10 Key Steps to Build a Personal Brand
Branding isn’t just for companies, a personal brand expected in today’s increasingly digital world. Professionals who have their stories to tell, goals, skills, and experiences to share, create their brand, and increase the awareness of it.
Slogans like, “Think Different” by Apple company challenged the world, “Just Do it” by Nike encouraged people to physical fitness. And many other big brands use slogans to improve their customer experience over time. Branding is the value that the company shares, how it serves people, what the company stands for.
What is a Personal Brand?
Personal Brand is what you stand for, the values you share, and the way you approach people with your values. It helps you to communicate a unique identity and clear value to your employees and potential customers. Personal branding plays an important role in establishing and boosting up your career goals.
Here are the key steps to build a personal brand on your own.
1. Figure Out Who You’re
To create an authentic personal brand that accurately reflects your professional and personal identity, you need to know yourself first. Make a list and ask yourself:
- In which areas of work do you excel?
- What motivates you?
- Which characteristics have others complimented on you?
- Which roles drain your energy?
- Lastly, which projects can you spend hours without feeling overwhelmed or tired?
Don’t struggle to answer these questions you can just ask your friends, your family, or co-workers to describe you. Keep in mind that personal brands will change as your career grows.
2. Articulates your VP’s
VP’s refer to vision, purpose, values, and passion that is the foundation of your brand.
- Vision: Your desired future of what you see possible for you. Assets your strengths and weaknesses to improve the skills that help you to clear your vision.
- Purpose: Turning your vision into reality is the role you need to do.
- Values: The operating principles that determine your activities day-to-day and you do not compromise on it.
- Passion: That motivates you and boosts your energy level up. Your passion always leads you forward.
3. Define your Audience
Before you start your personal brand, you need to know who you’re trying to reach. Moreover, identify the people you need to communicate your brand with and target the audience. Then it’ll be easier to craft your stories for better understanding targets.
4. Research your Desire Industries and Follow The Experts
Find out the thoughts of leaders in whatever field you’re interested in, and go through their blogs or others where they contribute their thinking. But don’t just follow them, look for success stories, and examine their doings. Building a personal brand is an individual task, but you can’t rise to the top without learning lessons from people who are already in there.
5. Ask for Informational interviews
Make a list of companies that you aspire to work with and ask the professional for informational interviews. Don’t hesitate to ask about learning more. Ask questions that can help your new insight towards your desired field.
6. Follow the 3 C’s of Branding
Have a communication plan in branding that includes clarity, consistency, and constancy.
- Clarity: Always be clear about what you are and what you’re crafting. Make genuine promises of values and set yourself apart from others. Make people attracted to your brand loyalty and do business with you.
- Consistency: when you’re clear about your promise of value, keep consistency with it everywhere. Also, that includes your social media profile, business cards, your websites, and your communications.
- Constancy: It’s not enough to be clear and consistent if you’re constantly with your audience. Be constant to become a strong brand. Be there for customers, the prospect to help them, or run the risk of being forgotten.
7. Live in the Inquiry
Regular maintenance of your brand is necessary, so do live in the inquiry. Google yourself occasionally or regularly to see if there is anything you need correct, and anything that is off-brand. Also, make more connections to grow your professional circle by conducting formal or informal networking events. So, the more value of your interaction – the more your personal brand will be recognized.
8. Ask For Recommendations
Cultivate your customer reviews and testimonials in the form of recommendations. Moreover, having a current and former colleagues is the most effective way to define your personal brand. Other connections can also craft effective recommendations, including former managers and professors of administration you belong to.
9. Adapt and Adjust
You should evolve to reach different expectations in your career time. Get ready to face hurdles and have the awareness of your brand, and even reinvent your brand, if necessary.
10. Rinse and Repeat
Make sure you have a habit of re-assessing your personal brand once in a year and start with step 1 of building your brand. You can reset your vision, purpose, or your target audience. You can start again with new ideas.
