building a strong personal brand. It's the first thing people see and can leave a lasting impression. Consider investing in a professional headshot at least once a year and develop a shot list to make the most of the shoot. Consider props and stances that communicate your brand values or point of difference. This way, you won't have to constantly take new photos or hire a photographer for every new project.

Consistent Content

Content is king when it comes to building a personal brand, and connection is the queen of hearts, but if you want to be front of mind, you need to surround your ideal audience.

Creating high-quality content can be time-consuming and expensive, so map out 12 articles based on the calendar year and topics you know your audience will be interested in, then repurpose your existing content. For example, turn a blog post into a video or podcast episode. This way, you can get more mileage out of your existing content without having to create something new from scratch every time. And you are repeating your content to be consistently in the mind of your ideal audience.

Also be ready to ‘news jack' every opportunity. Make a note of celebrity birthdays or days of the year that are aligned with your brand message, then simply post content on those days that link back to your articles.

The point of content on social media is to engage and get the prospect to connect with you and you can achieve this by being relevant and regular. It might take an investment in time or money, but it’s the only way to build a following.

Speak Out

Speaking is the best way to establish yourself as an expert in your field as people get to see, hear and experience your personality as well as learn from your expertise and insights. It's especially good if you can choose a niche and cement yourself there, by speaking out against what's happening in your industry. It takes courage to stand up and speak out, but if you align your personal values with your brand, you'll stand out faster.

Creating a speakers profile with collateral, a website and preparing for a speech can be time-consuming, even if you are looking at virtual speaking opportunities, webinars, online conferences or podcasts. You can get someone else to do this for you, but whatever you do, make sure you are single-minded about what you speak on and for whom.

Most importantly, once you get clear on your audience, create a 60-minute presentation that you could give at a moment's notice with no slide show, that could also be cut down to 20 minutes. This means you are ready to go anytime, anywhere and speak on a topic people want to hear about with natural confidence and ease as the expert.

If you want to build your profile fast, be prepared to speak for free to get in front of audiences, hone your message and spread the word about your expertise. Unless you are building a professional speaking business, you need to learn how to leverage your time in the spotlight. Selling your services, programs, courses or books from the stage is a great way to build a profile. And while we’re on the topic of books…

Best-Seller

Writing a book can be a great way to establish yourself as an authority in your field and build your personal brand. After all, if you have a book, surely you have something worth saying. But there needs to be evidence that your book is worth reading - there are millions of ebooks on Amazon but are they all good? Of course not. Writing a book can also be time-consuming and expensive, even if you consider self-publishing your book to have more control over the production and distribution of your book.

To get it done fast you will have to pay for editing, proofing and assistance with publishing, or you can learn how to do it yourself. Either way, first start with the purpose of the book, who will read it and what the outcome will be when they finish it. Map out your chapters and if you hate writing, you can always dictate into the computer!

Then make sure you publish to Amazon, choosing ideal categories and promote the book with pre-launch, launch and post-launch activity. Get beta readers to give you reviews and give away free e-books for a couple of days to get reviews and downloads. This should get you best-seller status and another form of credibility to add to your book and personal brand.

Keep Going

The key takeaway here is that building a personal brand takes time and effort, but if you keep going and stay focused on your destination, you'll eventually get there. Don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you expect or if you encounter obstacles along the way. Just like the journey to the Grand Canyon, it might not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Just like getting to the Grand Canyon, when it comes to brand building, there are different routes you can take and different levels of investment required to get there faster. But as long as you keep going and stay focused on your destination, you'll eventually arrive at your desired destination. So keep pushing forward and remember, slow and steady wins the race!

Lauren Clemett is a Keynote speaker, International award-winning Neurobranding specialist and best selling author with over 25 years brand management experience. Lauren shares how to overcome overwhelm and lead with direction, purpose and meaning, making magnetic leadership a walk in the park!

www.yourbrandtruenorth.com