You have a personal brand, personal branding whether you realize it or not. What comes up when you Google yourself? The first impression people will have of you will be based on these results. Is it a decent one? Is your information consistent across LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networking sites?
Whether you’re going on a date or going for a job interview, chances are someone will Google you to discover more about you. Do you want to let your internet reputation take on a life of its own or do you want to be in charge of the narrative?
Personal branding has grown increasingly important as a result of the rise of social media and the gig economy.
What is Personal Branding?
The practice of promoting people and their careers as brands is known as personal branding. It is the continuing process of establishing and sustaining a person’s, group’s, or organization’s reputation and image. Personal branding defines success as a type of self-packaging, whereas certain self-help approaches focus on self-improvement.
The way you promote yourself is through your personal brand. You want your followers to see your unique combination of talents, experience, and personality. It’s how you tell your narrative and how people perceive you based on your online reputation.
Why is it so important now?
Whether you’re a worker or a business owner, building a personal brand is more vital than ever. One explanation is that recruiters are more likely to use social media during the hiring process.
According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers use social media to evaluate candidates throughout the hiring process, while 43% use it to check on current employees. From the employer’s standpoint, personal branding is also helpful.
Employees should be encouraged to develop strong personal brands since it is excellent for business. When they are given the opportunity to represent their company at conferences or events, they are not only improving themselves but also gaining publicity for the firm.
Thus, making them trustworthy and thought leaders, who can help new clients and maintain existing ones.
Personal branding is also important because the gig economy isn’t going away anytime soon. Every 2 to 3 years, the average person changes occupations. By 2020, independent and contract employees will account for 43% of the workforce in the United States.
We’re seeing only one pattern here, which is that the gig economy is huge and increasing more, says Diane Mulcahy, author of The Gig Economy. Companies will go to any length to avoid having to hire full-time employees. Add in the reality that there is no longer any job security, and workers are becoming increasingly conscious that they must work in new ways if they are to gain any type of stability.”
As a result, in order to stand out to future clients and employers, workers must be able to properly communicate who they are and what they do. You face the risk of damaging your internet reputation if you don’t manage it properly.
Your personal brand is more than a slogan – it’s who you are.
It is the process of identifying and clarifying the characteristics that set a person apart from others. Personal branding is a wise technique for those who are ambitious and want to start or advance their careers.
A personal brand is a representation of who you are, what you do, and why you require an engaging, appealing online presence.
It’s critical to remember who you are and why you’re here as you develop your own brand. We are often preoccupied with what other people think of us and we forget to be genuine to ourselves first and foremost.
Here are five essential guidelines for making your own Personal Brand:
1. Conciseness
Focus on your goals and what makes you different to make yourself known to your target audience. A good brand aims to form a strong bond with its target audience (i.e your boss and recruiters). Having a clear aim that is entirely focused on your target audience can help you in achieving this.
2. Your story is important
People are moved by stories and real-life emotions. They also connect with people who have a strong sense of self and what they want to achieve in life. You’ve already lost half of your peers if your personal brand lacks a human touch. Your brand is more than a series of separate events. It’s the true narrative of your concept, your hustle, and your mission to make you and others successful.
3. There is always a disadvantage
Because immediate perfection is a fiction, the strongest personal brands will always arise from repeated trial, error, mistakes, and failures – not from instant perfection.
However, you may have a setback along the route to developing a personal brand concept that distinguishes you from the competition. That’s how you get to the top.
4. Engrave your company’s logo on your sleeve
The best personal branding advice is to create a personal brand and lifestyle that allows you to live your truth. You don’t have to peek over your shoulder to make sure you’re making the “correct” decision when you’re real. One is not required to explain yourself or to be an “expert” in all areas. You can go through life with self-assurance.
5. Leave a lasting impression
Building your reputation and community should not be the only goal of an authentic personal brand. It should also be about leaving an impression that others will remember long after you have passed away.
After you’ve established a personal brand, we’ll help you take control of your legacy. What do you want to be when you grow up? What would you like to be remembered for?
It is no longer a luxury to have a personal brand, but rather a requirement. Learning how to apply personal branding may help you expand your professional presence and reputation, whether you’re a professional striving to greater career heights, an entrepreneur trying to start your own blog or business, or a small business owner looking to stand out in a crowded field.
Examples of some personal branding masters:
It takes time and effort to build a strong personal brand. It’s critical to be able to authentically explain your purpose and vision to your audience. Here are some renowned people who have developed tremendous personal brands via hard effort, persistence, and a long-term perspective:
Oprah Winfrey:
When it comes to personal branding, Oprah is unquestionably the queen. According to Forbes, she has a net worth of $2.5 billion and is constantly developing equity in her business. Oprah has never strayed from her primary competency: inspiring millions of people to live their best lives by realizing their full potential. She has encouraged millions to be their best selves by staying true to themselves.
Richard Branson:
He is clearly one of the most well-known and successful entrepreneurs in the world. He has never changed from his primary principles, which include adventure and risk-taking. By being himself, he has often done exactly what other business leaders have advised against, including crazy promotional tricks such as dressing up as a flight attendant for a rival airline.
His unconventional style and dedication to his causes have helped him build a strong personal brand. “Too many businesses want their branding to portray some idealized, flawless vision of themselves,” Branson argues. As a result, their brands lose their texture, character, and public trust.”