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Introduction
Personal branding has never been more important than it is today. With the advent and increasing popularization of social digital media, there are, to put it mildly, so many brands out there. It has never been easier to create a platform and gain a successful following, but there has never been more competition. As a result of all this, branding has never been more essential. The world is constantly evolving and keeping up with the trends is the only way to stay relevant; and having a quality personal brand is the best way to add value to a business.
Personal branding is for everyone, regardless of the business type or industry. When you think about some of the biggest and most successful brands today, you also think about the people behind them. And, naturally, the feelings and impressions that you obtain about those entrepreneurs influences your perception of their work. No one is immune or exempt from the effects of branding, which is why you need to be ahead of the game, in control of your branding and how the world perceives it.
There has never been a bigger amount of clutter for brands and businesses to be lost in.
No longer are we anonymous. We are all online. Having a personal brand is a way of controlling the narrative about who you are and what you stand for. It is a way of removing the barrier that exists between you, as a content creator, and your audience. It is the way you present yourself to your audience and how they will interact with you.
In marketing, they always talk about the “noise.” Having a clear, concise brand in the best way to cut through all that noise and be heard.
This eBook is dedicated to walking you through all the necessary steps to consider either before you begin to define your brand, or to help you refine it to make it work better for you. This eBook will be split into several sections. The first section clearly defines what personal branding is and provides the key information that is needed to begin a personal brand. The second section builds upon the concept of the brand that you have created and discusses appropriate media and content types and highlights unique ways you can add authority and credibility to your brand.
This book begins by outlining exactly what personal branding is and why it is so essential. It then goes on to provide a step-by-step of the most essential elements to constructing the foundation of your branding. Once the foundation has been laid, we will discuss the three keys to success: audience, authenticity, and credibility.
Following that, this eBook will describe some of the most popular media types for growing audiences and how you can harness them effectively. It will also summarize some of the best methods for content creation and growing your audience effectively. The next chapter will discuss the importance of analytics, which, may not sound particularly interesting(!), but is quintessential to monitoring your outreach and engagement so that you can ensure the continued success of your content.
While, of course, most of the world is “online” now, it is also important for your personal branding to extend into the rest of your life, so we will discuss some tactics for incorporating your brand into your everyday life.
This eBook will conclude by drawing on examples of successful brands and the associations that people have with them. By analyzing prominent brands in your industry, you can emulate successful elements and improve upon their weaknesses when creating your own personal brand. THE PERSONAL BRANDING BLUEPRINT 8 This eBook will give you all the tools you need to create a personal branding strategy that is effective, credible, and successful. By implementing the information that you will find in the following pages you are giving your personal brand the best start possible.
A holistic approach to personal branding is described here. There is no onesize- fits all method, there are only keys to success. You should adapt and alter these methods in order to make it appropriate for you and your goals. If you believe and trust the process, eBook will give you the strongest possible foundation for your personal branding and future success.
The “what and why” of personal branding
To firstly put it very, very simply, in essence, personal branding is the combination of who you are, what you are doing and how you are doing it. It is your purpose and your character; and how your audience perceives you. But what does that mean?
The personalization of business is a key characteristic of how industries have changed in the last decade. Brands and marketing have become so incorporated and entangled within our daily lives that we are exposed to so many messages all day, often with noticing. Whereas in the past, the idea of a “brand” was exclusive to the business world. This is now an outdated concept.
These days, we are all brands, in effect. Even our personal social media account shares our brand with our friends and families—even if we do not always realize so. Our accounts are full of the things we care about, our interests, and the experiences we have. There are, often, a “highlight reel” of our lives and they are all the things we want people to see us as. Hence, personal branding.
Your personal brand is, in part, the relationship that your audience will have with you and your endeavor. It is what you want to be known for and how people will recognize you.
See the similarities? You likely already have a personal brand, of sorts. But, since that you are probably already online you may be wondering why you need to curate such a defined brand, too.
There are an abundance of reasons why having a strong personal brand is a requirement of business.
Good personal branding helps attract more clients—it encourages engagement and feeds credibility. Rather than just being a mystery behind a screen, it shows that you are a real person, and therefore you have a higher level of influence over your audience.
In terms of a social media presence, people are often more inclined to want to follow another person, than they are a random, faceless business account. Thus, good personal branding can encourage people to follow you, as a person (a brand) and you will then introduce them to your business endeavors. This does not mean you have to have two accounts; you can be your business; it just means that your personality must shine through. In addition, quality personal branding permits premium pricing.
Consumers pay more for a product that is backed by a quality and reputable brand. Just think about smartphones—despite numerous, cheaper options being readily available on the market, people tend to gravitate towards the same, more expensive brands. Without branding, you are just a product that is subject to intense competition; branding is what sets you, and your price range, apart.
Consumers do not want to engage in business with a brand, instead they would much rather to interact with a person and know that, by proxy, they are helping another person live their dreams. Therefore, good personal branding builds relationships with your audience—your interactions can be more authentic and personal, while your audience is more loyal, more engaged, and less likely to switch to a competitor’s product.
It is how you differentiate yourself from everyone else; how you show that you are better, more qualified, and more credible than the rest. It increases your influence and persuasive power over your audience and is a fantastic way to add value to your endeavors.
If you do not put in the time to develop your personal branding at the beginning of your venture, you will likely spend significantly more time later on undoing the damage of uncontrolled or chaotic branding. It is far better for you, professionally, to develop a personal branding strategy, implement it and then adjust and monitor as your brand develops. This helps you remain up to date and, over time, will change organically.
It is far better to have a cultivated personal branding strategy from the outset, than have to do damage control and completely reinvent your online presence.
Additionally, personal branding can be pre-emptive form of marketing—it means you already have a good reputation in the eyes of your audience. In the unfortunate circumstances that a bitter and disgruntled customer, or unprofessional competitor tries to discredit you or spread negative misinformation, you will already have a robust platform. Already having a strong positive brand association makes your personal branding more stable and able to withstand shocks and will also provide less of a need for crisis management.
A strong personal brand creates a bond with your customers before you attempt to market your products or services to them. It means they are already on your team and want you to succeed.
Now that the idea of personal branding has been well-established in your mind, it is time to begin, or revamp, your own.
When reading the following chapters, you may find it helpful to stop, and write down any thoughts you have, or any answers to the questions posed. Being able to understand what, and why, and how things apply to your personal circumstances is essential in succeeding to create a valuable and credible personal branding strategy.
