With much of today’s culture – in terms of both work and play – taking place online, it’s not really surprising that the two often merge into one.
The result is what’s commonly known as a ‘personal brand’, which comes when business and an individual’s personal life begin to blend.
What is a personal brand?
A personal brand is an approach of marketing both yourself and your business or career as one neat ‘package’. While many people dislike the idea of being defined by their business, many argue that it helps give a brand a little more personality – based on the claim that people are more likely to trust a business represented by a friendly face rather than corporate logos.
Why is having a personal brand important?
Having a personal brand is more than simply putting a face to a name. It’s a chance to use your own positive traits to leverage your brand and vice versa. You’ll also stand out amongst businesses who don’t have their credentials on display, as well as building a stronger connection with your demographic.
Additionally, you may even find your confidence improves, as you’ll be showcasing your own personal strengths and reaping the rewards.
How do I build a personal brand?
Ready to get started on building up your personal brand online? Here’s how:
1. Be yourself. Customers, clients and followers will be able to tell a ‘fake’ persona a mile off, so just be yourself. You don’t need to act or be a certain identity you’ve created to represent your brand. As long as you keep things professional online, you’re good to go.
2. Be active on social media. Build up a name for yourself by posting great content and regularly interacting with other people in your industry – as well as people you’d like to see become customers.
3. Write articles and share your thoughts. This could be on your own blog, or in the form of guest posting elsewhere. Either way, you’ll still be getting across a certain set of ideas in a particular style that people will soon begin to associate with you and your brand.
4. Set up your own website. In addition to building a website for your business, it can also be helpful to have one that represents you as a person. It could even be as simple as a few pages, detailing who you are, what you do, and perhaps a resume.
5. Tell your story. Storytelling is an important part of the promotion, so don’t be afraid to tell your story. Why do you do what you do? What led you to this point? Your peers will love learning more about you, and it will help to build trust.
While many people choose not to promote themselves with a personal brand, it’s at least worth your consideration. If you later decide it’s not for you, you can cut back and focus more on your business. But if it does work for you, you’ll be able to continue after setting up a great start for your personal brand.
Will you be putting these ideas into action and starting to build the perfect personal brand to represent yourself and your business? We can’t wait to see how it turns out, so share your experiences in the comments!
