Branding your business is important, but in today's marketing world branding yourself is equally as important. So how do you do that?
What is personal branding?
Your personal brand is how people see you; how they’d describe you—similar to how people describe famous people or companies. It is the set of values and characteristics that describe who you are and guide your choices—in work and in life. The Internet has made everybody’s reputation that much more accessible.Wondering how to be proactive about building your personal brand? These tips are a great place to start:
1. DEFINE YOUR BRAND
Write down the words and values that describe how you would like to be viewed by people. Be honest and choose words that are positive and authentic to who you are. People are drawn to authentic. It can be tempting to only show your absolute best self, but showing your whole self, within reason of course, will attract people to you.
Be happy with who you are, all of you. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has shortcomings. No one is great at everything. Love all of yourself and don't be afraid to show people who you are.
2. HAVE A SPECIALTY
Be vocal about your specialty! It will help you stand out in the crowd. Companies call this a point of differentiation—consider how your brand (in this case, you) is different from everyone else. Why should people choose you over everyone else?
If you can’t think of a skill that’s your specialty, then learn one. This usually means that you have to learn on your own, but that’s easier than ever before—take classes, read industry specific publications, add a passion project, and volunteer for projects that will help you develop your niche.
3. WRITE YOUR BIO
Write a short bio. A professional bio is a necessity for, networking events, speaking on panels, and keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.
Your bio might include your education, work experience, any published writing or press hits, awards you’ve received, volunteer work, and possibly even some of your personal interests. Be quirky, be real, be you.
4. CREATE A BLOG OR PERSONAL WEBSITE
Blogging is a great, and often free, way to showcase your creativity and experiences. Write about what you do and what you love, whether it’s fashion or the environment or whatever.
Although many people find blogging to be fun, it can also take a lot of time. If you aren’t interested in blogging, you can still create a personal website, using your name as the domain name, and highlight your skills and experience there.
5. USE LINKEDIN
LinkedIn is yet another Internet home where you can promote your academic or career changes and achievements. Don't be afraid to brag about yourself and your skills, within reason of course.
LinkedIn allows you to put your accomplishments out there for the world (and future employers, partners, and connections) to see. Also, if you set up a LinkedIn profile, it will be one of the first things that people see when they search for you online.
6. BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Whether you’re shy or outgoing, it’s important to be able to communicate well—particularly about yourself—as you build your brand.
You can take public speaking courses, writing courses, and simply practicing regularly. Learn how to tell your story. A lot of local vocational schools offer inexpensive courses in these specialties.
Before networking events, prepare a quick summary of your personal and professional interests and experiences. It is really helpful to be able to quickly and concisely explain what you do and why it is important to you.
7. PARTICIPATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is a perfect platform for positively promoting your brand. You can share articles, blog posts, and achievements.
You might also follow people in your industry and participate in relevant conversations by using trending hashtags or those that are most popular in your industry.
8. BUILD YOUR NETWORK
In order to build and share your personal brand, you need to also be building your professional network. Networking isn't just important when you are looking for a job. If I’ve learned anything from my career profile series, I’ve learned that you can consistently learn from other people’s career paths and insights at every stage of your career.
Take advantage of the opportunities in your city and your industry to meet new people. You never know how that new connection might be of service to you!
9. SAY NO
Now that you have your personal brand in place, protect it. Say no to opportunities, projects, freelance work, or social media posts that are not aligned with your brand.
10. DO GOOD WORK & LIVE YOUR VALUES
Your work and actions speak volumes about your personal brand and you. You can say you hold certain values, but your actions, your experience, and your words have to embody them.
Be passionate about your personal brand. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone fails from time to time but as long as you learn from it, get up and try your best to get back on track with your values, people will see that. Remember: authentic!