4 Steps to create a Personal Brand
Written by Oktay Asanov
What do Dalai Lama, Britney Spears, and Superman have in common? They all have a strong personal brand. Even if you are not a fan of Britney, or have no clue what Dalai Lama does, you are very much aware of their persona. They exude influence and create emotion in the people around them, and most importantly influence people to pay attention to their work. Having a strong personal brand can benefit your business and open many new doors.
Building a strong personal brand is not an easy task. Celebrities have large teams, the financial support and time to invest in their brand, and if you don’t have any of those you might think that this article is not even for you. Well, that’s not the case. Social media and influencer culture have proven that those who invest the time and effort without an entourage and big financial budgets behind them can also build a strong personal presence.
Marketer Joey Little shared that 92% of people have lost trust in corporate branding. Talaya Wallace, a personal branding specialist, said that modern-day marketing has shifted from humanising objects to influencing consumers through other people, who they know, like and trust. Consumers are looking for people like you and I, interested in listening to what we have to say and sell. However, we just have to make ourself distinguishable from the group.
Here are some 4 quick tips on how to start developing your brand.
#1 Define your power
Aesthetics, colour pallets, and a recognizable Instagram feed can do magic for your brand. However, the strong basis of your brand will lay in who you are as an individual and what are your core values. This is not your product or something you sell, this relates to how people feel when your name is mentioned. Are you a hard worker with a strong work ethic, someone who needs time but delivers amazing results, a great personality with strong networking skills? Reflect, reflect, reflect! Reflection is your best friend when it comes to pinpointing your strongest assets. If you are having trouble doing it by yourself, just ask the people around you. Sometimes our immediate circle are much more aware of how special we are than we do ourselves. Ultimately, Superman didn't know he was a superman until everyone told him so.
#2 Find your voice
Your persona is strongly connected to your day-to-day actions – your style of work, your opinions, who and what you support. Therefore, let people hear your voice and what you stand for. Social media has helped build the personal brands of many influential artists and personalities just by them standing up for their beliefs. A great example is model and activist Munroe Bergdorf who is vocal on social media against racial and homophobic issues. She has managed to build her personal brand around her strong voice for LGBTQI+ community and this has opened new opportunities and has allowed her to develop a dedicated audience who also support her values.
#3 Consistency is King
It is vital for your success to build a consistent and recognizable personal image. By establishing who you are and regularly voicing your opinions and values through your work and media platforms, consumers’ interest will start to grow. However, don’t make the mistake to regularly project a persona which is not authentic to who you are. As sooner or later the brand you have worked so hard to build can crumble in just a few seconds. JK Rowling is a perfect example of a personal brand that so many thought to be authentic and reliable. Until recently when the author voiced her negative opinion on trans wxmen, her public image changed drastically as it was not what the public was used to.
#4 Quality over Quantity
Consistency also plays a role in the work you’re putting out there. If a large portion of your business depends on social media content you must regularly share content that your audience enjoys. However, as there are so many platforms to choose from, make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin. Concentrate your efforts on one or two platforms where your audience can keep track of your work. As a result, you will be able to concentrate your efforts and create quality content.
Remember, personal brand does not make you a product. Quite opposite – it shows how human you are. It creates a clear picture of your values, opinions, represents your work ethic and talent. Take the time to develop your brand so you can help to grow not only your business but also yourself.