Building your personal brand is something many of us face when we start out in business or looking for a new job. How do we project ourselves to others? How do we attract the right kind of clients? Here are our thoughts on creating a personal brand that works for you.

But first…

Why do you need a personal brand?

If you do not love creating Tik Tok videos for friends and strangers, turning yourself into a brand can take time and effort. I mean, it’s different from designing product branding – after all, it’s so personal!

But if you’re in business to be successful – and who isn’t – projecting an authentic and memorable image will make you stand out from the crowd.

And know that a brand is not a logo. It’s much more than that. It tells people what to expect from you every time you interact with them.

Marketing guru Seth Godin says a personal brand is “a promise, an expectation. Your promise has to be very specific. It needs to be interesting. It needs to be clear.”

Seth recommends that you need to stand for something. Your prospects and clients must understand what to expect when dealing with you.

 Tips for building your personal brand

1. What’s your focus and who is your ideal client?

If you’ve ever asked someone “who is your customer” and they reply “everybody” – it’s time to sit them down and have a long talk.

Trying to be everything to everybody generally doesn’t work. And for a one-person or small company, it’s exhausting!

Understanding who your target audience is and what they’re looking for, helps give you a laser focus on defining your offer.

It differentiates you from others. It clarifies your message. The more focused your message, the easier it is for your prospects and customers to remember who you are and what you do.

2. Be real

Most people see right through a fake. Your brand should be an authentic reflection of who you are. Your brand should align with your values rather than trying to fit in to please everybody.

People relate to others who present an authentic face to the world. Who tells a story they may relate to or at least one they understand and empathise with.

3.  Be consistent

It goes with the last two points, but it’s worth saying. Consistent across various marketing channels, from your website to social media, is essential when building a strong brand.

Be consistent with your style of messaging as well as other creative aspects of your brand, like your logo, the colours you use, and in the visual aspects of your marketing.

Unless you’re after a ‘bargain-basement’ type of brand, we recommend going for quality photography. Good photography will help you create a professional image and a positive first impression with potential customers. This is important in the digital age when visual content is ranked highly by people and search engines.

4.  Position yourself as the expert

Building a reputation as an expert guide is essential to building a positive brand. Be helpful by sharing valuable content in your blog posts, videos, emails, and social media updates. The message should always be that I know what you’re struggling with, and I can help you.

Building a personal brand will open doors. It will help attract like-minded people, potential clients or collaborators, and other industry professionals. Done right; it will create more opportunities to grow your business.

Contact us if you’d like to discuss how we can help you build a strong, positive personal brand. Call Katarina on 0415 128 804.