Your personal brand is your reputation. It’s your image. It’s the way you market yourself to others, and it can be an incredibly powerful tool when it’s used right.
If you haven’t put much thought into your personal brand, it’s time to change that. We can all benefit from personal branding.
Whether you’re dead-set on earning a promotion at work, testing the waters as a freelance designer, starting your own virtual assistant business or simply trying to get a better understanding of who you are and what you want from life, creating a personal brand may be exactly what you need to propel you toward your dreams.
Ready to get started?
Define your personal brand
First things first – define your brand. Who are you? What do you want to achieve? What are you good at? What inspires you to do your best work, to hustle and grind, to crush your goals? How do you want the world to see you?
What impact do you want to make on the world?
These are all important questions to consider as you create your personal brand. Sit down and ask yourself some questions. Verbalise your values. Acknowledge your strengths and passions. Dig deeper. Think long-term. If you aren’t sure where to start, I’ve created a two-page personal branding worksheet to help you get started.
Identify your audience
After you’ve defined your personal brand, you need to identify your audience. Who are you trying to reach with your brand? Who can you help? If you’re building a brand as a super-savvy financial advisor, you’re going to have a much different target audience than you would if you focused on personal fitness. You’ll need to know where your audience spends their time and, if you’re using your personal brand to further your business, how they spend their money.
Build your platform
Once you have identified your personal brand and discovered your audience, it’s time to build your platform!
Your online presence plays a huge role in your personal brand, so it’s a natural place to begin. Consider the social media platforms available to you and ask yourself – how are you going to reach your audience? Do they use Twitter? Facebook? LinkedIn? Instagram? Snapchat? Or will a personal website with a custom domain name make the biggest impact? If it seems a little overwhelming, choose a couple of core platforms to focus on first – you can always expand your presence later.
Aim for a consistent look and feel across your platforms. Pick a profile photo that’s easily identifiable. You might want to create a logo. Play around with colours and fonts to see what feels right.
Establish your presence
Lastly, establish your presence. Engage with your audience. Build credibility by writing a few blog posts to share on LinkedIn or post to your personal website, or see if you can snag a guest spot on a podcast where you can share your expertise. Consider building a community, picking up public speaking engagements, or hosting seminars. Do everything you can to get your message out into the world and create your reputation.
Building your personal brand won’t happen overnight, but it’s absolutely worth the investment into yourself. A strong personal brand can help you crush your career and make the connections you need to thrive.
What visions do you have for your personal brand? Share in the comments!
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