We have all heard a lot about personal branding and its growing importance. But new research suggests that to stand out in your career, your branding must be even more unique than usual. But before we get into the details of it, let us get our basics right. Starting with,
What is a personal brand?
A personal brand is nothing but a summary of one’s story. It is a representation of who you are, what you stand for, the values that you embrace, and the way in which you tend to express those values. This is what collectively makes a personal brand. Just like any other brand is a representation of its core values, so is a personal brand. It aids in creating an identity, set apart from others.
And like it is rightly said by Jeff Bezos “Your personal brand is what people are saying about you when you are not in the room.”
Why is developing a personal brand essential?
Showing the right worth.
Building the right personal brand puts you in a position of power and control. This will act as a helping agent in creating professional and personal autonomy. People can use social media platforms in showcasing their brands and reaching out to the masses.
Building self-awareness
Personal branding will help you be your true authentic self and put up your interests, likes, dislikes, strengths, and all of that together in one place. This will always be a bonus in building the right kind of self-awareness.
Establishing and achieving the goals.
A personal brand will be like a plan and a path to reaching the set goals. It will let you determine who you exactly are and what you would want to achieve in the longer run. It will also act as a checklist while looking out for new opportunities.
Personal branding plays a very essential role in the growth of a person, professionally and personally. Here are some really cool tips for better personal branding-
Decide what really sets you different from the rest.
What makes you different from the rest? What quality of yours makes you stand out among all the other salespeople, the other engineers, or the other brand consultants? Well, self-branding is not all about the validation from an external party, it is more about establishing yourself in the market. Creating an image where people fully trust and believe in you. Giving and serving the best.
Creating a visualization of such information is a great exercise to help you decide what it is that sets you apart. You can do exercises or activities like the SWOT analysis and analyze yourself. This is a great way to become self-aware of what may be holding you back from building a personal brand.
Networking is the key!
Networking has become really essential today as it ever was and doesn’t have to be given second thoughts. If you consult any agency they’ll tell you the references that they get from past clients have been some of the most qualified leads they come their way. Similarly it is true when you’re talking about establishing yourself or your brand.
Knowing the right circle of people, having conversations with them, getting to know them better are some of the most basic ways of networking. Networking through social media is also a great way to be out there!
Make your brand stand out!
It’s all about the little things and the details you add to it. Most people now know that they should have a well-built website, a decent logo, and all these basic things clear. But there are of course some extra personal branding tips that can make your brand stand out and give your online presence that professional polish. For example, you can embed branded links to create and share links featuring your own domain name. These links can lead to your LinkedIn page, your portfolio, website, blog or other. All these details will make you look over the top and perfectly presentable.
Keep all your info updated!
Whether you are a blogger or a public figure posting on social media platforms, when you are building an online brand what you have to keep in mind is to be updated at all times. Large gaps in terms of time between posts can make you look inconsistent and unauthentic. Create an authentic bio that you use across your social media pages and make sure information like your email address and current position are updated. All of these details just make your profile more legitimate and trustworthy.
Well, that’s that about personal branding in a gist. Build your personal brands and establish your unique value across. Check Book A Workshop to know more!
