Every business owner identifies with his company – it is his creation, his “child”, and he does everything in his power to help it blossom. This is where personal branding comes into play. A personal brand builds a business, while still centering around you. It is how you present yourself to your potential clients and customers. We can say that personal branding is a process of creating a trademark around your name that you will use to communicate your values, personality and skills. Let’s dive into the essentials of growing your personal brand.
1. Craft your personal brand story
This is the first and non-negotiable step. The process of developing a personal brand may differ for each individual, but without a brand story there is no brand. When it comes to communication, stories are powerful tools. They shape the reason for the existence of your company. It should be infused with personality, engaging, straightforward and simple (with a beginning, middle and end – problem, solution and success). By reading your story, your audience feels the experience, and once you get them to share it around – your brand story will start taking care of itself.
2. Define your values and set your priorities
In order to identify the most important things you need to deal with, and have certain parameters to align your new projects with, you need to have a crystal-clear picture of your professional and personal goals. This applies to both short- and long-term goals. Your values and priorities are your guidelines, like a compass that helps in your decision-making process and in action.
3. Define your target audience
If you don’t know who you are trying to reach, your endeavors will most likely be fruitless. You need to define your target audience before you even launch a business. Who are they? What is their most pressing problem? What are their passions and interests? What can you offer them? You will be able to get a better picture about them and direction on how to reach them by answering these questions.
4. Be authentic
When building a personal brand, you don’t want to create a false face that doesn’t resonate with who you are. Don’t try to follow the crowd and imitate what everyone else is doing, but find your own, authentic voice and style. Use your uniqueness to attract the clientele you want, as well as to create new guidelines for others to follow. Today’s consumers are very strict when it comes to honesty, and they can recognize when someone is not genuine.
5. Master the realm of social media
Today, both businesses and audiences are to be found on social media. So, if you want to build your personal brand story and be the expert in your field of work, you must use social media. You must find a way to set yourself apart from the competition. Build your social media strategy around your passions and authenticity. Pay attention to the experts from your industry, how they leverage the power of social media, and how they communicate their messages on social media platforms.
To grow your personal brand takes time and effort. However, the need for a personal brand is always on the increase, so it’s worth it. It will follow your name throughout the rest of your career and cannot be taken away from you.
