A personal brand is how you portray yourself to the outside world to make sure people have the right perception of you. Having an intentional personal brand is great because it can help every day professionals elevate their profile by establishing them as an authority in their field.
“Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with you.”
– David McNally and Karl Speak
Why do you need a personal brand for your business success?
Having an authentic personal brand is one of the first steps to securing business. If the image that you’re putting out there, aligns with the opportunities that you want, you’re far more likely to get them.
A personal brand shows the your audience, whether that be your network or your ideal clients, that you are genuine which can help them feel like they can trust you. This helps you establish your place as an industry leader, influencer, or an authority in your field. If the image you put out there is one of credibility, knowledge, and experience, people are likely to believe it.
Another reason is that it can help you be more relatable to your ideal clients. Regardless as to whether you work for yourself or you’re an employee of a company, it’s important to be able to relate to your customers. People do business with people, not companies. And a personal brand can help you to connect with your customers, both current and future, on a deeper and more genuine level, which is the foundation of a long-lasting business relationship.
Personal branding can also be incredibly useful when you’re faced with challenging situations that may affect your reputation. Maybe you have to put your prices up, or you make a mistake on something, or perhaps someone has a bad experience with you and leaves a negative Google Review. It’s a real shame if/when these things happen, but there’s no way you can control them. However, if you’re known as someone that is trustworthy, caring, and experienced, people are much more likely to give you a second chance based on that.
Intentionally creating and maintaining your personal brand shows your audience who you are, and is an important aspect that affects your business success.
So, how do you create a personal brand?
The process is quite similar to how you brand a business. You have to consider several things such as:
Your Values
Your personal values help guide you, and are part of what attracts your clients to you. If you build your values into your personal brand you’ll often find that clients that hold similar values, or who appreciate those values, will seek you out.
Your Strengths and Weaknesses
t’s important to identify your strengths and weaknesses, as these can make or break your business. Knowing them allows you to focus on the positives that will strengthen your reputation, while putting safeguards in place to neutralise any weaknesses.
Your Uniqueness
These are the things that make you ‘you’. They are one of the ways that you can differentiate from others in your field. People like to work with people that have a bit of personality as it can help build trust.
Your Offerings
Let’s be honest, it’s highly likely that you’re not the only person in your industry. That doesn’t mean that what you do is exactly the same. How can you make your interactions with your clients different and unique?
Your Appearance
And by appearance, we don’t mean how you look! We mean how you present yourself. The way that you present yourself is a major part of people’s first impressions of you. So it’s important to portray yourself in a favourable light. Dressing well can also boost your confidence, which your clients will pick up on, helping to build their trust in your abilities.
How you want to be perceived by the wider community
Consider how you actually WANT your clients to perceive you and how you want them to FEEL. Do you want to be perceived as professional or as a giant goofball? Do you want them to feel energised and motivated or calm and relaxed? These things will affect which parts of your personality you choose to display to your clients.
Keep in mind that your personal brand shouldn’t feel like a facade you put on every time you meet clients, it should feel natural for the most part. If your personal brand doesn’t come easily, it’ll be hard to maintain consistent messaging and relationships.
It’s also important to consider how your personal brand relates to that of the business you work in. Having complementary personal and professional brands helps to create trusting relationships with clients and seamless client experiences.
Want to build your Personal Brand?
Networking could be just the place to do it! Get in touch for your FREE Two Week Trial!
