Personal Branding

By Tami Harris

Personal Branding. It seems to be the buzz phrase on everyone’s lips at the moment but what is it? What does it mean to you? How can it benefit you as a business owner, entrepreneur, or business professional? How do you build a brand? And finally, and perhaps most importantly, how do you sell, market or spread awareness of your brand? We’re going to break it down for you one piece at a time so without further delay, let’s dive right into a crash course on personal branding.

What is Personal Branding?
Forbes Magazine said it best when it defined personal branding by simply stating that “Personal Branding is how others perceive you.” More specifically though, it’s the continual process of molding and shaping what immediately comes to mind when others think of you and/or your business. It is so much bigger than a logo, business name or catchy tagline or catchphrase. It is the consistent messaging, the personality, the expertise and the story that is uniquely you; uniquely your business. It is the content, the vibe, the overall feel of the information that is put out into the world on behalf of you and/or your business. It is the outward packaging of your inward gifts.

Who is Personal Branding for?
A common misconception is that personal branding is a concept reserved for Big Business, Business Owners and especially these days, Social Media Influencers. That could not be further from the truth. The truth is, that like it or not, we all have a personal brand. Good, bad or somewhere in between, over time, we’ve all created a persona that immediately comes to mind when people think of us. So then the question worth asking is: What is your personal brand? Do others see you as a motivator? An example of healthy living? A religious or spiritual guide? An at-home chef? And if you do happen to be a Business Owner or Entrepreneur, what does your online branding say about your business or the services you offer? Does your professional persona portray you as an expert in your field? Does it scream professionalism or is it more of a laid back vibe? Whether for a business or an individual, branding is for everyone. In this article, we will, however, be focusing our efforts on personal branding for small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

How can Personal Branding benefit you?
Simply put, the effort that you put into your personal branding can benefit you in one or two ways, and depending on your business model, both. Personal Branding can either increase your following or increase your income. These days, most entrepreneurs are going to seek the benefit of both and quite frankly, the two go hand in hand. The cycle goes something like this; More Followers equals more eyes on your social media content. More eyes on your social media content equals more content engagement. More content engagement equals more inquiries regarding your product or service and naturally, more inquiries will convert to more sales of your products and or use of your services.

So, how do you build a brand?
Let’s be clear; building a brand is only half the battle (and quite frankly, the easier half). Maintaining that brand is where the work really happens. Here are four steps to building your brand:

1. Identify your core messaging i.e. who/what your brand is.
   

Knowing exactly what you want to say and being consistent with that messaging is important. If you are an Insurance Agent licensed strictly to sell life insurance products, then it wouldn’t make sense for your content to include information about auto insurance. Similarly, if you are a Portrait Photographer, it wouldn’t serve your brand well to post images of landscape or nature photography. Know your brand’s identity and sell that over and over again.

1. Identify your (desired) core audience.
   

Once you’ve identified your core audience, now is the time to figure out what they want, how you can provide that for them and to speak directly to those needs. If your core audience is looking for the cheapest possible price on your type of goods and/or services, show and tell them regularly that you have the best prices in town. If your core audience cares less about cost and more about quality and/or service, beautifully and strategically showcasing the experience, service and superior quality products you provide should be a large portion of the messaging that you are communicating to them

1. Be consistent across all social media platforms.
   

Consistency, as in most things, is key when it comes to your personal brand. Everything from your messaging, ‘posting personality’, turnaround time on communication with potential and current clients, your logo, color scheme, even the fonts that you use in originally created social media content…all of these things should remain consistent. If you are constantly changing your logo, pricing structure, or your online personality goes from highly professional and mature to snarky and sarcastically funny from one day to the next, this can be very confusing to your audience. Clients and customers want to know that they come back to you time and time again and that their experience will be the same (positive one) every single time. They want to know that they can refer their friends and family to you and that they too will have the exact same experience. Your consistency in not only your branding but in your overall customer/client experience can quite literally make or break your business.

1. Have a plan.
   

It’s easy to want to wing it when it comes to building your brand via social media but creating and sticking to a content creation plan and schedule is so very important. Unlike our personal lives when we post at random, based on whatever it is we’re doing at the moment (“Hey, look at this beautifully plated meal I’m about to eat at this overpriced restaurant!”), when posting to promote your brand you have to have a plan. Know how often you want to post. Is it every day, multiple times per day, or maybe just once or twice per week? Learn when your audience is online (which may vary by platform) and aim to post at those times. As for the content itself, a plan will also make the creation of original content that much easier to maintain. Maybe you post a little known fact about yourself or your business every Friday. Or you know that you will post some sort of video content every Wednesday at 3pm. Having a plan regarding what you want to post and when, helps to create a schedule for yourself, knowing that every single thing you put out there has been created with a plan, purpose and ultimate goal in mind.

The fifth and final step toward building your brand?
Execute. You’ve got your name, likeness, logo, products and services all figured out. You know who your audience is (or who you want them to be), and now you just have to go out, and make it happen. Be patient in building your brand organically. Be consistent in both your work ethic and personality. And remember who your audience is, why you want to serve them and why you began this journey to begin with. Best of luck as you build your personal brand, pursue the journey of building the business of your dreams and endure the challenges along the way!

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