Section 4.06 Personal Brand

Module 4

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another – Seth Godin

What is a Personal brand?

It refers to building and advertising what you stand for as a brand, whether it’s through your logo or name. You and what you stand for are defined by your unique abilities and experiences, which may include your ethics. Personal branding that is effective will set you apart from other professionals in your field, market, and industry.

When it comes to developing a personal brand, you’ll need to invest time and effort in yourself. Personal branding establishes credibility, trust, and assurance, as well as opening doors to new prospects.

It keeps a person on their toes at all times, sharp and awake; maintaining an image to serve a higher goal is not easy. All of these things contribute to selling an idea one believes in and standing behind a remark made with the intent of promoting your image or a philosophy.

Why Personal Branding Is Important For You

Gives you more credibility:

Many brilliant, talented people are financially disadvantaged because they do not know how to position and exhibit their knowledge, skills, and expertise. To put it another way, they lack credibility among those outside their sphere of influence. At its most basic level, a personal brand is a planned display of your knowledge, abilities, and expertise that increases your circle of influence and credibility.

Building a personal brand is similar to setting up your own “Credibility Bank,” where you deposit little amounts of money on a daily and weekly basis. You’ve built up a sizable asset that will continue to expand on its own over time.

Allows you to charge more money:

A personal brand builds your credibility, and allows you to charge more. It’s basic economics – supply and demand. As a personal brand, you personally have a limited amount of time in a day. As demand for your time, skills, and expertise increases, you can start to charge more for your time.

One way to start charging more money faster, is to establish your personal brand in a specialized niche of your industry. Specializing allows you to focus and get results for your clients/customers. People pay for results. The bigger the results you get, the more you can charge.

Helps build a better network:

“Your network is your net worth,” as the phrase goes. It’s true, and developing a personal brand is one of the most effective ways to expand your network and, eventually, your net worth.

You can gain access to unique networks of people by developing a strong personal brand.

Creating a platform, or a committed following, is an important part of developing a personal brand. Even if you don’t have a successful business or your own TV program, if you could build a podcast to 10,000 downloads per week in the next 12-24 months, you’d be shocked at the types of people you could invite to be guests on your podcast.

Building your personal brand establishes your platform and gives you access to a larger network, which helps you advance your personal brand. It’s a lovely cycle.

Building a personal brand will not only make it easier for you to connect with a higher-quality network, but it will also assist you in attracting chances and introductions that will expand your reach and influence.

Get you bigger and better deals:

As your brand grows, so will your following, and as a result, more individuals will want to collaborate with you. Your personal brand, if done correctly, should also attract other movers and shakers who can bring you bigger, better deals and possibilities.

You’ll need to get very excellent at swiftly evaluating prospects and saying “no” a lot as you create your personal brand. While a personal brand can help you get bigger, better sales, it can also help you get 20x more bad offers.

Tips For Creating a Personal Brand Online

1. Create Your Brand

The first step is to decide on your personal brand.

2. Define Your Audience

Your marketing efforts will be directed appropriately if you have a well defined audience. It will hone your efforts and ensure that they are worthwhile, both in terms of time and money

3. Develop a Strong, Professional Social Media Presence

Select platforms that are appropriate for your industry. The best part is that social media is free until you start paying for ads, but that isn’t essential straight immediately.

4. Curate Content to Share Across Your Various Platforms

Curation of content is a method of generating interest in your brand on social media. If you can connect with your audience, they will return for more.

5. Register a Domain Name & Get a Professional Email Address

Get a professional domain name and create an email account for yourself.

6. Get a Local Vanity Phone Number

A really unique way to help build your own personal brand is to get a vanity phone number.

7. Get a Website

Having your own personal website is a great way to develop your personal brand. It gives you a launching pad where people can go to learn all about you.

8. Come Up with a Great Tagline

This is often referred to as a personal slogan, and it should be brief, simple, and to the point. In six words or fewer, you should be able to tell the world who you are.

9. Get a Cool Logo

Get yourself a stylish and original logo that you can use on your website, printed products, social media accounts, and email signatures.

10. Write Your Bio & Take a Great Headshot

Write a fantastic bio and get a professional headshot if you don’t already have one.

11. Start a Blog & Write About Your Expertise

Create a blog where you can write about topics that interest you and that you are knowledgeable about to demonstrate your knowledge and skills.

12. Make Sure Your Information is Up To Date

Make sure that everything you’ve put online – listings, reviews, articles, guest posts, resumes, and CVs – is up to date, current, and accurate, with connections back to your main website and/or social media profiles.

13. Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Recognize and celebrate influencers in your field, particularly if it’s something or someone that has had a good impact on you, what you do, and how you do it.

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room – remember that. And more importantly, let’s discover why

– Chris Ducker

Golden Rules of Personal Branding.

Be focus
Genuine
Consistent
Tell your story
Be ready to fail
Create a positive impact
Follow a successful example
Live your barnd
Leave a legacy
Let others tell your story

Summary

Keeps a person alert to maintain and serve a higher goal
Personal Brand is what you stand for as an image, values, moral, and ethical standard.
Gain access to unique networks of people
Tell your unique story