Do you feel lagging behind your competitors despite a better product, a better service, and more talents? It seemingly has become a norm where we see a lot of deserving people unable to make it to the top. It is not that these people are not putting in the effort or haven’t been consistent. It just despite their best efforts they have put in, they continue to remain bereft of their dues.
Simultaneously, I cannot help but feel that some people with lesser talent and mediocre quality products and services have made it big in the market. Yes, they do the same thing the other more skilled person does. But they enjoy a far better outcome than the later skilled person. Why do you think it happens? Is it because they are lucky or the other person is unfortunate? Do you think so?
The answer is NO. Luck has the least to do with things and outcomes here. What has made the difference here is the two most powerful words today - Personal branding.
Importance of Personal Branding
The importance of personal branding lies in the identity it creates for a person or a business. The identity allows for more fluid relativity for others. People can see you or your business for what it stands and immediately will join you. Furthermore, the importance of personal branding is backed by several psychological reasons such as gaining the trust and loyalty of your target customers. Personal branding to great extent surpasses the need to be excellent or genius in your field. Being good becomes great with proper personal branding.
Another reason why personal branding is so important today is social media. We live in the age of social media where everything from our eating habits to our daily routines can be figured at our fingertips. Now while personal branding is important, what is more, important is to have a roadmap to create your personal brand. After all, personal branding is not an overnight assignment. Instead, it can take months and years to develop. So, here I bring you some validated personal branding strategies to create your personal brand.
Personal Branding Strategy
Following are some of the important steps and details to develop a credible personal branding strategy. You can use them to grow as a professional or further enhance your business goals and ambitions.
Understand Your Why for Personal Branding
Okay, so let me make it clear that if you want to be successful, you need a personal brand. But how exactly will it help you? What are your specific reasons for wanting to create a strong brand? When you are clear about what you want to achieve with your brand, you can better plan the steps to achieve that goal.
Know Your Brand Story and Develop a Framework
Before you begin to tell your story, you must determine what that story will be. What do you want to be known for? What will set you apart from your competition? You must develop a deep understanding of your brand personality and your personal brand identity. A framework or story for a personal brand consists of many key elements:
Brand Purpose
Try to understand what is your overall goal, your overall "why"? Why do you get up in the morning and go to work? What are you ultimately trying to achieve? It can be professional success or helping or supporting others with your product or service. You just need to have the clarity of it.
Benefits of the Personal Brand
A brand needs to be clear about the functional and emotional benefits it delivers to its customers. When it comes to your personal brand, what are the hard and soft skills that you bring to the table? What are your unique strengths? Hard skills apply to things such as writing, coaching and mentoring, public speaking, workshop facilitation, business strategy, branding and marketing. Soft skills are attributes like self-motivation, strength, independence, quick thinking and open-mindedness.
Core Values
Personal brands are extensively value driven today and your personal brand must be even more so. What do you want to stand for? What do you value most of all in your personal and professional life? Creativity and innovation? Integrity and respect? Discipline and dependability? Try to come up with five core values.
Tangible Personal Branding Elements
Finally, a brand will always have tangible elements like a brand name, logo, colors and font of your brand design. What are the tangible elements of your personal brand? Online, this will include the colors and design elements you use on your website and social networks. Many freelancers who build a brand off of their name also get a personal logo design to use on business cards, their website, etc. Offline, personal branding encompasses your physical appearance including your grooming, the clothes you wear and how you speak.
Develop an Online Presence
You’ve sorted out all your social profiles so that they’re up to date and you also have the right story. But while it’s nice to have this basic online presence, if you stop there no one’s going to know that you exist. To make real connections you need to be actively engaging with real people. Furthermore, create engaging content and keep working on developing the brand.
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Shellye Archambeau is determined to help you with all possible strategies to climb the ladder of success. She values your feedback. Do mention them in the comment section below.