You’re fabulous, just the way you are. So why do you need personal branding?
Personal branding has nothing to do with changing your essential you-ness. It’s the process of refining it and sharing it with others.
You are too fabulous to hide out in some cave. Developing your brand is more than an interesting idea — it’s your duty. It’s also good business.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, or a creative, a strong brand allows you to grow. Do more, earn more, say more. All you need are some tips, tricks, and social media marketing tools.
It’s time to stop hiding and say hello to your future fans!
What is personal branding?
Personal branding is the conscious crafting of a person’s public identity, which includes their image, their story, and their position within particular communities.
Branding is deliberate, but it doesn’t have to be inauthentic. In fact, personal brands best succeed when they’re perceived as genuine self-expressions.
Why is personal branding important?
So that’s what personal branding is. But why does it matter? And who needs it?
There are some obvious answers to that question, including influencers of all stamps:
- Business thought-leaders
- Actors
- Public figures
- Social media personalities
- Creatives
Here’s the better answer. Everyone needs personal branding because everyone has a personal brand.
Your brand is the way that others perceive you and the expectations they form as a result.
Personal brands often evolve organically. You brand yourself every time you dress for a party, write a proposal, or post on social media. For most people, the total effect is muddy. It’s a patchwork of sometimes-contradicting impressions.
Within your most intimate circles, this collage is unavoidable and eventually disappears into a holistic picture. Think of those images created with thousands of tiny photographs. The number and variety don’t detract from the surface image. They create it. The artist never could have achieved that result from only four photographs.
In the same way, your friends and family come to see you as a nuanced whole. They see you as “Daniel” or “Kim,” and each new impression slots into a picture that’s simultaneously simple and complex. Only extreme, momentous outliers alter that picture.
With personal branding, you shape your persona for people outside your inner circles. You don’t allow it to form haphazardly. You craft it and use it, fostering a particular audience and achieving a particular impact.
Depending on what they want to accomplish, people create different brands for different arenas. Branding for artists will look different than branding for entrepreneurs. But both will benefit from developing a strong brand.
Creating a personal brand
So let’s get to work and figure out the right personal brand for you. It may take a little trial and error, so embrace the journey. After all, no one ever said “perfect” had to be part of your brand.
Find yourself
“Find yourself” sounds like the advice you’d give someone on a spiritual journey rather than a professional one.
But branding yourself requires a lot of self-awareness and thoughtful positioning. People who skip this step often wind up with bland, cookie-cutter brands. Or worse, they put out inappropriate or tone-deaf content.
Who are you? What perspective do you offer?
Your vantage point is unique. You consider particular issues and topics, work on particular projects, and come from a particular background. You also have that super-particular you-ness that encompasses your style, humor, intelligence, empathy, and more.
Take some time to brainstorm. Then write down everything that you bring to the table, everything that informs your point of view. Consider your:
- Industry
- Goals
- Education
- Cultural upbringing
- Affiliations and memberships
- Personal strengths
- Personal weaknesses
- Socioeconomic status
- Geography
- Interests
- Philosophy
- Identity politics
A lot of people fail to recognize — and capitalize on — the things that make them interesting. It’s rarely an individual element on the list. It’s an unexpected combination. Put a little mark beside any items on the list that come together in dynamic or intriguing ways.
Focus yourself
Your personal brand stems from your identity, but it’s a lot more targeted than that. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Be one thing to a carefully cultivated group.
Your audience
Start by defining your audience. What does success look like in terms of your sphere of influence?
What’s the demographic of your audience? Do you cross demographics? What are the interests of your ideal friends and fans? What are their insecurities or pain points?
These are the people to whom you’re talking. Never forget that.
Your value
You’ll also need to find your unique value proposition: the fundamental reason that people should and will pay attention.
While the Golden Circle Theory of branding was imagined for companies, it works just as well for people looking to refine their persona. The Golden Circle is made up of three concentric circles that help you focus and communicate all that you bring to the table.
- Why. The innermost circle. Why do you do what you do? What’s your mission or vision?
- How. The middle circle. How do you fulfill your why and provide your what?
- What. The outermost circle. What do you offer your audience or community?
Your tagline
You don’t absolutely need a tagline, but it’s a definite asset. By distilling your mission, you make it easy for people to remember. There’s a better chance it will come to mind when they need precisely what you offer.
Style yourself
The next step is to decide how you’re going to present yourself to your adoring public. You want to develop a style that complements your perspective and/or highlights your value.
Your personality
A coherent brand requires a strong, consistent personality.
Pretend that your best friend has to describe you to someone you’ve never met but want to impress. The catch? They only have three words to do it.
Maybe you’re a travel blogger who’s impulsive, fearless, and self-sufficient. Or you’re an entrepreneur who’s challenging, intense, and straightforward.
Again, a little bit of disjunction or tension can be a good thing, a quality that helps you stand out. Maybe you’re an activist who’s diplomatic but decisive. Or an academic who’s intellectual but grounded.
If you pick the right words to define your brand personality, you’ll find that your look and voice naturally evolve from there.
Your look
Your look can include personal fashion choices, but it doesn’t stop there. Whether it’s your website, your Facebook page, or your welcome email, consistency is key.
Design your:
- Colors. Specify the exact shades, using RGB values or Hex codes.
- Fonts. Limit yourself to around three, and prioritize clarity over personality. Your typography should be easy to read in all sizes.
- Imagery. Set the tone and type of the images you’ll publish under your brand. Follow the conventions of your industry as well as your personal inclinations.
- Logo. Design your logo with care. It’ll show up across your platforms and instantly identify you to your fans.
Your voice
Even if the only thing you ever intend to write is Instagram captions, your voice is a crucial part of your brand.
What do you want to say, and how do you want to say it? What voice best matches the personality of your brand?
The Nielson-Norman Group researched online branding and tone of voice. They reviewed websites across the internet and determined that there were four essential dimensions of tone of voice:
- Funny vs. serious
- Formal vs. casual
- Respectful vs. irreverent
- Enthusiastic vs. matter-of-fact
If you’re struggling to define your voice, start there. Where would you be with respect to each dimension?
Stay true to yourself
This can’t be emphasized enough. Personal branding isn’t a form of deception. This is your image, your story, your life. Be genuine. Consistency in personal branding is key, and the more authentic your brand is, the easier you’ll find it to stay true to — both to yourself and to your brand.
Your personal brand is something you live. It needs to fit, and you need to feel comfortable in it.
That doesn’t mean that you need to — or should — force every aspect of your private life into a mold and then share it with the world. You can have private as well as public email or social media accounts.
You’re also entitled to your secrets. No one really needs to know about the mild case of food poisoning that came as a side to your burrito.
Building a personal brand
Once you’ve created the brand, it’s time to build it into the force it can be. You need to grow your audience and establish your brand as a dependable and known quantity.
Put that song on repeat
It can be tempting to endlessly re-create yourself. Resist. Repetition and consistency are the hallmarks of a successful brand.
In addition to standardizing your voice and design, you want to repeat your successes. If a certain form of content performs well, use it as a blueprint for other pieces.
A certain amount of variety is good. You want your product to feel fresh. But you also want to create and meet expectations.
Pick the right platforms
Where are you going to promote this brand? How are you going to connect with people?
These days you have an almost overwhelming number of options, but it’s always better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly.
Social media
These days, social media is at the heart of most personal branding. You may already have a private account on platforms. For your brand, you’ll need to go public and curate your content.
Pick a couple of the most popular social media platforms, and build up your following. You’ll want to pick the right venues according to your industry and the demographics of your audience. You should also consider your natural strengths. Creating content takes time and energy. Do something you enjoy.
There’s no single right answer, just the best answer for you. For example, social media for writers most often focuses on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. But if you’re an author who writes young-adult or new-adult fiction and enjoys making videos, then TikTok may be the best place to engage old readers and find new ones.
Entrepreneurs and people in B2B industries might prefer something a little more professional and career-focused. You could join the number of individuals who have built successful personal brands on LinkedIn.
Want to connect with your public in a more direct and personal manner? Of course you do. After all, the statistics on email marketing routinely prove that it’s the most cost-effective channel.
Use email-marketing tools to develop a list and then send them regular updates or a newsletter.
Website
No matter what else you do, creating a personal website adds value to your brand. It gives you an online home and a portfolio where you can display your best work. You can also use it to link to social accounts and to develop your email list.
If you add a blog, you’ll also have a forum for long-form content.
Stick to a schedule
This point (and the next one) is where those social media tools really pay off. If consistency and repetition are key, then you’ll need to get on a regular posting schedule.
Use tools to integrate your social accounts, design ads, and plan content. Even better, you can monitor and respond to conversations from one central place.
Courtesy – Constant Contact
Create your own Brand
Contact for more information – info@sapphireinfotech.net
