YOUR BRAND IS YOUR REPUTATION

I am a strong believer that - Personal Branding is about recognizing that business is ultimately about people. The new-school way of doing business is people buy from people. So, for businesses in the digital era, brand matters less than people, only in case of small/medium businesses, because customers want to see the people and culture behind a brand and to trust in the authenticity of the business.

People buy people - as the saying goes, and when that happens, potential customers want to see the whites of your eyes. One of the biggest selling points for any small business is that it has a face.

Focusing on personal branding adds value to a small business by building trust, too. Building a strong personal brand reputation – alongside your business brand is critical for every small business, because the key factor in getting people to buy from you is TRUST. Trust ultimately creates credibility and this leads to customers. The biggest advantage of focusing on personal branding is that it doesn’t necessitate a vast marketing budget. Every business, however small, has a brand. It’s simply the way other people – customers, potential customers, suppliers and competitors – SEE YOU.

Being your brand is simply about being yourself, but the best version of you & conveying that however customers or potential customers come into contact with you, be that online or in person. If you’re consistent with whom you are and what you’re all about, it’s easier for people to understand your brand and buy into it. To build your personal brand, find three words that best describe your business and ensure that everything you do reflects those words. Everything you do, say, write or produce is a reflection of your brand, so it’s essential to make decisions about what your brand is and what you want to be known for. Think about what you’d want a customer to say about you when they recommend you to a friend. This can help you to quickly build a strong reputation that will appeal to the customers you want to attract.

Nonetheless, personal branding amounts to much more than just who you say you are. It’s also how you show up in everything you do and touch, you have to stand out for the things you stand for – and against. How are you positioning yourself to create a memorable impression that cuts through the distraction and makes them choose you?

What makes you sticky in their mind?

This is what will set you apart from everyone else and stop people from putting you in the same box as everyone else in your industry. It’s what people are saying when you’re not in the room. After all, we all benefit when good things are said in our absence – opportunities come our way, people work with us better and word of mouth does our marketing for us.

“In a nutshell, your brand is your reputation”