Creating the right personal brand will not only help you to be known within your field but will help cement your career success. Here are 8 steps that will help you cultivate a successful personal brand.
1. Have a focus
The best personal brands are very specific. Decide what your key message is and stick to it. That way, you’ll be able to keep your message and content consistent and will be more easily remembered by others.
2. Be yourself
Being authentic and genuine is key and will make it much easier to manage your personal brand.
If you’re very skilled in one area, your reputation alone will help to build your brand. You can then create and share content that helps to amplify your brand and reach your desired audience, whether that be prospective clients, employees, or your peers.
Your personal brand should follow you wherever you go, it’s not only a manifestation of what you do and who you are but also what you believe. It’s much easier to maintain your brand if it’s something you live it day to day, rather than something you engineer only in a professional setting.
3. Tell a story
Instead of shouting about your brand into the social media void; creating a narrative around your brand that your audience can engage with is key.
Using video (whether on social media or to speak privately with your clients) helps to forge a deeper and more personal connection.
4. Be consistent
It’s much easier to get recognised around your specialist area if you consistently create content around it. It’s equally important that your brand stays consistent in your offline interactions with people.
5. Look to someone else for inspiration
Study successful people in your field or other public figures you admire and see what works for them. You might be able to take something away from how they market themselves and use this to help develop your own brand.
6. Create a positive impact
Always bear in mind the impact you leave on others; keeping a positive attitude and helping other people will help you to organically grow your brand long-term.
7. Prepare to fail
The best brands always come from repeated trial and error, and not from instant perfection. Don’t expect to get your personal brand spot on right away, it can take time and effort to hone your message and ensure that it reaches the right people.
8. Let other people tell your story
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon once said: “your brand is the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room.” A strong personal brand will be remembered by others and help you to build a reputation within your chosen niche.
