If you have any form of online presence, whether you have one follower, one subscriber, or a hundred million, you have a personal brand. And whether you're trying to be an entrepreneur, merely in college, or looking for a job, you can bet people are looking for you online in some or another way.
If you want to build your authoritative personal brand, there are some new tactics that we can all use to ensure that our personal brand stands out among the millions of other individuals seeking to create their names and brands online.
So, if you just survived that rant of mine, I am going to share some of my favorite personal branding tactics and strategies with you.
1. Be self-aware
Before you start with building your personal brand. It is important to be self-aware. What's your name? Do you have a good understanding of yourself? Many people believe they know, yet this is not the case. It is preferable to reconsider and obtain accurate answers.
Because of the "mask", they wear to disguise their shortcomings, people rarely see their genuine selves. When the mask is too tight, people can't tell the difference between themselves and the mask. The irony is that such flaws are frequently their genuine virtues, which should be revealed. Before any meaningful self-discovery can happen, this illusion must be removed.
2. Live your core values
Everyone has core values within themselves that define how we make decisions and react to different situations. We need to define these values clearly so that we are aware of our core values.
Creating your own definition gives each of your values gives a greater sense of reality. Even if other people have the same value as you, it's doubtful that they'll define it the same way you do.
Defining your core values also makes it easier to remember what each one means to you. We have a habit of taking our ideals for granted at times. Writing down our own definitions, on the other hand, enables us to solidify the meaning of each value in our lives and reminds us to stay true to our principles while making difficult decisions.
Being the truest version of yourself in all facets of your life is what it means to live your values. Not just at work or at home, but in all areas that are important to you.
Your values, like your purpose, are directions that point you back to who you were meant to be. Your personality is built upon your core values.
3. Improve your personality
Core values make up your personality and a personality is actually what attracts the audience towards your brand.
Personality refers to a person's distinct manner of thinking, feeling, and acting. Personality encompasses moods, attitudes, and opinions, and is most evident in interactions with others. It encompasses both natural and acquired behavioral qualities that identify one person from another and can be noticed in people's interactions with the environment and social groups.
Did you ever try searching for personalities on the Internet? There are many you can see like Elon Musk, Neil Patel, etc. Every personal brand has a personality behind it.
Marie Forleo's personal brand, which is built on her own quirky personality and inspiring, supporting attitude, is a great example. Her personal brand is elegantly crafted, has a genuine feel, and is all about empowering female entrepreneurs.
Another example is Simon Sinek, a steadfast optimist who advises people to focus on why they do what they do, wake up every day motivated, etc. He has a charismatic personality that can help you communicate who you are, what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.
So to build a brand personality is very important.
4. Create your brand story
Next is your brand story. A brand is always built around core values and your personality. It is your core value that is important for the brand story.
Consider how your brand story and framework stack up against the competition in your industry. What makes you unique? Why should someone select you over your competitors to work with?
This is known as "USP," or a unique selling point, and it's especially vital in a crowded field.
You should have a brand story that revolves around your key beliefs. Your brand must establish an emotional connection with your target audience. Your story must be real to develop such a strong connection with your audience; otherwise, they will sense it right away.
Be a human with a real name. Never be afraid to share your views. Be authentic. You can have a brand name that reflects your personal brand. In such cases your audience needs to know the person behind the brand - that's your brand story.
5. Creating a personal brand framework
A personal brand framework helps you to assess the current status of your brand. It is a well-laid-out blueprint of what are the things you should be doing.
This personal branding framework may be used to guide everything you do, ensuring that your online and offline personal brands are aligned with your best self.
Here is my personal brand framework:
This helps me along my journey of establishing myself as a brand.
You can chart out a similar personal brand framework for yourself based on your core values and definitions. Print it and place it on your desk where you see it daily and work towards building your personal brand.
6. Assess the status of your current brand
What would you do if you wanted to learn more about someone? You'd look them up on the internet, right? It's fairly typical. In fact, 70% of companies check you out on Google, and 70% of employers look at your social media profiles as part of the hiring process.
Try searching your name on Google. What is the first thing that comes up? Is it your personal Facebook page or your professional LinkedIn profile? Which of your photos do you see when you go to the Google images —are these photos that you want professional contacts to see? Do you even show up in the search results, or is someone else with your name dominating them?
If the image that appears on Google is not representative of the professional image you want to project, or if you don't appear at all, you have some work to do!
Similarly, you have to assess your social media profiles. You might have posted complaining about going to work on Mondays with the hangover from the party you did the previous day. Or you might be posting a lot of cat videos.
It's time to check all these posts and consider the image that these photos and updates might create up in the minds of potential clients, partners, investors, or employers. All these might be telling some different story than the brand story that you want to convey.
Clear these things before you proceed to the next step.
7. Implement brand awareness strategy
Now that you are aware of your core values, your new brand story and assessed your current brand thoroughly, the next step is to tell people about yourself. It's time to share your brand story with the world.
Your social profiles can tell a lot of things to your audience. That is the reason you should take care to write details about yourself. accurately.
Many of the personal brands have their Wikipedia page which is quite a good achievement to have when you are building your brand.
You can also start a blog to tell people about yourself and your views helping to build your brand. Most of the prominent personal brands have their own websites where they share their personal views, beliefs, and work.
Conclusion
Now is the time to take the efforts necessary to guarantee that your personal brand's impression is the one you want to project. While I am building my brand, I wanted to share the tips with you so that you can build yours.
All the best. Build a brand that expresses your values and sets you apart from the crowd.
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