It's the age of the entrepreneur. For good reason—the digital world makes it soo easy to build your own brand and business. No need to invest tons of money in overhead when you can do it all from the comfort of your home.
If you’ve always dreamed of building a career around something you truly love, you need to know how to build a personal brand to get ahead of the competition. I've got some personal brand tips for you to get you on the right track.
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WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND
Whether you’re a business coach, nutritionist, photographer or even a home stylist — no matter the industry really, building your personal brand allows you to be intentional about how you show up.
By developing your personal brand, you are able to differentiate yourself from the masses and appeal to a demographic of your choosing. If you want to spend your life doing the thing you love, creating a personal brand strategy will get you there!
BENEFITS TO BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
In Investing in Your Brand: 7 Rules for Long Term Success I cover the reasons why professional branding establishes credibility, allows you to charge a premium and maximizes your efficiency as a business.
The solopreneur and small business revolution isn't slowing down anytime soon. But, this means there are many ambitious business owners just like you. If you haven’t yet prioritized a personal branding strategy, you’re leaving money on the table.
PERSONAL BRAND TIP No. 1: Be human.
Increasingly, consumers want to know the people behind the brand. In fact, more name brands are infusing humanity into their brand strategy to satisfy our desire for more human connection. As a solopreneur, you are the face of your brand. This is a HUGE advantage of being a personal brand. Embrace it!
By creating a brand around your business, you are presenting yourself as a professional, one who takes the success of their business seriously and builds trust in your audience.
Working with a brand strategist and designer to develop a brand identity and personal brand strategy will enhance your approach. It will give you the tools to strengthen your business and connect with your desired audience.
HOW TO START ON YOUR PERSONAL BRAND STRATEGY
If you’re still wondering how to build a personal brand, consider these elements to clarify the direction your personal brand may take.
1. Be as true to who you are. In other words, be authentic. While it’s always great to look to the competition to see what others are doing, don’t just mimic their business approach without cause. What works for them may not work for you.
2. Focus on your core values. Why do you do what you do? What's your journey been like? What are the things that motivate you and your business? Spend time identifying the underlying values of your personal brand and business and then use them as the building blocks of your brand strategy.
3. Establish a key message. With your core values clarified, consider your ideal clients and come up with a business mission statement. Mission statements are important because they force you to really focus on your business’s fundamental purpose and everyday ambition. How will this key message be conveyed to your audience through your personal brand strategy?
4. Clarify the personality and tone of your brand. What type of personality does your brand have? How would you describe your brand to a friend? Establishing the tone of your brand will focus your messaging on your website and social media in a way that connects with your audience and will influence your overall brand experience.
PERSONAL BRAND TIP No. 2: Be cognizant of their emotional needs.
While I do believe every personal brand should be an extension of the business owner—hello, authenticity is a must—it's also super important to be mindful of their emotional state. Consider the type of brand experience or feeling they are looking for from a business like yours. Be sure to factor that into your personal brand strategy.
5. Be different. Always be looking for ways to differentiate from the competition. This is where you can truly excel but it takes some time and effort to develop. What can you do that nobody else is doing? This can be in terms of your client experience, the type of products or services you offer, or even by the way you name your service packages to boost their intrigue. Look for ways to leverage your uniqueness.
Look for ways to leverage your uniqueness.
PRIORITIZING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ONLINE
Whether you’ve been in business for one year or ten years, you need to prioritize your personal brand online. This is where everyone looks for you first, so make sure they can find you. Your online personal branding needs to be strong, so start with an effective website and your key social media platforms.
In How to Start Designing Your Business the number two item is building a website. There are so many platforms out there that make building a beautiful website easy as pie. From Showit and WIX to Square Space and Wordpress, there are so many affordable options with tons of designer templates.
On your website, be sure to include client testimonials on your homepage. This provides social proof and will further boost your credibility. If you haven’t been doing so, be sure to be asking for client or customer reviews regularly so you can build the trust of new visitors.
Lastly, use social media to your advantage. Set up your social media channels and focus on those your ideal customers are likely to be using. Not only is this the easiest way to get your brand in front of people, but it allows you to connect and engage with the people your business is built for, further boosting your trust factor.
I definitely recommend grabbing my Content Marketing Planner to maximize your content marketing efforts. I built this for my own business and became so obsessed with it I had to release it publicly.
For any small business owner, developing your personal brand intentionally will take your business to the next level. If this is something you’ve been wanting to do but are too busy running your business, let’s chat! Your business deserves a memorable brand that connects with your people!
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