Branding is one of the most common entrepreneurial and marketing jargons nowadays. While many downplay it, practitioners consider it as a key component of individual and business success. With the growing usage of digital technology particularly the internet, branding has become an even more important tool to boost online presence.
Branding is not just about companies, products, goods and services. It has become a powerful for individuals who are seeking to be noticed, to stand out and to get their “dream” jobs. Personal branding experts say that in the digital technology era, the online community creates a brand for you especially if you are active online. You are creating your personal brand based on how you communicate, the stories that you share, the pictures that you pose or the videos that you watch in whatever internet media platform available to you. As such, it would be to your best interest to go ahead and create your own and promote it among the so-called netizens. By all means, you have the right to enhance, harness the potential, and manage your personal brand.
Personal Branding is a process. It enables you to establish your personality among your target audience through a purposive communication of your beliefs and values. It allows you to communicate what you desire to achieve, and what you can give out or bring in to your audience. It entails knowing whose attention you want to capture and to whom you are offering your services. It allows you to distinguish yourself from all the rest who might be offering the same services or possessing the same set of skills. Big companies invest huge resources in creating and promoting their brands. They pay huge sums of money for celebrity endorsers, print, radio and television advertisements because they believe that branding is useless unless it is communicated to its target audience. You do not need to the same because modern technologies allow you to convey your own brand online.
Building your personal brand is essential because as mentioned, it will exist or will be created for you unless you create it yourself. If you do not manage it personally, somebody else from the online community will.
Your online activity reveals a lot about your personality especially to people who read it, hence, it is important to be conscious about this all the time. You reveal aspects of your personality to the people who read you through your social media posts or comments. You subtly tell them your preferences or tastes, views and opinions personally and professionally. You develop your personal brand unconsciously as you go about your routine online. If you want to have control over your personal brand, it would be smart to be deliberate, to be purposive whenever you are engaged digitally. Show the audience what you want them to see, tell them what they want to hear, and share with them only what you want them to have. If possible, avoid sharing without purpose, or giving away any information that is of no value or significance to the audience. Oversharing or posting something that has no purpose or meaning, makes you a common commodity and loses your premium. There is added caveat to this. You should be able to project genuineness, because the audience is smarter than you think. If they are indeed interested with your brand, they have a way of verifying whether you are a real deal or just another fake news.
Creating your personal brand is tricky if you do not know yourself and what you want. Knowing your audience is also as critical because you might be projecting yourself to the wrong people. Instead of developing your reputation and enhancing your brand you might actually hurt it with carelessness. It is important to note that you can only share what you have, and you can only educate based on what you know.
Knowing yourself is critical. You must be able to confidently say that you are different from others because of a particular trait or skill. You should be able to tell your audience what differentiates you from the rest of the pack. A stand out personality, skill or characteristics is what attracts your audience to you. But knowing yourself and what you are best at is not enough. You should be able to express this, to say this in the most effective manner. Knowing what to say and knowing how to say it are two different things.
Personal Branding is a process. It enables you to establish your personality among your target audience through a purposive communication of your beliefs and values. It allows you to communicate what you desire to achieve, and what you can give out or bring in to your audience. It entails knowing whose attention you want to capture and to whom you are offering your services. It allows you to distinguish yourself from all the rest who might be offering the same services or possessing the same set of skills. Big companies invest huge resources in creating and promoting their brands. They pay huge sums of money for celebrity endorsers, print, radio and television advertisements because they believe that branding is useless unless it is communicated to its target audience. You do not need to the same because modern technologies allow you to convey your own brand online.
Building your personal brand is essential because as mentioned, it will exist or will be created for you unless you create it yourself. If you do not manage it personally, somebody else from the online community will.
Your online activity reveals a lot about your personality especially to people who read it, hence, it is important to be conscious about this all the time. You reveal aspects of your personality to the people who read you through your social media posts or comments. You subtly tell them your preferences or tastes, views and opinions personally and professionally. You develop your personal brand unconsciously as you go about your routine online. If you want to have control over your personal brand, it would be smart to be deliberate, to be purposive whenever you are engaged digitally. Show the audience what you want them to see, tell them what they want to hear, and share with them only what you want them to have. If possible, avoid sharing without purpose, or giving away any information that is of no value or significance to the audience. Oversharing or posting something that has no purpose or meaning, makes you a common commodity and loses your premium. There is added caveat to this. You should be able to project genuineness, because the audience is smarter than you think. If they are indeed interested with your brand, they have a way of verifying whether you are a real deal or just another fake news.
Creating your personal brand is tricky if you do not know yourself and what you want. Knowing your audience is also as critical because you might be projecting yourself to the wrong people. Instead of developing your reputation and enhancing your brand you might actually hurt it with carelessness. It is important to note that you can only share what you have, and you can only educate based on what you know.
Knowing yourself is critical. You must be able to confidently say that you are different from others because of a particular trait or skill. You should be able to tell your audience what differentiates you from the rest of the pack. A stand out personality, skill or characteristics is what attracts your audience to you. But knowing yourself and what you are best at is not enough. You should be able to express this, to say this in the most effective manner. Knowing what to say and knowing how to say it are two different things.
Believing in yourself as a brand is equally important. If you do not believe in your abilities and in what you stand for, do not expect others to do so. You are a brand the moment you step inside a room, the moment you walk in in the lobby, the moment you click the log in button. Now as to what kind you are or what you want to be entirely depends on you. You might feel that you and your organization or business are one and the same but the truth you will always be your own brand. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be in touch with your inner self. Acknowledge what you know and what you don’t. Embrace your own, live it and be the first one to believe it. Be authentic.
Building your network is important to develop your personal brand. Interaction with other industry players will help you enhance your own brand. Competition might be in the air but there is no substitute with the interpersonal relationship that you develop with your peers. Their feedback about your brand is crucial if you want to further develop or customize your brand. You can reinvent yourself anytime you want should you wish to take on a different path or arena, and you can use the feedback from your network for this purpose.
Personal branding allows you to become more accessible to people or entities that might be interested in you. You become more visible to your online audience hence there is a greater chance that you will be noticed. But it can be a little bit scary or even creepy for some, knowing that a huge part of your life is exposed to the public. As such it is important to share only what is essential to them. You must also be able to know your boundaries or limits and learn to communicate it accordingly.
Personal branding enables you to build your own network. Having a solid personal brand allows you to develop partners and establish links with industry experts and potential customers. If you have existing clients, it validates their belief, trust and confidence in what your brand stands for. and existing customers. This network can become a huge asset when it comes to growing your business. The potential for audience expansion and reach grows exponentially once you are able to create and communicate your brand.
Personal branding makes you more distinct and identifiable. People usually equate others with traits, skills, or characteristics. Branding makes you worth a space in their memories. It will make you more recognizable not just online but physically as well. The more recognizable you become, the bigger the potential for personal and professional success is.
Personal branding not only develops an individual’s brand but also improves that of others. This is achieved if you collaborate say for example in creating a product or delivering a service with a partner. Both of your personal brands are enhanced if you are able to successfully deliver on your commitment together.
Maintaining and sustaining relationships might be more difficult if you have not established your brand. If you have a recognizable, reliable and solid personal brand, expect customers to keep searching and coming back for you. Solid networks are built with solid branding. Networks are built gradually. Networks build networks. Networks create and bring in more opportunities which you can harness and propagate. It paves the way for more avenues of growth and success. In the end, it will build your confidence to take on bigger challenges and responsibilities. It will embolden you to recreate and reinvent your brand, or stick to the tried and tested formula. As you build you credibility, you gain control of how you project your image and make your audience still follow you.
Personal branding helps in making your goals much easier to achieve. Opportunity finds you. When people know are confident with your brand, they will trust that you will always do what is right and beneficial to them. You will grain their trust and confidence, and ultimately propel you to greater heights.
Building your network is important to develop your personal brand. Interaction with other industry players will help you enhance your own brand. Competition might be in the air but there is no substitute with the interpersonal relationship that you develop with your peers. Their feedback about your brand is crucial if you want to further develop or customize your brand. You can reinvent yourself anytime you want should you wish to take on a different path or arena, and you can use the feedback from your network for this purpose.
Personal branding allows you to become more accessible to people or entities that might be interested in you. You become more visible to your online audience hence there is a greater chance that you will be noticed. But it can be a little bit scary or even creepy for some, knowing that a huge part of your life is exposed to the public. As such it is important to share only what is essential to them. You must also be able to know your boundaries or limits and learn to communicate it accordingly.
Personal branding enables you to build your own network. Having a solid personal brand allows you to develop partners and establish links with industry experts and potential customers. If you have existing clients, it validates their belief, trust and confidence in what your brand stands for. and existing customers. This network can become a huge asset when it comes to growing your business. The potential for audience expansion and reach grows exponentially once you are able to create and communicate your brand.
Personal branding makes you more distinct and identifiable. People usually equate others with traits, skills, or characteristics. Branding makes you worth a space in their memories. It will make you more recognizable not just online but physically as well. The more recognizable you become, the bigger the potential for personal and professional success is.
Personal branding not only develops an individual’s brand but also improves that of others. This is achieved if you collaborate say for example in creating a product or delivering a service with a partner. Both of your personal brands are enhanced if you are able to successfully deliver on your commitment together.
Maintaining and sustaining relationships might be more difficult if you have not established your brand. If you have a recognizable, reliable and solid personal brand, expect customers to keep searching and coming back for you. Solid networks are built with solid branding. Networks are built gradually. Networks build networks. Networks create and bring in more opportunities which you can harness and propagate. It paves the way for more avenues of growth and success. In the end, it will build your confidence to take on bigger challenges and responsibilities. It will embolden you to recreate and reinvent your brand, or stick to the tried and tested formula. As you build you credibility, you gain control of how you project your image and make your audience still follow you.
Personal branding helps in making your goals much easier to achieve. Opportunity finds you. When people know are confident with your brand, they will trust that you will always do what is right and beneficial to them. You will grain their trust and confidence, and ultimately propel you to greater heights.
