The idea of branding ourselves is relatively new, but there are plenty of good reasons why people do it. In the professional world, it can be the difference between landing a job/new client or not. It also helps to divide our personal and professional selves. And also, you just never know what will come from it; it can create opportunities that no other avenues can. The more people that are aware of who you are and what you’re about, the more success will come your way.
But how should you go about building your personal brand? Let’s take a look.
Business Branding Kit
Be Authentic
Sometimes, people try too hard when it comes to their personal branding. They try to create an image that is out of sync with who they really are. While it’s easy to see why this would be tempting, it always falls flat — and that’s because it’s hard to give up with something if you’re not being genuine. It’s not only better to be authentic, but just easier, too. You shouldn’t have to force your branding too much. It’s all about elevating the parts of yourself that you want to see, not trying to be something that you’re not.
Valuable Content
There are many things that’ll contribute to the effectiveness of your personal branding. But perhaps top of the list is the amount of value that you provide to people who are following you on social media. If you’re only sharing or producing low-quality content, then you can’t be all too surprised if your social media follower list refuses to grow. You don’t necessarily have to produce this content yourself, at least not always. Retweeting other people’s content, and thus acting as a curator, can also be highly effective too. In any case, whatever you’re posting should be all killer, no filler.
Make it Memorable
You’ll experience some organic growth. But if you’re going to reap the rewards from personal branding, then it’ll be important to promote yourself, too. This could be through an advert or through creating something that other people share. While there are many ways you can present an advertisement, the key takeaway should be that it’s memorable. If it’s not, then it won’t achieve anything. A memorable advert can be a juggernaut for success — just think of the ShamWow Guy. Everyone remembers him, even many years after his first advert was released.
Making Connections
It’s important to remember that your personal brand should exist in isolation. Only celebrities can get away with having a one-way relationship with their followers. Your personal branding success will depend on your ability to connect with others. Indeed, that’s more or less the whole point! So as well as focusing on your own narrative, be sure to connect with others through comments, likes, sharing.
Evolution
Finally, remember that your personal brand shouldn’t stay still for too long! Over time, it should evolve and move in new directions. That’ll ensure that it brings results even many years down the line.
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