We all know the importance of good branding when it comes to your business—but what about a brand that’s associated with you as an individual?
Your personal brand is not something you can make up. It’s authentic and deep-rooted; a snapshot of what you do, how you do it and why.
Get it right and your personal brand can help you stand out from the crowd, highlighting your expertise and enhancing your value.
Want to know how to build a personal brand? Then read on.
What is a personal brand?
Like it or not, everyone already has a personal brand, based on what people say about your work, how they describe what you do and what they like, or perhaps, dislike about you as a person.
Building a personal brand will allow you to tell your story as you want it to be told, to establish yourself as an expert and leader in your field and to connect with your customers and clients beyond your products and services alone.
Those who have mastered the art of personal branding know exactly who they are and what makes them unique and don’t need to rely on others to form an opinion.
Just like with a traditional brand, personal branding requires you to find a unique voice that speaks to your clients and customers, enabling your business to grow.
Want to you build your own personal brand? Here are just a few steps we recommend.
Remember, it’s not all about you
Don’t make the mistake of thinking your personal brand is all about you. It’s not. Your personal brand is not about your work experience, achievements and personal skills that you can offer.
Your personal brand should be what you can do for other people like; what needs can you address? What are the areas where you can offer the most value? What makes you different from the rest?
So turn the tables and think about why you would hire someone like you and make your brand a kind of shop window for clients, advertising everything you have to offer them.
Talk about what you are good at?
Before you can establish or develop your personal brand, you have to decide what it is that you want to be known for.
With so many businesses and entrepreneurs competing for the limelight, it’s more important than ever to stand out from the crowd and shine a spotlight on why you are the best person out there.
It may seem niche, and perhaps foolish, to trim down your skillset, and while your potential audience might be slightly smaller, it will also be that much more relevant.
Ensure you stand out from the rest
Building a brand is all about recognition, therefore your website, blog, social profiles, business cards and marketing materials should all have a consistent look and feel – differentiating you from your competitors.
So select a font, logo and imagery to use across all of your collateral, as well as one or two key colours that says, ‘this is me, this is who I am and this is what I do.’
That doesn’t mean you have to wear something crazy or go for a look that you’re not comfortable with just for the sake of it, simply develop a signature look that conveys the image you wish to project.
Make yourself visible online
There’s every chance that your clients have come to you via online searches, having seen a social media post or even after a personal recommendation.
And for that reason, it’s absolutely vital that your online personal brand image should connect with your target market and be indicative of your brand’s personality and values.
So don’t just put out a quick tweet while you’re on the train or post some pictures to Facebook while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil – think whether what you saying represents your business and what you stand for – at all times.
Talk to a branding specialist
Based in the centre of Liverpool, we are a branding agency and web branding specialist that is passionate about building and developing brands, supporting businesses from the outset or working with those looking to grow.
Whether you’re starting fresh, or simply looking for a refresh; we can help you establish or reposition your brand so that your business can thrive.
Why not schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our brand design consultants?
Contact us online or call 0151 708 5813 today.