Create A Powerful Personal Brand
Steps to Create A Powerful Personal Brand
*Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 30 Jun, 2020
Branding isn't just for celebrity influencers or companies. Whether you're looking for a better job, industry recognition, or new clients, it's important to build a strong personal brand. And, if you don't think you have a personal brand, use Google yourself and, there you go! The question is, do you want it to start living your life, or do you want to control the narration? By managing your message and the way you see the world, you will be better able to achieve your career goals. These seven steps will help you build a strong personal brand.
1. Craft your brand vision
A brand vision is like a mission statement. It's clear and paints a vivid picture. A well-written brand vision helps you consciously move from your current state to where you’d like to be.
2. Decide what you want to be known for
Research the competition in that market and determine how you will differentiate yourself. What makes you unique? By leveraging your special gifts, you’ll be more likely to stand out from the crowd. Your personal brand should be an accurate reflection of your passions, skills, values and beliefs.
3. Define your audience
This is very important to identify your niche. Who do you want to serve? Creating your target profile is a valuable task. Consider things like their demographics, psychography, pain points, and challenges. What are they fighting for and how can you help?
4. Develop a consistent message
Once you have decided what it is, use the same message in all your communication channels. Consistency increases the trust and credibility of your audience. In addition to maintaining tone and personality, use design elements (such as a logo) consistently. Finding and trusting your unique voice is one of the keys to building a strong personal brand.
5. Be authentic
Your personal brand should not be a fictional person. That should be true for you. Find out what makes you different. Then learn to accept this uniqueness and use it to get people's attention. People want to connect with people, and that means being real. Identify your brand personality. Is it more casual or professional? Peculiar or serious? The more authentic you make your personal brand, the more likely people will respond to your message. As Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself because everyone else is taken."
6. Create your own website
Nowadays, it is important to create your own domain no matter who you are or what you do. And with all the simple site builders, there's no excuse not to build your site. And it can also be an enjoyable project! This is your chance to create something that is 100% representative of who you are and what you stand for.
7. Build your social media presence
These days, it is not easy to create a compelling personal brand without an online presence. Once you've secured your domain name, check to see if it's available on other social channels. Claim your social media profiles and share content regularly. Ideally, you may want to focus on one or two social networks at first. It's best to choose one or two carefully selected social networks and try to post on them consistently, encouraging two-way conversation. This way, you're more likely to build a trusting, ongoing relationship with your audience.
*images of m22artspace, Kuldiga, Latvia
*Ieva Vītola-Lindqvist, Latvia
*Ole Lindqvist, Denmark
Creating a compelling personal brand can help you get involved in the media, expand your network, attract customers, and build a resilient platform, among other things. We all have a personal brand, whether we think so or not. Why not be conscious and not use it to the maximum?