What and Why of Personal Branding You Should Know

As an individual or business owner, you may already have a brand that exists online, but have you made attempts to create your personal brand? Perhaps you don’t even understand what personal branding is about. Or, you may be having some difficulty making the most of it. Not to worry, you’ll get the hang of it by the time you’re done reading this article.

Several different factors will contribute to your personal brand according to Joel House. These factors range from your mode of communication online to the kind of stories you tell. It can also constitute visual variables, like the pictures you publish and the sort of graphics you use. Before explaining more about these factors and why personal branding is essential to you, we’ll first describe personal branding itself. 

What is personal branding?

Personal branding is when you establish your public persona for your specific audience. It involves accurate and careful communication of your beliefs, goals, values, and purpose. Think about the public images of some big brands, for example, Nike. Nike has built its brand to support consumers who like to live active lifestyles. The brand also creates high-performance ads and features celebrating athletes. From its advertisements on television and in magazines to social media profiles, Nike expresses examples of branding factors.

Why you should build your personal brand

You may not create commercials on television or publish your ads in magazines. However, you should think about what you want your brand to represent. This is because whether you’re conscious about it or not, a personal brand will exist. The moment you publish a post on your blog; for example, you automatically portray aspects of your personality to your readers according to this branding company San Francisco.

Your brand will develop based on the content you post regularly, from search and social advertising to webinars and blog posts. Besides, if you don’t make efforts to improve your personal brand, you may not have complete control over it. People will begin to form their own beliefs about what you represent and the purpose of your business. To avoid this, you need to know the strategies involved in getting dominance over your brand.

Ways to build your personal brand

Before you begin to grow a brand for yourself, you should know the best ways to do so. This will prevent you from running into common pitfalls. Remember that even a misstep may hurt your reputation and set the brand back. The growth of your brand lies in your ability to educate others according to the knowledge you have. To share this knowledge effectively, and carefully craft your personal brand, the methods you should know about include:

  • Harnessing your personality

Your personality is the most extraordinary thing about you. It sets you apart from competitors in your field. Perhaps you’re incredibly extroverted and outgoing. You may use that character trait in illustrating your skills and attracting people to your brand. People are usually drawn to business owners and educators who can communicate their knowledge and ideas efficiently on a large scale. This is why your personality is so crucial to your brand. 

Personality traits like helpfulness, bravery, introversion, stubbornness, selflessness, and the likes are what you should watch out for in yourself. Make a list of the ones people close to you usually comment on. Which of them is predominant? Then amplify such character traits to strengthen your brand.

  • Curating your online presence

While authenticity is essential to any personal brand, you should also have boundaries. Before you start presenting your online persona to the world, consider what you will or will not share with your audience. Many entrepreneurs keep their family off-limits. They don’t like subjecting their loved ones to online scrutiny. 

On the other hand, some entrepreneurs do not mind posting photographs, anecdotes, and additional information about their relatives. Whichever one you choose should be right for you and in the interest of your brand. You can also determine what you’d like to share concerning your work history, education, personal struggles, or anything else about yourself. 

  • Create a website for your brand

Anyone that’s on a journey to build their brand needs a website. The site is your platform to share your blog posts, webinars, digital products, and any other content that may interest your target audience.

  • Build a relationship with other popular brands

It will be in your best interest to associate your brand with other popular brands, especially those in your industry. Find experts in Knowledge Commerce, influencers, and business owners in your field. Try interacting with them whenever you can. Make comments on their posts on social media, and get closer to them. 

Your competition is not always your enemy, believe it or not. Hence, your brand may find success in being a partner with other brands. The primary thing is to ensure that your brand remains visible and unique. 

Benefits of personal branding

Personal branding has many benefits. Most of these benefits, in the long run, help you achieve your aspirations concerning your business. Apart from having a face behind your enterprise, you get to make vital decisions on what surrounds your online persona. Let’s dive into more of the benefits. 

1. You will be more visible online

2. You can use your network as a leverage

3. Your business becomes stronger

4. Your online relationships will blossom

5.  You can use your brand as a leverage to build partnerships

In conclusion

Personal branding does not happen overnight; neither is it something you leave to chance. You have to take control of your narrative until it reaches the height you desire.

Adam Hansen