Your personal brand is how you appear to people. Nowadays, the use of the term has become so popular. Your personal brand will determine how people describe you. For you to build a successful career, you have to be aware of your personal brand and be in control.
Think about popular brands like Coca-Cola and Apple for example; they are brands that you know everything they represent when you hear their name, because you have familiarized yourself with their values and identity.
Your personal brand is also in a sense similar to your reputation, so you’ll definitely want to create a strong one. This is easier said than done, which is why we aim to show you some simple ways to create a strong personal brand.
1. Know and understand yourself first
This is obviously the first step to building your personal brand. Just think of how tough it will be to create a brand around a “fake you”. Then you would definitely need to act in a certain way always, appear in same fake way always, and say things differently no matter how uncomfortable they make you feel. This other fake personality will be hard to keep up as the slightest error can cause huge problems.
Your brand has to be a true reflection of who you are. That is why before creating your personal brand, you need to know yourself. What are those things you believe in? What are your weaknesses and strengths? Do you know what you stand for?
Also, you need to have a clear understanding of your target market. Know your customers, competitors, potential employers maybe. These are all the things you must have clear understanding of before starting out.
2. Create your blog to establish your voice
This is a very important step in establishing a personal brand. You need to start creating and generating activities online. With this, you start amassing followers and building a relationship with them. An established concept in the world we live in is that people interact with a brand for the value they are getting from it. Knowing this, publish awesome contents that will be useful to you clients – and on topics you are very familiar with.
According to a quote by the famous American author Zig Ziglar “People will listen to you if they like you, but If they trust you, they will do business with you”. Blogging gives you that platform to relate with your audience, get their trust, and also gain credibility in your field.
3. Use the social media
In today’s world, the importance of social media can’t be stressed enough. Social media will help you showcase that unique point of view or perspective that you have. There are lots of social media platforms available. We have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest etc. These platforms have millions of users and am sure your target audience are in there somewhere.
Share posts or pictures that are relevant to your field and also distinct you from your competitors.
4. Build Network
The aim of working very hard to establish your personal brand is to show your best to people. Well a brand needs an audience to perceive and interpret the message. Networking is a step you should not avoid. Attend seminars, conferences, events, get-togethers so that you can meet with other professionals.
Word of mouth they say is the best form of promotion; so you must harness this.
5. Create your Brand Statement
Your brand statement is made up of a sentence or two that represent what you can offer and who you are. It is what you build your digital strategy around and be sure to live and breathe it every waking day. It must be compelling and be able to guide your efforts.
6. Rinse and Repeat
Constantly tweak and reinvent your personal brand. This is because brands are not static. You can go back to step 1 and create a new plan every year. This is because your vision might have changed, or you have a new audience to target. Adapt and change with the era and time to allow continuous growth.
Your personal brand like I said earlier is who you are – your reputation. Follow these steps to build your personal brand and gain the trust of your followers.
Let us know some of the points you know that are not mentioned in this post.
