Whether you agree with me or not, you are a personal brand. And the conscious effort to influence the perception of people about you is called personal branding. In a digital era like ours, where recruiters learn about a candidate on social media before inviting them to an interview, indicates how crucial branding is to businesses.
As an employee, you want to build a personal brand that represents your company well and positions you to seize several job opportunities within and outside your industry. If you have never regarded a personal brand as an employee, business owner, or thought leader. It is never too late to understand why building strong personal brand matters. Which I will be covering in this article.
What is a personal brand?
What comes to people’s minds when they mention your name is a function of the effort you have made in communicating who you are, which is called personal branding. On the other hand, a personal brand is the perception of people about you based on your experiences, skills, values, and achievements. Personal branding is the strategy of achieving a strong personal brand.
Why does it matter to create a personal brand?
We are in an era where personal branding matters like never before. These days, customers look up a brand on social media before deciding to purchase from them or do business with them. 75% of talent recruiters leverage social media to know who is the best fit for a role before proceeding to the next phase of the interview. And employers continually check on their employees to find out if they are consistently building a good image for themselves and their company. So you see, building a strong personal brand does matter. Some more reasons why building personal brand matters include
- To create a lasting impression of you
Personal branding creates a lasting impression in your audience’s mind that makes it easy for them to recognize you for recommendations or opportunities. You first need to reach their head before their heart. A strong personal brand makes you unforgettable.
- To build an authority
It is okay to be visible. But, you have to get to the point where people run to you to provide solutions to their problems in the industry you are in to build authority. At this point, you can make a profit from your experiences/skills as an authority leveraging personal branding.
- To attract opportunities and build strategic relationships
Building a strong personal brand will earn you the trust of people of different caliber, and it will be easy for them to recommend you to their network. By doing so, you build strategic quality relationships.
- To build trust and credibility
People will not have a problem doing business with you or saying good about you when you consistently maintain a strong personal brand that is admirable and worthy of following.
- It helps you achieve your goal
As a professional, building a personal brand could help you achieve the goal of working with one of the top brands in your industry. For a thought leader, it could help you achieve the goal of being invited to speak to a group of billionaires you have always admired. For a business owner, it could help you achieve the goal of selling your products to large customers within a short span. This is why you should not play down personal branding for any reason. According to Forbes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression- make it one that will set you apart, build trust and reflect who you are.
How do you create a strong personal identity?
To create a strong personal brand, you need to do the following;
- Find yourself
Until you discover yourself and what you are capable of, building a strong personal brand will be difficult. At this stage, you have to find out what makes your heart sing and what you want to be known for.
- Decide what visual style you want to be associated with
It includes your colors, fonts, and logo. Ensure you are consistent with it.
- Advocate your core values
People should know what you stand for by merely reading about you on billboards or digital channels.
- Leverage social media
Utilise digital platforms that resonate with your brand and follow best practices to build a community of people that will always advocate your brand in public. Also, do not forget to join communities of like-minds to grow together. A few digital platforms out there are LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Find a mentor or coach
Look out for people that have gone ahead of you in building their brands, and go to them for support and guidance. They will give you all the help you need in building a strong personal brand.
- Run with authenticity
While trying to create an impression worth following, you do not want to start on a rough patch with deceit. That will be detrimental to your personal and professional growth.
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