Marketing yourself in today’s world more commonly called “personal branding” is popular today than ever and how to build a personal brand is one of the biggest questions.
Personal branding is the process of creating an identity of yourself, such that you are able to build a unique image for yourself that enables others to recognise and identify you. It is an extensive process that involves positioning and marketing yourself in such a way that you want others to perceive you as.
We are all aware of how social media is a boon when used wisely. So it all depends on how one portrays themselves and showcases their talent on various platforms that define themselves on social media.
WHO SHOULD CREATE A PERSONAL BRAND?
Everyone has a personal brand. The point is who should build it. Frankly, everyone should build their brands because it is the personal brand that is identified as a person’s virtual image, more often considered as an individual’s real-life personality.
But to be specific, people who really need to keep their online personal brand up to date and well-polished are:
- Freshers seeking for a job
- Professionals
- Individuals who want to pursue freelancing
- Influencers
Today we shall discuss why is personal branding important and how you should go about it. Hence if you want to gain some amazing insights on where & how to start building a brand and the skills required to build a brand, stay tuned till the end!
IS CREATING A PERSONAL BRAND HELPFUL?
Building your personal brand is like building up the goodwill of a company, it is always helpful. Having a strong personal brand would mean people trust you and they consider you genuine, hence follow you and endorse your message if they resonate with it.
Eventually, it will also get you more clients compared to a person who does not have a strong personal brand. It’s similar to the reputation of a brand. You mostly shop from brands you trust over others. Examples of some great personal brands are: Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Gary Vaynerchuk, etc
PROCESS OF CREATING A PERSONAL BRAND
Personal branding just does not mean having a lot of likes and followers on your social handles, what is more, important is your message. How are you able to add value to a particular segment and what kind of positive changes are you bringing into society is important. Building a strong personal brand requires some dedication and your muscle in the head working.
To build a strong personal brand quickly, follow these steps:
1. Figure out to which field do you belong
The fundamental thing to do is figure out what you like and in which field do you want a career or make a living because it would set your base. You should be able to add value to the field you want to make a personal brand in. To decide your niche, sit down, gather thoughts, and introspect.
Most importantly, You should like what you do because to make it big, you need to take it seriously. And often only the thing you like is taken seriously by you.
If you need some help to figure out what you like or discover yourself, check out our Career Assessment or as we like to call it: Know Yourself!
2. Choose your social media platform
Your social media platform depends on who you are and what is your objective. If you are a fresher or a professional who wants to build a strong professional image for your present and future, professional networking platforms like LinkedIn is ideal for you. As an influencer, platforms like Instagram are best for you. For a freelancer, you can use multiple platforms to build your brand.
3. Create your brand identity
The first thing that someone looks at is the appearance of your handle. Few things include your pictures, content design, logo(if), colors, etc. Get these right first. If you are a professional or a fresher, having a suitable profile picture as per the platform. If you are a company/page, have an attractive logo, good color combinations on your post and make it as attractive as you can. People should wish to swipe when they come to your page. Define your vision, mission, and your message clearly because these are things that your audience will connect to. Also, define your objectives.
4. Build a social media strategy and implement it
Having a clear strategy for the social media platforms is like having a plan of action. You know what to do next. Its like when you are lost, your strategy will keep you motivated and will guide you on what next. Planning a strategy will ensure that you make a plan aligned to the objectives you want to achieve. The basic criterias to consider while making your social media strategy are:
5. SEO: Search engine optimization helps you grow your reach organically. There are few online and offline SEO concepts you should know and use it increase your reach. If you do not know how to do it, learn. There are many people who teach this. You will want to thank us later.
To know more SEO courses, click here.
6. Engaging Content:
I cannot stress enough on this aspect because even if you have everything in place but not able to add value if you are not able to deliver engaging content, then there is no point of creating a brand. Your content is what people will follow you for and through your content, they will connect with you. So this is the most important aspect. You need to have a double check on it.
7. Seek out for mentors
Nobody knows everything and there is nothing to hesitate about it. If you have queries regarding anything in your niche, you can seek the help of people in your field. Do not feel awkward in seeking help because it’s okay to do so!
For freelancers and influencers:
1. Collaborations:
Creating content out of collaboration will you exposure to the audience with whom you have collaborated, who could be your potential audience too. So it is better to plan collaborations with people in your industry and increase your reach.
2. Social media ecosystem:
Once you have mastered one platform, or in the process of it and want to venture into another platform, go ahead. Plan a sustainable strategy and make sure you deliver quality content on all the platforms.
3. Generating leads and making an email list:
This is specially for freelancers or entrepreneurs. Social media is a very potential place to generate leads for your business, hence do not forget to harness this power. To know more how to generate leads on social media, you can learn from others or do a course.
Keep a check on what you do and measure if you were able to meet your objectives. If you did not, make your social media strategy needs a check. Remember, ultimately you should be able to deliver value to your audience and to the your industry. Its not a piece of cake, but it is not rocket science either. You just need a good plan, the willingness to execute it and dedication.
PROS AND CONS OF PERSONAL BRANDING:
Everything we do or have has advantages and disadvantages attached to it and the same goes with personal branding too. To mention a few would include:
Pros of Personal Branding are:
- Easier and faster to build the trust factor
- Your message goes as far as you go
- You have the capacity to influence people
- It is easier for you to get client if you are a freelancer/influencer
- Having a strong network
Cons/Problems of personal branding are:
- A negative image can be harmful to your career
- You cannot be a reserved or shy person
- Too much time spent on personal branding will not give you time for other things in life like your business/profession unless you make a business out of personal branding
CONCLUSION
Everyone has a Personal Brand, building it over social media is a choice. In this digital ecosystem, as things change and as things evolve, so will your personal brand evolve. Where you start and where you are few years down the lane is very different. Accept the changes and use it for your benefit as an opportunity. You can easily derive business out of a strong personal brand so do not forget to use it as your advantage. All the best!
To become a version better of yourself and build your career everyday, follow us on our social media handles.