Your personal brand is the key to your success in any arena—whether it’s business or personal. Developing a brand is creating a calling card for your core beliefs, abilities, and the very essence of who you are as a person. It allows you to quickly communicate pre-set expectations for your relationships.
Building your personal brand is vital to your business—you just need to pinpoint how best to tackle it.
Let’s dig into the steps you need to take to build your personal brand, offering you the insight you need to completely revamp and revitalize your clients’ first experience with you and your business.
What is a personal brand?
Your brand is one of the first instances of connection that your customers will have. It gives them a summarized experience of who you are, what your skills are, and how you plan to offer value—in a completely personalized, strategic, and polished package. It’s one of the best tools in your marketing arsenal and is absolutely vital to determine as you continue to grow and scale your business.
Why is it important to build your personal brand?
You already know that your personal brand serves as your professional essence—instantly connecting your customers to who you are, what you offer, and how you can help. However, there are several other benefits to building your brand, including:
Building your client base
Personal branding elements strengthen your appeal with others in your ideal customer profile. Consistency in how you present yourself and your business across all channels builds trust with your customer base. It also keeps clients engaged and excited about your offer, turning them into long-time brand advocates who refer you.
Expanding your personal network
The world of business relies on connections and partnerships. As mentioned above, your branding kit serves as a calling card that tells businesses the essence of who you are and what you bring to the table.
Ultimately, your branding should remain authentic to you—giving your partners and connections a complete, truthful, and impactful view of who you are as a person and business partner so that they can more easily decide how they might work with you and who they might introduce you to within their circle.
Earning premium pricing for your services
Your personal branding is the first part of your business that prospective customers will see. How you present yourself impacts how people perceive you. Your chances of earning premium pricing will increase if you position yourself as a master in your field, showcasing your relevant problem-solving expertise in an approachable way. Customers will be more willing to invest in your business when they are invested in you. This starts with them knowing, liking, and trusting you.
Winning new opportunities (i.e., speaking engagements & media features)
Perfecting your brand positioning and messaging can open new doors. Once you solidify your branding and partnership strategy, you may win a wider selection of opportunities in your field of expertise—such as speaking engagements and media features.
People want to have “more” from those who are compelling and inspiring. As you construct your personal branding strategy, look for ways to incorporate elements of your expertise, skills, and credentials to best showcase your abilities authentically for your next incoming opportunity.
Steps to build your personal brand
Personal branding starts with your story, incorporating elements of who you are and what you’re passionate about. Personal branding should reflect your goal of helping others take action in a field you’ve mastered.
After you’ve determined what your niche or area of passion is, consider the following steps to help you build your brand:
Set goals for your brand journey
Building your brand is a project, just like any other. Putting in the upfront work to develop your personal brand will enable it to work for you over time.
Identifying and setting goals will help you work more efficiently, and achieve your overall goal of perfecting your personal branding. Make your goals attainable and specific to increase your chances of success.
Determine your strengths & weaknesses
Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is a vital part of the process. Even weaknesses can provide opportunities as you build your brand strategy. Being acutely aware of both the good and the bad will help you position yourself for success in any situation or across any channel—giving your branding strategy a firm foundation of knowledge, confidence, and authenticity.
Define your audience
While your audience shouldn’t dictate your branding, they certainly should be considered when determining your strategy. After all, at the end of the day, your brand is all about who you are in light of how you want people to perceive you.
Demographics vs. Psychographic
Both elements are vitally important—and completely different. Demographics are data points such as gender, socioeconomic status, and location. Psychographics are softer and not quantitative, encompassing their goals, expectations, and experiences with similar or unrelated brands.
Pain points & challenges
Identifying customer pain points and challenges helps you anticipate the needs of a specific target audience—enabling you to instantly communicate through your personal branding that you are an impactful and trustworthy guide they can turn to for help solving their problems.
Define your personality & visual identity
A person’s first impression of you heavily influences whether or not they will listen to, follow, or engage with you. Creating a professional and authentic presentation of yourself visually is an essential step in activating your brand strategy. Staying consistent across all customer-facing channels is key to making this step a success.
That being said, brand messaging and brand voice also play a role. They go hand-in-hand with your brand’s visual identity and help people get to know you.
Establish your online presence
In today’s digital world, establishing your online presence is essential when looking for new opportunities. We recommend taking a multi-channel approach, which includes:
Building your website
Websites are a great way to put yourself out there, positioning you as a trusted resource for prospective clients and partners. You can incorporate a blog, adding additional value for clients in your space.
Creating your social media profiles
If you haven’t already, consider which social platforms are best for connecting with your clients. Depending on the industry you serve, you may consider:
- Twitter: Great for daily digests, blurbs, and quick tips
- LinkedIn: Best for industry-relevant, informational posts
- Instagram: Ideal for design or visually-based brands
- TikTok: Good for informational, short video content for specific niches
You may notice that Facebook isn’t on this list. While it can be helpful for ads and groups, other channels have been on the rise as more relevant options to connect with prospective clients.
Creating online content
Once you’ve created your social profiles, it’s time to launch your content. Consider outsourcing to pros, or read up on social media best practices to help you create compelling content that serves your audience, builds your reputation, and gets reach and engagement.
Participate and add value to industry & social communities
Entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, and coaches can all get immense value from actively taking part in their social and e-communities. It’s one of the best ways to make a name for yourself, establish your authority, and expand your network.
Make your business a success with a five-star personal branding strategy
Your personal branding strategy is the key to elevating your “meh” marketing to something effective, authentic, and unapologetically you. It’s a top tool in your marketing toolkit to accomplish and advance every business goal you have—from brand awareness to sales—making it one of the most important elements of your business to work on from the start.
Are you ready to elevate your brand strategy and marketing presence? Connect with me, Dionne Kumpe, today to learn more about building your personal brand and your business.
