There’s just no escaping it; branding is everywhere. Of course, you’ve heard of Nike, Apple, and Tesla, but there’s another type of branding on the rise: personal branding. While there seems to be another marketing trend every new moon, personal branding is here to stay and can take your business to new heights if approached correctly. So, what is personal branding anyway? Why is it so important? How can you start developing your own? Read on to learn more.
WHAT IS PERSONAL BRANDING?
Think of some of the biggest brands you know. Chances are they’ve clearly established their beliefs, values, goals, and purpose to their target audience. Now take that idea and turn inward. That’s how you should be approaching your personal brand. Rather than focusing solely on the products or services you provide, personal branding refers to your public persona and how you communicate with your target market. Looking for more on personal branding? Watch this 5-minute personal branding rundown.
PERSONAL BRANDING EXAMPLES
Let’s take Elon Musk for example. While he’s best known for his innovative work with Tesla and SpaceX you can’t ignore the outlandish stunts that have made him a public figure in his own right. By bending societal norms in his personal life as a visionary albeit eccentric individual, Musk is associated with his brands that push the limits of what humanity is capable of.
Want to see more personal brands in action? Check out this list of 18 personal brands done right.
WHY IS PERSONAL BRANDING IMPORTANT?
As credible information is getting diluted with sensationalist content, personal branding is now more critical than ever. Communicated by the EAT algorithm used for SEO, sharing your expertise with an audience allows you to be perceived as the go-to authority in your arena. In turn, you gain the trust of your target market, who will come back to your company anytime you release new products or offer unique expertise. Just by putting a face to your company via your personal brand, your recommendations may be 92% more trustworthy than recommendations from your company as a whole.
HOW WILL BUILDING A PERSONAL BRAND BENEFIT YOU?
If curated effectively, your personal brand will be memorable and tell the world that they should choose you over your competitors. By putting your best traits and strengths out for your audience, you’ll be exposed to new niche opportunities relevant to your most substantial assets. Through these unique experiences, you’ll also be able to build relationships with well-known brands in your industry.
By taking the reins and building your own personal brand, you control your public perception. Rather than allowing mystique and possible misinformation to dictate your persona, which is becoming increasingly frequent in the age of social media, you can consciously present yourself in alignment with your values and goals.
5 WAYS TO start BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Now that you know what a personal brand is and why it’s crucial to build your own, here are five tips to help you present yourself effectively online.
1) Find your niche
To build your personal brand, you must identify the arena in which you want to operate. By setting a clear area of expertise, you’ll be able to focus your energy on specific content rather than providing lots of low-quality information for variety’s sake. Sticking to what you know will save your time and energy and ensure your audience receives quality information from you. Want to learn more about finding your niche? Here’s a 5-step guide to get you there.
2) Be authentic
Although curating your public persona involves putting forward your best traits, you should never feel pressured to act like someone you aren’t. Putting on a character hoping to seem like an expert in your field will almost always backfire as you may fail to keep your brand consistent. Also, the chances are that your audience can see through the façade, lowering your overall credibility. Instead, consider using your weaknesses to your advantage to set yourself apart.
3) Work on your online presence
With 65% of people seeing online search results as the most trusted source of information about companies, working on your online presence is essential. Ensuring you have a consistent personal brand image through a logo and communication style is a good starting point for your brand. Also, consider making a website for your brand in addition to your social media accounts. If you want a website like this one, feel free to reach out. We have worked with many clients, making effective websites that can help your brand grow! Creating a website for your brand ensures that you own the information you share as opposed to Instagram or Twitter, which are platforms that limit the ownership you have over your content. Through a website, you can also start a blog and tap into email marketing which can increase customer retention.
4) Reach out to other well-known brands
Although one of the primary uses of personal branding is to set yourself apart from the competition, working with other companies in your niche can be immensely beneficial. Interacting with well-known brands online through social media, blog posts, or direct communication can also help others see the value in connecting with you, thereby building your network.
5) Believe in your brand
Personal branding is, without a doubt, a labor-intensive process and can take a few tries to get right. Like most things, however, consistency is key, and it’s essential that you don’t lose sight of how your company will benefit from your personal brand being perfected. Even if it seems like your efforts aren’t paying off, it’s important to recognize that making a lasting impact on your audience takes time. After all, it takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember a brand.
6) BONUS TIP: Let Jony Studios help you build your personal brand
Whether you need help getting started or want to fine-tune your existing personal brand, we can help. Our brand consulting services can help you with brand identity development, positioning, brand videos, podcasting, and even audiobook creation. At Jony Studios, we recognise that building a personal brand is no small feat, and we want to help you every step of the way.
CONCLUSION
Taking charge of your personal presence is an essential step in helping your brand reach new heights. The moment you put a face to your company, you have the chance to extend your reach through interactions with your audience and other brands, stand out in the sea of competition, and increase your credibility. Although it can take some effort, this guide can hopefully help you build your personal brand and help your company grow.
Written by Midhat Mujaddid
Did you learn a new tip about building your personal brand? Was there anything that surprised you? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
