What comes to your mind when you think of building your personal brand?
A perfect blend of ‘Name and Fame’, isn’t it?
But, believe me, it can be a daunting task if you aren’t sure where to start.
In a nutshell, the journey from “Who are you?” to “Thank you for being here” is all about separating the wheat from the chaff. But how do you go about it?
So let’s start with a clean slate and redefine your presence as a bigwig.
A word of caution before we begin-
In any case, personal branding does not mean you have to blow your own trumpet
Then how can you gauge if you’ve sown the seeds in good order?
Here’s a way to think about it
The day when people start talking about you in your absence marks the beginning of personal branding at your disposal
Can you imagine how great that feels?
In a minute I’ll tell you how you can build your brand value in a way that your audience craves for more.
Despite what you may have heard, don’t bark up the wrong tree because your personal brand will not emerge in the blink of an eye. It is a strategic approach to position oneself as a thought leader.
First off, you need to start small and focus on honing your skills, one at a time. If you are an eager beaver, channelize your learnings to become the Jack of all trades and master of one.
Although you are free to experiment with your flair, choose an appropriate brand identity, and enhance your brand visibility. With an exemplary fusion of brand tone, colors, logo designs, and visual graphics, your brand will sell like hotcakes. The more distinct your values are, the more desirable your brand becomes in the fullness of time.
Now before I go on, please remember this “You can not sell everything to everyone”.
The first rule of marketing is- Build a Buyer Persona. So your target audience should not be off the mark. If you walk a tightrope instead of a wild-goose chase, you can build an ideal customer avatar that defines the demographics and psychographics of your potential buyers. Don’t forget to analyze your target consumers as per your brand and NEVER try to appeal to “everyone”. Precisely, target the exact audience that will help you achieve your ultimate goal.
What you should do once you have your target audience?
You must have heard “Give a Lot to Get a Lot”. This holds true for every relationship, personal or professional. And there is a reason why you have to build your PERSONAL brand. More than your product or service, your audience looks up to you. And as much value you add to your consumer’s life, you’ll earn their loyalty for you. So add value selflessly. PERIOD.
Do you remember the ‘chicken and egg’ situation? Similarly, personal branding and providing unwavering worth to your audience go hand in hand. The more value you give, the stronger your personal brand becomes and the stronger your personal brand is, the more value you need to pass on. Everything boils down to putting steady efforts consistently.
The foundation of any personal brand is Networking
“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.”
That being said, the only thing that I was doing pretty perfect as a noob was- Reaching out to the right set of people with an objective of mutual learning, sharing the little that I knew, and focusing on exponential growth over a period of time. Do I need to mention that a significant number of people should be industry experts having legit experience who can guide you?
Even if you have your head in the clouds, you will always want people who look up to you, who want to learn from you, and admire your journey. After all, that’s the purpose of building your personal brand.
A healthy network requires trust from both parties, so link yourself with people whose reputation and ethics you believe in. Chances are good they will feel the same way about you. You have chosen to have these people in your network for a reason. So work towards empowering them and you’ll see how fruitful your network can be.
Don’t be a One Man Army
Leverage your network and get access to better opportunities, compliment varied perspectives, and get into propitious collaborations. This is the most efficient way of strengthening your relationships within your network. I personally vouch for collaborations because my presence skyrocketed after my 1st collaboration. You can easily access your partner’s network and vice versa. Don’t restrict your visibility. But make no mistake about it, if you are good at it, there’s no harm in getting better. More importantly, ask for a genuine recommendation and add it to your profile, thus improving credibility.
Here’s my formula for effective collaboration- W.E.R.C
- Willingness to work towards a mutually beneficial team
- Enhance productivity and encourage innovation
- Respect each other’s ideas and approach
- Communication transparency and flexibility
I am telling you, collaboration works like a charm in building your personal brand. If you think it’s nothing, just think again.
Which is the best platform for your personal brand?
In times of evolving digital presence, should you be limited to a specific platform to showcase your skills? I would say NO.
You have abundant options to experiment with. LinkedIn, Medium, Quora, Pinterest, and Instagram are just to name a few. In addition to that, you can even design an exclusive portfolio that portrays you as an industry expert. But don’t stick to a single platform in the beginning. Better yet, do some A/B testing and find out where your target audience resides, what they are looking for, and how you can support their cause.
Last but not the least, you may get a hang of 1 platform or a combination of multiple platforms that are best suited for you. But you’ll not know until you start.
On this note I assure you, if you follow these steps diligently, nurturing your personal brand will no more hold beyond your wildest dreams.
