Today, with social media, we can all be a brand name. A personal brand pulls the audience to focus on our skills, expertise, or a particular message. A personal brand positions you as an authority in your industry and gives you an edge in terms of opportunities.
Here are 5 tips to get you started.
Build an authentic foundation
Branding is not about positioning yourself as something that you’re not. It’s about highlighting the best parts of you, the authentic you. Identify your strengths and what makes you unique. Think about the characteristics and strengths you’ve built in your career.
Choose a sharing platform
Depending on your brand, you can choose from many social media and online platforms to share and grow your brand. For example, if your brand is centered on video content you might want to choose youtube or the fast-growing Tik Tok. If you’re a writer, creating your own blog off WordPress or medium is a great way to start.
Be sure to choose a platform that matches your brand. social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to amplify your message.
Choose your target audience
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try and appeal to everybody. When creating a personal brand one needs to be very selective. You may feel pressured to serve everyone but it’ll just confuse you and your audience.
A valuable exercise that we recommend doing is creating your perfect client profile (sometimes called a client avatar). The more you understand about your perfect client, including their desires and challenges, the better the product and services you can create for them.
Have a content strategy
Creating free content is one of the most effective ways to build your brand and earn the trust of your target audience. Instead of trying to convince your audience that you can help them, you create content that actually helps them. This builds trust and helps to position you as an expert and an authority in your industry.
Connect with gatekeepers & influencers in your industry
Every industry has its gatekeepers and influencers. People who can teach you the ropes, make introductions and help you build your network. Find inspirational influencers and mentors who are in the same industry/work as you. Even if you don’t connect with them it could be of use to watch how they manage their brand and learn from them.