Why you must start building the brand ‘You’?

by Swati on May 2nd, 2011 2

Whether you are an entrepreneur running your own company, a freelancer in search of some freelance projects, or a regular employee in a company, the benefits of building and maintaining a personal brand are enormous. Social media has taken the idea of personal branding to a whole new level, providing us with innumerable ways to build and expand the reach of the brand “You”.

In an article titled “The Brand Called You” in the Fast Company magazine, Tom Peters, a management guru and author of the best-selling business book, In Search of Excellence,says “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called ‘You’. You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it several times.”

We all want people to remember us for the great work we do, the kind of person we are, and the way we impact others and add value. Personal branding gives us the ability to express our remarkable self, stand out from the crowd, and show the world what we have to offer.

If you are still wondering why you should be working on creating a personal brand, then here are few things personal branding can help you achieve:

Establish yourself as an expert

You might have the skill, talent and expertise to execute certain tasks. With your blog, videos and social profiles you can share your knowledge and experience with others. This enables you to establish yourself as an expert in a particular field. When someone is need of an expert, your followers and readers are going to recommend you, and with more and more exposure in this manner, you can further strengthen your personal brand.

In his book Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuk says “Developing your personal brand is the same thing as living and breathing your resume every second that you are working. Your latest tweet and comment on Facebook and the most recent blog post- that’s your resume now. That’s how you are going to announce to the world your ideas and opinions, the very thing that makes you a unique and hot commodity in your area of expertise.”

Expand your network and gain useful contacts

By setting up a blog, creating an online profile, and connecting with a network of people in your field and from various other fields, you are expanding your reach and widening your circle of connections. When you are in need of help, the people in your network are going to reach out to you and offer help. Even if you get laid off, your tweet or Facebook status update about your job needs, will find its way to the prospective employers and get you a new job, by word of mouth.

Pursue your passion

You are passionate about art and dream to pursue it full-time someday. You would like to escape your monotonous day job and work on an exciting online venture. By using social media tools, you can build a brand around your passion, and make a smooth transition from the job that pays your bills, to a job where you get to live your passion, while also making some good money. You can connect with others sharing similar interests and reach out to them for help.

Learn from others

When you have an online profile that showcases your skills, talents and interests in a particular area, it becomes easy for you to connect with others, working in your area of interest. For instance, you are a budding blogger and want to connect with some expert bloggers who could guide you through blog marketing. If you already have a blog, then you can join blog networks and social networking sites, to connect with other bloggers, and reach out to experts for guidance.

So, how does one go about building a personal brand? Here are few things you must keep in mind:

1. Identify your area of expertise

What are your interests? What are you good at? What can you offer that no one else can? The first step to building your personal brand is to discover your brand and how you want the world to perceive you? Once you have discovered that, you can start by setting goals, and taking the required action needed to attain a level of expertise in your chosen field.

2. Build your Niche

Your area of interest could be business and marketing. But finding a niche in these areas would help you stand out from the crowd and define your specific skills. Take for instance Leslie May, a successful online marketer who is also an avid animal lover. Leslie combined her passion for marketing and animals, and founded Pawsible Marketing- a niche marketing firm that helps owners of pet-related businesses with their marketing needs. So, think about the things that interest you, and see if you can combine the multiple areas to come up with your own unique niche.

3. It’s possible to have multiple brands

You might be passionate about different things and it might not always be possible to find a single outlet for all these. In that case, it is possible to maintain multiple brands, but do focus on one area at a time, and build that, before you start working on the next. Once you attain a level of expertise in different areas, you can create a social media profile page where people get to see your brand as a whole, with all that you do showcased in one common place.

4. Using social media to build an online profile

It is important to find the right social media channel to promote your brand. Blogs and social networking sites are good places to start with.

Blog

With a blog you can get more visibility for you brand. Set up a blog in your name or with a name that relates to your brand in some way. Blog encourages interactions and discussions that help in community building. But, if you feel that you can’t maintain a blog, then having a static webpage with your bio, links to your work and other details would also work well.

Social Networks

Create a Facebook page, Twitter page or LinkedIn group based around your brand. Though the aforementioned sites offer you the opportunity to reach out to a wider audience, it might not help you if your brand is specific, catering to a small group of people. Having a social profile is a waste of time however, if it does not promote your brand to the right set of audience. In that case, you should opt for a niche networking site. So, if you are an artist or a creative professional, then you can create your profile in networking sites like Behance Network, DeviantArt, Shapeshifters etc. to reach out to an audience that is interested in what you do. If you can’t any suitable networking group, then use Ning to create your own network.

5. Add value

There is a tough competition in the online space , with everyone jumping into blogging and social media, these days. But if you really add value by providing useful advice and content online, you can still survive the race. So, share your ideas with people and have meaningful conversations with them, to slowly build the trust.

6. Learn constantly

Building your personal brand takes time, and does not happen overnight. You have to spruce up your skills, and make learning a constant process. So, start reading books, attending events, and speaking to experts in your area, to gather knowledge and gain experience.

7. Reflect your brand in your Persona

Once you have a clear picture of your personal brand and who you want to be, reflect it in all possible ways –in the ways you interact with your readers online, and the ways you interact with people in real life. If you are known for your excellent listening skills online, then the only way to make that trait part of your personal brand is, by reflecting it in your face-to-face conversations with people.

To further explore the concept of personal branding, check out Chris Brogan’s E-Book on Personal Branding and Dan Schawbel’s personal branding blog.

Image Courtesy of Google Images

You might also like:

Previous Post Next Post

Comments

Anonymous

You are an art lover and one day fulfill his dream full time. Do you want an exciting escape from the monotony of the work of the working day online business.

Traffic Lawyers

June 6, 20113:28 am

comments rss