What is Personal Branding All About?
- Sherlon Creations
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Personal branding is the way you present yourself (beliefs, values, experiences) and your skills to the world, both online and offline. Every person is as unique as a snowflake, no 2 are the same. So, it is important to display your uniqueness and value to others.
Regrettably, we exist in a society where people are often categorized into "buckets" based on subjective opinions rather than facts. I'm certain you've encountered numerous situations or discussions where you've needed to "enlighten" others about who you are, what you stand for, and what you believe in.
It is very important to differentiate yourself from others and stand out both personally and professionally. Having a strong personal brand can help you advance your career, grow your business, and make an impact as a thought leader. In this blog post, I will share some of the benefits of personal branding and how you can build your own personal brand.
Why is personal branding important?
From a personal perspective:
It provides you with a way to share your brand with others in a clear and concise manner to help others understand who you are.
It helps you effectively communicate with others to understand your personality, beliefs, experiences, morals, etc.
It can help you build a community of like-minded or diverse people with whom to surround yourself.
From a professional perspective:
It provides you with a competitive advantage. There are thousands of people competing with you for the same customers, jobs, and audiences. Having a clearly defined personal brand that showcases your value and uniqueness helps you stand out from the crowd-1.
It builds trust and credibility. People are more likely to buy from, engage with, and follow personal brands they trust. By being consistent, authentic, and transparent in your personal branding, you can establish yourself as an expert and authority in your field-2.
It helps you meet your goals. Whether you want to grow your business, attract more clients, land your dream job, or make a difference in the world, personal branding can help you achieve your objectives. By communicating your vision, mission, and values, you can attract the right opportunities and people who share your purpose-3.
How to build your personal brand?
Building your personal brand is a process that requires time, effort, and strategy. It is a process that requires an introspective look at yourself to understand why you are who you are today. Looking into the past at your experiences, education, people in your life/or not in your life, and outcomes formed from those events, both positive and negative. Being honest with yourself, you should ask whether those outcomes are the right ones for you. Then as you look forward determine which outcomes should truly be a part of the personal brand you want to convey going forward. Here are some steps you can follow to create and manage your personal brand:
Find what makes you different. The first step is to identify what makes you different and valuable. What are your strengths, skills, passions, and personality traits? What are your core values and beliefs? What are your goals and aspirations? What problems can you solve and what value can you offer? These questions can help you define your personal brand identity-4. Don’t focus on how many other people have similar traits, or whether someone else may have more experience or talent than where you are now. This exercise is a focus on you to help you find your uniqueness. There are several companies that provide the same type of service, but each have a unique style of service.
Craft your brand story. The next step is to craft your personal brand story. This is the narrative that connects your past, present, and future, and explains why you do what you do. Your story should be compelling, relatable, and authentic, and show your personality and emotions. Your story should also highlight your achievements, challenges, and lessons learned, and how they shaped you as a person and a professional-5. For example, if your family had a financial challenge while growing up and it made you decide to put a business together to help others avoid financial issues, sharing your background would be a great authentic brand story!
List your brand assets and platforms The third step is to document your personal brand assets and platforms. Show your audience why and how they should listen to, buy from, or use your services.
Personal Assets: these include family history, education, personal experiences, activities, charity, beliefs, travel, area/locations lived, personal creations, skills & abilities
Professional Assets, these include your logo, website, social media profiles, blog, podcast, video channel, portfolio, resume, business card, and any other medium that showcases your work and expertise.
Your brand assets and platforms should be consistent, professional, and aligned with your personal brand identity and story.
Live up to your brand. Be Authentic in this Journey! The final step is to establish, maintain, and grow your personal brand. This means delivering on your promises, providing value, and engaging with your audience so it is important to ensure your brand story accurately describes you and your passions.
Seek feedback, learn new skills, and update your brand as you evolve and grow. You should also network with other professionals, collaborate with influencers, and seek opportunities to showcase your brand and expertise.
Final thoughts
Personal branding is not a one-time event, but a continuous journey of self-discovery, self-expression, and self-improvement. By building and managing your personal brand, you can create a positive and lasting impression on the world and achieve your personal and professional goals. Stay tuned for more information on personal branding here, and you can also click on the links within the article to get more perspective from other knowledgeable sources.
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